Page 4 of Riding Pine
He coughs and turns his heated gaze to me. Just like earlier, when he was up in my personal space, his interest isn’t concealed at all. “I meant the handstand stuff. Not…other stuff.”
I don’t know what I love most about this interaction, his poorly concealed interest or his eagerness to learn a handstand.
“I’m Lukas, by the way.”
He doesn’t offer a hand to shake. They’re still jammed deep in his pockets.
“Ben. Nice to meet you. Have you been to Pansy Park?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m new to town, but it sounds pretty.”
“It is during the summer, but now most of the flowers have died. I used to play here when I was a kid.”
We’re almost at the park, and Lukas’s gaze is on me again with the weight of unasked questions.
“So you’re a local?”
We walk past the sign to the park, the gravel crunching under our feet as we head deeper down the trail.
“I used to be. I just moved back a few months ago. My parents aren’t here anymore, but my best friend is. I’m currently sleeping on the floor in his home office while I search for a decent apartment.”
Lukas hums in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve heard it’s hard to find a decent place here. I have a short-term rental at a motel close by for now. But I’m hoping to find a bigger place soon.”
In the park, there are only a few light standards, so I find one with a large tree as close to it as possible.
“Ready for your lesson?” Stopping under the light, I tilt my head back and look up at him.
He nods, his lips tilted in a lopsided grin. It gives him a boyish look that seems out of place with the scar and tattoos. But I like it. A lot more than I expected.
“Okay, the walking handstand. You have the entry pretty good, but you need to work on your balance and control.” Patting the tree, I explain. “Go into your stand and let your feet rest gently against the tree. Do it until you get a feel for how hard you need to kick your legs up into the stand without losing your balance.”
Lukas adjusts his stance and does a handstand a few times against the tree until he’s comfortable. Every time he does a practice stand, I notice something different. The bulge of his biceps or the way his shirt slides down and reveals abs to rival any washboard. He’s a physical specimen unlike any man I’ve ever been with.
And the tattoos. I’ve always associated tattoos with bad boys. But Lukas doesn’t throw that vibe at all. In fact, he’s still mostly a sexy mystery.
“Okay, now what?”
Moving over to a grassy section, I motion for him to follow.
“You need to engage your core, squeeze your glutes to keep steady. Once you do that and you’re up, it’s a rocking motion. It’s all in the shoulders. Watch me.”
Easily, I enter a controlled handstand and exaggerate the shoulder rock motion while I walk forward.
“See how it’s smaller steps and more like a rocking motion?”
After several steps on my hands, I lower myself back down. Lukas stands a few feet away, his hands back in his pockets again.
“Did you want to try it?”
“How did you get sogood at that?”
“Oh, I teach fitness classes. Yoga, pole fit, aerial silks.” I leave out the circus part because inevitably it leads to clown jokes, and I’m not in the mood for that tonight.
“That’s really cool. I’ve never had a male yoga teacher before.”
Again, Lukas seems genuinely interested in what I do, and I wonder if he’s an athlete himself or just a guy who likes to keep fit.
“Well, I’m happy to be your first.” I motion for him to step forward. “Go on, try it. I got you.”
