Callie rolls her eyes and waves her spoon around in the air. “Here we go.” She looks at me, deadpan. “Can you hear yourself right now, Tully?”
“No, hear me out. There are two types of people on Earth. The ones you love and want to marry.” I pause for a moment. “For me, I want to end up with Simon. But then there are the ones you just want to fuck.”
Rourke stops what he’s doing and frowns, as if he’s hearing this theory for the first time.
“Yeah, I get that. So?” Callie continues.
“What type of person am I?” Rourke asks.
“The kind you marry,” Callie and I both answer in unison.
Rourke screws up his face. “I fucking hate that kind of guy. Why am I that kind of guy?”
“You just are.” I sit on top of the box. “And, I was thinking about it. I’ve been on two dates since Simon and I didn’t like either of the guys.”
“That’s because you’re a fucking idiot,” Callie snaps. “If you really wanted Simon, you would be with Simon.”
I try to think of someone I know that I can use as an example between the two different types of guys. “Oh, I know, take the gym junkie, for example.”
Callie’s eyes light up. “Oh God. Him! If you don’t fuck him, I will.”
I giggle. “See, perfect example. He’s the kind of guy you would have fun with and fuck, but you could never dream of a future with him.”
“Why not?” Callie asks.
“Because of the way he is. He’s just so sexual.” I frown as I remember myself being all whoreish in the bathroom with him.
“And this is supposed to be his flaw?” Callie frowns. “You need fucking therapy.” She rolls her eyes.
“Even I have to admit this gym junkie sounds hot,” Rourke adds.
“Well, you fuck him, Rourke. He’s obviously a player who does this sort of thing all the time. He got me all hot for it in the gym bathroom, and you’d have to be an idiot to fall for a guy like that.”
Rourke’s eyebrows rise, impressed. “You can actually pick up girls in the bathrooms? Where is this gym at, because I need to join as soon as possible?”
“Get in line,” Callie snaps. “You should see this fucking guy.” She drags her hand down her face. “And his friends, all suave and buff looking. Christ.”
I laugh and continue sticking the boxes together.
“Aren’t you supposed to be meeting him tonight?” Callie asks.
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I’m not going to go.”
Her eyes widen. “Why the hell not?”
“I’m tired, I have to finish packing for the move tomorrow, and….”
My voice trails off.
“And what?”
“Simon,” Rourke sighs, disgusted. “She’s sitting here thinking of fucking Simon and being loyal to him.”
“It’s not Simon!” I snap.
“Well, Simon’s probably balls-deep in his,” Callie air quotes, “non-wife material right now, and I can guarantee you that he’s not thinking about you, Tully.”
I fake a smile. “Funny.”
“It’s true.”
I stare at her for a moment.
“Get your mind off Simon. You need to have fun. You do have to admit that the gym junkie would be fun.” She puts her hands over her heart and throws her head back to the sky to feign fainting. “Oh God, so much fucking fun.”
I look at Rourke as he holds his hands up in the air. “Don’t look at me, I’m trying to work out how to jump the fence here. I need to convert myself from the marrying type of guy to the fucking gym junkie kind of guy… on the double.”
“You want to be the marrying type of guy,” I tell him.
“No, I don’t. I want to be the fucking type of guy. Nobody wants to be the marrying type of guy. Not even guys that are married want to be the marrying type of guy.”
I laugh.
Callie stands. “Come on, Rourke, let’s go. Tully needs to go to the gym.” She blows me a kiss. “Go to the gym, meet your gym junkie, and for the love of God, forget all about Simon.”
I swipe my key over the door scanner at 9:35 p. m. I’m late, but after not wanting to come and deliberating the whole thing for over an hour in the shower, I’m finally here.
I’m not really sure why but what the hell. It can’t hurt, I suppose.
I walk into the gym and look around. There are a few guys up the back, and one girl on the treadmill.
Brock’s not even here. All that overanalysing for nothing
Damn it.
I get onto the treadmill and start walking. I turn up the speed and walk faster. I suppose I’ll just work out then. That’s an anticlimax.
I took an hour to psyche myself up to be here and he doesn’t even show.
Fucking typical.
All men piss me off.
Oh well, his loss. I turn up the speed and begin to jog, but when I look up in the mirror there he is. I see him. He’s sitting on the weights bench in the corner, and he gives me a slow sexy smile. He’s wearing a white T-shirt and navy sports shorts.
My stomach dances in excitement. I force a smile to my face and then look down, pretending to be uninterested.
God. He’s so…
He’s probably nothing more than a prop.
That’s what I would do if I owned a gym. I’d pay gorgeous guys to hang out and just be present. It makes good business sense, for sure.
I run for fifteen minutes, while he does his repetitive weights sets and watches me. To be honest, I wish he would look away because I’m dying over here. I can’t run for this long normally. I’m totally showing off and I may go ass over tit at any moment, and skin my other knee down to the bone.
One man finally leaves the gym, and then five minutes later the other one follows. Another group of guys walk out from the back, until there is just one woman left in the gym doing sit ups. Brock’s eyes fall over to her, and I wonder is he thinking the same thing as me:
Buzz off, woman. Why are you in the gym so late at night, stupid?
I stop running and bring the treadmill back to a walking pace. I wipe my face with my towel and watch as the lady finally packs up her things and leaves through the front door.
Brock’s eyes find mine in the mirror and a dark smile crosses his face.
Shit, my heart begins to beat so fast. I keep walking, and he stands to make his way over to me.
“Hello,” he purrs.
I smile goofily. “Hi.” Why does he have to be so damn sexy? I can’t even pretend to be cool.
He puts his hand over mine on the handrail and I feel the energy zap between us.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he says.
My eyes hold his as my stomach flips. “Y-you have?” I pant.
He nods slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, not even for a second.
“W-what were you thinking about, exactly?”
“I was thinking that I need to talk to you in private.”
I smile, God is he for real? “Is that so?” I look around the empty gym. “Is that why you had to wait for everyone to leave so you could come and talk to me?”
“Well, I didn’t want anyone to be suspicious of the two of us talking the other night in the bathroom.”
“Talking?” I smirk. “Is that what you call it?”
He smiles sexily and my stomach clenches. Don’t smile at me like that.
“Yes.” He pauses and rolls his lips together, as if amused. “It was a very… stimulating conversation. For some more than others.”
Unable to help it, I laugh. “Yes, it was a very stimulating conversation that we had the other night.”
His eyes find mine. “Did you enjoy it?”
What’s it going to be, Tull? I get a vision of Simon with that girl.
Sink or swim.
“I did.” Our eyes are locked. “Very much, actually.”
Oh God, this guy makes me want to be a dirty whore.
Satisfaction flashes across his face and he licks his lips. He runs his hand up my forearm and his eyes follow his own touch. “I have something else to tell you.”
I act surprised. “You do?”
“Yes” He pauses for a moment. “I do.”
“What?” I ask, trying not to fall over on the treadmill from his touch alone.
“I can’t tell you here, Pocket.” His focus shifts to my lips.
“Why not?” I feel the burn from his gaze.
“It’s private.”
He takes his hand off my arm and I frown at the loss of his touch. “Where do you want to tell me this private information?” I ask as I play along.
“We should probably talk where we talked last time.” He bites his lip to hide his smile.
“Really?” I widen my eyes.
He nods slowly.
I continue to walk on the treadmill.
“So, I’m going to go into the discussion room now,” he says smoothly.
“The discussion room?” I raise my brows and laugh again. “You are something else.”
“I know.” He chuckles, and then gestures up to the ceiling. I look up.
A camera.
Shit.