Kickass Anthology (8 page)

“You will too, when I’m done with you.”

Fin snorted. “Maybe, but it won’t be today.”

“No, today is about working all of that tension off so you can have fun tonight. Now squat.”

“What?” In the context of the conversation, Fin wasn’t sure how to take such a command.

Jay answered with what could only be described as an evil smile. “Time to work. You’ve rested – ” he snatched the water bottle before Fin could guzzle the rest of its contents “ – and drunk enough. That ass is mine tonight. So work it. Squats. Now.”

The short staccato commands had Fin jumping to do his bidding. Jay poked, prodded, and nit-picked until he did every single squat in perfect form. It wasn’t really nit-picking, of course. It was Jay doing his job well.
He succeeds at everything he tries, and I always fail. So much for hoping his success would rub off on me,
Fin groused as he did squat after excruciating squat.

“You seriously overestimate my abilities, dude,” he grumbled when Jay refused to count a squat until he did it correctly.

“Stop complaining. Just a few more.”

A few minutes later, after many more than a few squats, Fin collapsed on his back when Jay called an end to the exercise. He rubbed his sore bottom. “Your definition of ‘a few’ and mine are
very
different.”

“Squats are your friend. Buns of steel,” Jay replied, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he headed to the front desk to ask after his next client.

Figures that when Jay finally offers to fuck me, I’ll be too sore to enjoy it. Story of my life.

“My next client is running late, so we have a few minutes,” he said, plopping down on the mat and beginning a series of stretches.

“Please, God, tell me it’s a few minutes to
rest
, not work more.”

“Depends on what you think of stretching. Don’t want your muscles to tighten up.”

Fin snorted as he sat up on the mat, attempting to mimic the position. Jay threw him a sideways glance.
He didn’t catch his own innuendo. He’s usually all over those. Must be getting into professional mode for his client.

They ran through a series of stretches in silence. Fin began to wonder if he had complained one too many times.
Maybe he’s finally had enough of me.
He silently vowed not to complain anymore and appreciate Jay training him for nothing and giving him free membership passes every few months. And that he charmed the manager into overlooking that fact.
I can’t lose him. He’s the only good thing in my life.

“I’m sorry for complaining.”

“That’s part of my job. You’re miserable. It’s okay,” Jay reassured him, leaning over to grab his feet in a stretch Fin couldn’t hope to imitate. When he sat back up, he caught Fin’s gaze and asked in a somber tone, “So what are you going to do? Do you have anywhere to go?”

“That’s my problem, not yours.”

Jay watched as he attempted the stretch. The trainer had managed to lay his chest flat on top of his outstretched legs. Fin didn’t even come close. He growled in frustration and threw himself back on the mat. Jay stretched out beside him, propping himself up on one elbow.

“How long have we been best friends again? I don’t want to think about you out on the street.”

Fin sighed. Jay was an immovable force, physically and mentally. He hadn’t won an argument in years. “I don’t have a backup plan. The shitty apartment I’m living in now was the backup plan. Now I’m getting kicked out of that place too.”

“Some of my clients have rental property. I can ask around, see if I can find anything.”

“Thanks, but I don’t have enough money to pay a security deposit and first month’s rent.”

“I can loan you the difference.”

“You would probably never see it again,” Fin admitted with complete honesty, glancing at Jay out of the corner of his eye.

“Then we’ll call it a gift instead of a loan,” Jay shot back, unfazed.

“No.”

“Fin – ”

“
No
,” he repeated firmly, leaving no more room for arguments. “How many times have you bought me lunch or loaned me twenty bucks? You even paid my utilities that one month so they wouldn’t cut off my lights.” When Jay started shaking his head, Fin punched his arm. “Stop it. I know it was you. I can’t take any more of your money. I already owe you more than I can repay.”

“Did you put a gun to my head and steal my wallet?” Jay asked. “No, I wanted to help. You try so hard and things just never seem to go the way you planned. I hate to think of you in that shitty apartment with an empty fridge and no lights. You’re my best friend.”

“Why? Why are we friends?”

Jay blinked, as if the question surprised him. “Because we are, that’s why. We work. Do we need a reason?”

“You just stick around for old time’s sake then,” Fin said, squeezing his eyes shut, trying not to feel so much.
I don’t have anything worthwhile to offer, but it would be a lot of work to start over with somebody new, I guess.

“That’s not what I meant.” Jay nudged his leg with one foot. “We’re like peanut butter and jelly. We complement each other. A timeless classic.”

“So you’re the healthy choice with all the nutritional benefits, and I’m the one they add in just so the kid will eat the damn sandwich without an epic battle.”

“Right, because you taste good.”

“You’ve never tasted me before. How do you know how I taste?”

“I’ve always imagined you’d taste good. Kinda salty but kinda sweet too – just right.” Jay winked at him. “I’ll find out if I was right tonight.”

“You’re gonna suck me off?” It was Fin’s turn to blink in surprise.

“Well, sure. You didn’t think I was just gonna bend you over, wham, bam, thanks man, and then kick you out, did you? ‘Cause I would never do that to you.” Jay sat up, cross-legged, and made a point to meet Fin’s eyes. “A trick from the club, maybe. But never you.”

“I don’t deserve – ” Fin started to say, master of self-flagellation that he was, but Jay cut him off.

“Stop it. Stop all of that negative self-talk. Stop it right now.” Jay pulled him up until they sat facing each other on the mat. “Look at me, Fin. Look. At. Me.” When Fin finally looked up to meet his eyes, Jay continued, “You are a great guy. You’re funny – well, you laugh at my jokes anyway. You’re so much smarter than me, and you have a huge heart. Who was it that dropped everything junior year to help a friend get away from an abusive lover? Who gave up his only day off in two weeks to help me move my mom to a different state? Who always gives me the last cup of coffee even though he doesn’t have any left to make a fresh pot? Who gave his lunch to a homeless teen he passed on a park bench? Who would rather spend his last couple of dollars on something for someone else than even think of buying something for himself?”

Fin dropped his gaze to the section of the mat between their crossed legs. He knew the answer. He had done all those things.
But they’re all just stupid, insignificant things. None of it really matters in the grand scheme of things.

“I know what you’re thinking. Maybe those things don’t mean much to you, but all of them mean a lot to me.”

“You don’t have to patronize me, Jay,” he said in a quiet voice.

“Have I ever?”

“No.”

“Then why would you – ”

“Look at this place, Jay! Look at you!” Fin cried out, exploding upward off the mat and gesturing around at the gym designed to appeal to its well-to-do clientele. “Shiny new equipment! Aesthetically pleasing colors and design. Almost as many trainers on staff as loyal members. All kinds of perks. You have enough gear to work out for months and not double-wear an outfit. You live in a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood with a roommate who actually pays his share of the bills. You have perfect hair, perfect teeth, a smoking hot body – ”

“Whoa, slow down, killer. Where is all this coming from?”

Fin could do nothing more than stand there and stare at Jay, wondering who’d slipped him the stupid pills.
Isn’t it fucking obvious? You have everything and I have nothing!

“You think all this material stuff is more important?” For a moment, Jay looked just as flustered. Then he visibly released the tension in his body, relaxed his posture, and leaned against a piece of equipment Fin couldn’t even identify. “I got lucky, Fin. All I’ve ever wanted to do was to help people achieve their personal fitness goals and feel better about themselves. There was no backup plan if this didn’t work out. I could have ended up in some run-down gym barely able to keep its lights on and I would’ve been in your shoes. It was pure luck – the planets aligning perfectly, the fates, a higher power, whatever – that I showed up here with a great reference from one of the members just as they were looking to hire a personal trainer. I could have worked my fingers to the bone, but without that bit of luck, it wouldn’t have amounted to anything.”

Fin sighed and let his shoulders drop from their defensive position up around his ears. It wasn’t fair that Jay had caught such a lucky break when he had worked so hard all his life and hadn’t caught a single break in all of his nearly thirty years. But that wasn’t Jay’s fault.

“As for my body…Fin, you know how hard I worked to achieve my fitness goals, and you know how hard I continue to work to stay in shape.”

“I know. I just feel so out of place here. Like they’re all condemning me with their glares,” he admitted.

“What?” Surprise was written all over Jay’s features. “You’ve been coming here longer than most of my clients. You’re a permanent fixture to them.”

“One small favor, I guess.”

“They don’t care, Fin, and even if they did, I wouldn’t have any trouble putting them in their place.”

“Your boss doesn’t mind you putting members ‘in their place’ to defend a guy who gets by on free membership passes and dues paid a month late?”

“My boss would have to spend a lot more money on advertising if he got rid of you.”

“What?” Fin asked, glancing toward the manager’s closed office door.

“You know that messenger bag you carry everywhere?” When he nodded, Jay continued, “I know you carry it because he gave it to you for free and you don’t have another bag, but it has the gym logo on it. People see it, and they come in for tours, meet the trainers, and buy a membership. Your coffee mug has the gym logo on it too. Or did you not realize how many of your former coworkers and clients work out here?”

“I did but I didn’t realize they started coming here because of me.”

“Yep. I’ve lost count of how many memberships you’ve brought in over the years. All it cost the gym was a couple pieces of merchandise,” Jay said with a smile. “So no more worrying about whether you belong here or not, okay?”

Fin let out a heavy sigh. “I could probably bring in a lot more memberships if I looked like I actually worked out now and then.”

“Turn slowly for me.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Fin stood at his full height and turned in a slow circle, keeping his gaze locked on Jay as he did so. Once he completed the turn, he raised both eyebrows in an unspoken question and waited for Jay to explain himself.

“You look good, Fin,” he said, still evaluating. “Not overweight, not underweight. Weight isn’t the issue. What you need is to tighten, tone, and get fit.”

“Now is as good a time as any, I guess, since I seem to have all the time in the world.” Fin was resigned to the fact that his full-body fitness makeover was going to happen, regardless of how he felt about it.
Immovable force and all that. Shit.

“I want you to stay at my place.”

“W-what?” Fin stuttered, caught off-guard.
Where the hell did that come from?

“You don’t have anywhere to go. We both know that. You’ll end up in a shelter or on the street. Either of those options could get you fucked the hell up,” Jay said, a haunted look in his eyes.

Fin had almost forgotten that Jay’s cousin had been attacked while sleeping off a hangover on a park bench. He later died from his injuries.
Now it makes more sense why he’s so concerned about me.

“I’m not going to end up sleeping on a park bench. Or in an overcrowded shelter.”

“Where then?”

“I dunno, but I still have a few days to figure something out.”

“You don’t have to. You’re staying with me.”

“I’m staying with you tonight, yes. We already planned that. But tomorrow morning – ”

“What? Tomorrow morning what?” Jay asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. “You already said you don’t have the money for a new place and you won’t take any of my money. So what then?”

“I. Don’t. Know.” Fin enunciated each word with care, irritated.
I can’t stand getting backed into a corner. He knows that.

“This problem isn’t going to just go away, Fin. You have to face it head on.”

“I know,
I know,
” he muttered, becoming increasingly annoyed. “I just can’t see a solution.”

Jay closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked as though he was silently counting to ten. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet but left no room for further debate. “I gave you a solution. You’re staying with me.”