Workout Buddies by David Lee ©2017
The following is a very short story about two guys who meet in a class at a community college. It is purely fiction, though it might remind you of people you've seen at a gym.
Nate was up early on Tuesday morning. He hadn't slept as soundly as usual because he'd been apprehensive about working out at Aspen with his new friend Bryan. That was the guy he'd met in his nutrition class a few weeks ago. Bryan was a very nice person, and had assured him that he would feel comfortable at this gym, but Nate had his reservations.
The two of them had hit it off immediately and were already studying together to keep their grades up. Bryan had suggested that exercising as a team would keep them on task by relieving stress, and would help build their physical strength at the same time.
Nate was no stranger to the weight room, but he hadn't done much since graduating from high school a couple of years ago. He had been concerned about how he would measure up at this point in time.
Bryan had insisted that he looked fine, and that no one at the health club would judge him if he had forgotten some detail about lifting properly, or didn't bench 150 pounds right away. Many of the people who frequented it at 6:30 in the morning were ordinary guys fighting middle-age spread, or older people trying to keep the grim reaper at bay. They would be too occupied with their own workouts to notice him.
It took Nate a few minutes to choose the right outfit to wear. He had several options, but he wanted to convey a particular image. He hoped to strike a happy medium that would neither make him look too cocky nor too wimpy. He eventually settled on a silver shirt and black shorts that came just above his knees. His new black jock could be counted on to hold his junk in place and present a fine profile without making him look like he was showing off. What he chose tended to complement his boy-next-door good looks.
When he got to Aspen, he had to sign in. He was there on a free one-week trial pass to see if he wanted to join. Bryan, who was a regular member, had arranged it for him.
Looking around, Nate was relieved to see that there weren't any muscle-studs flexing in front of the mirrored wall at that hour. It was just as Bryan had predicted. He began walking toward the locker room hall with his gym bag, containing his street clothes, when Bryan jogged toward him.
"Hey Dude, I'm glad you made it. I was afraid you were going to wimp out on me."
"Are you calling me a wimp, Boy?" Nate tried to look intimidating, but his grin gave him away.
Bryan dapped knuckles with him, appreciating the banter.
Nate thought back to the time they'd met. He was running late on the first day of his nutrition class, and there were only a few places left. Perhaps, most guys would have grabbed the seat next to the voluptuous, but vacuous, blond. Nate, however, saw an empty one a little further down, one space in from the center aisle. That meant he'd have to step in front of another student to get to it. Disturbing the guy might not be the best option either. The guy, however, stood to let him in, smiling as he did.
"Thanks! I'm sorry to trouble you."
"No problem. My name's Bryan."
"Hi, Bryan, I'm Nate."
Nate thought Bryan's smile could light up the whole lecture hall. From his tan-colored skin, dark brown eyes, chiseled nose, and black hair, it appeared that one of his ancestors must have been an Aztec warrior. He was, in a word, beautiful!
Nate was left nearly speechless, but he mumbled something about being pleased to meet him. He was spared further awkwardness, as the teacher begin calling the roll.
Part of the class that day was devoted to going over the syllabus and reviewing course expectations, but once those details were taken care of, the teacher launched into an entertaining lecture which was a kind of rationale for the serious study of nutrition. By the end of it, most of the students could see its value, and were likely to buy into his philosophy.
Bryan admitted that he'd neglected the most important meal of the day because of sleeping late, so the two of them went to the cafeteria to have something to tide them over until noon. Their next class was at 10:00 and, as it turned out, they were in it together. Both were studying to be LPN's so they could gain enough experience and save up enough money to continue in school and become fully-licensed RN's.
"Wow! It's cool we have the same goals. Maybe we can study together sometimes," Bryan enthused.
"That would be great!" Nate agreed. "I think the nutrition class is going to be pretty easy, but I hear anatomy is a killer! We could help each other on that."
"So, you think we should do a hands-on study of anatomy together," Bryan batted his eyes.
"Um, I didn't mean to imply anything sexy," Nate blushed.
"Sorry about that, but I can tease, can't I? If you're gonna hang around me, you'll have to get used to it. But to answer your question, I think it would be great to have a study-buddy for all our classes."
Nate just smiled in response. In his mind, he was modifying Bryan's words to say, "studly, study-buddy."
Having secured his bag in a locker, Nate was ready to join Bryan in whatever routine he had in mind. Bryan turned out to be a taskmaster, but it was all in the name of making their bodies stronger. He reasoned that a nurse often had to help lift heavy patients who had little strength of their own. Neither of the guys was above average height, but both were pretty well built. Bryan wanted to hone their bodies and strengthen their backs so they'd be able to handle whatever their jobs demanded. It made sense.
At 5'10" and 175 lbs. Nate was the bigger of the two. However, he found it difficult to keep up with his workout partner. Bryan kept moving all the time. After he'd taken his first turn at the rowing machine, he jogged in place while Nate was using it. Naturally, Nate's macho pride pushed him to do the same when they switched. The non-stop movement was about to kill him!
"Let's take a quick water break," Bryan suggested.
Nate was all for it! He couldn't have kept up the pace much longer. As they stood there cooling down, Nate couldn't help but assess Bryan's body. He had good muscle definition all over, but his legs looked particularly fine. They weren't heavy, but they looked powerful.
From the knees down, they reminded Nate of inverted bowling pins. The calves were muscular, and they tapered to trim, sinewy ankles. He was glad that Bryan didn't wear the long basketball-type shorts, and socks pulled up high; those would have obscured the pleasant view.
A few minutes later, when Bryan was spotting for him, Nate could hardly concentrate because of the view he had looking up toward Bryan's bulge. He had to close his eyes to block it out. He was thankful he'd worn his tightest jock!
As the fall term progressed, the guys spent a lot of time together when they could, studying, working out, and generally paling around. They worked at their jobs as many hours as possible, to avoid having to take out loans, so they didn't have a lot of spare time for socializing with anyone else.
Because many students lived at home and commuted, the community college didn't own any dormitories. However, the school did lease housing from the managers of apartments nearby. These places consisted mostly of units with one or two bedrooms. The college sublet them to students, partially subsidizing the rent with grant money, to make their living affordable. Therefore, students occupying them had to take whatever same-gender roommates they got, unless they had a friend who signed up with them.
That worked okay for many students, but not for Nate and Bryan. Both were cursed with roommates who didn't seem to be serious about pursuing an education. Their apparent goal was doing enough to get by in class, and devoting more time to partying. Some kids, out from under the parental roof for the first time in their lives, went a little wild with alcohol and other drugs.
For that reason, Bryan and Nate had to find places other than their apartments in order to concentrate. Often, that was the library, or possibly a corner table at the student union where they wouldn't be distracted. Occasionally, they'd nurse a cup of coffee at Panera's if the place wasn't too busy. It wasn't an ideal situation, but they managed.
Their efforts paid off. At midterm, they had straight "A's" in all their classes. In addition, they were pressing more weight than they'd managed in the early fall.
Being workout and study partners benefited them a lot. The only time they were apart for more than eight or nine hours was Thanksgiving, when each went home to be with family for the holiday. Even then, they stayed in touch by texting frequently.
Nate came back from the short fall break to find that his roommate had vacated the apartment. He hadn't left any of his possessions, but he'd left his room a mess – littered with pizza-delivery boxes and other things he had no use for. It was apparent that he'd moved out after receiving his grade report which was crumpled up and thrown in the corner. Nate wasn't unhappy to have him gone.
He contacted the secretary in charge of housing, and asked if he could choose someone he knew to room with him for second semester. She agreed that it would be fine, and said she'd have someone from maintenance come to clean, or she had the authority to give his new roommate and him a discount if the two of them wanted to clean it. They could even sign out a rug shampooer rent-free from the school if they wanted to. He tentatively told her that they would do it.
He texted Bryan to see if he was available for dinner, and said he had a surprise for him. Nate would pick him up, and would treat.
Bryan seemed sad and preoccupied since returning from Thanksgiving break. Nate hoped that his news would cheer his friend up from whatever had caused his mood.
"How did you know I like Mexican food?" Bryan grinned, as they pulled up to El Paraiso.
"Just a lucky guess."
"I should accuse you of racial profiling, but since you're buying, I'll let it go," Bryan laughed.
"Shit! Is that what it seems like? We can go wherever you want. I thought I overheard you telling someone you love this place."
"I do! One of the owners is a second cousin. He goes to the same gym we do, but he's often there later. I'll have to introduce you. Honest, I was teasing. You've never shown any prejudice."
"Why would I? You're the same as me."
"Thanks, not everyone feels that way."
"Bryan, I haven't seen you for months! How are you doing, compadre?" Miguel said as he greeted him with a hug.
"Everything's fine. I want you to meet my good amigo, Nate, from school. Nate, this is the cousin I was telling you about."
Both shook hands. Then, Miguel seated them, handed them menus, and said that Pepe, their server, would be with them shortly.
Pepe arrived almost immediately with chips and salsa, and two regular-size margaritas which he said were compliments of the house. It would be a few months before the guys would be legal, but Bryan wasn't about to turn them down.
After their orders had been placed, Nate shared his good news.
"Bryan, Austin has quit school, and I want you to move in with me."
"Wow! That's awesome, but have we known each other long enough? I mean, tonight's our first real date!"
Knowing Bryan's sense of humor as he did, Nate decided to play along, pokerfaced.
"We've spent more quality time together than many couples do before taking that step," he responded, looking thoughtful. "I feel that we've become almost like soul-mates."
Bryan took another sip of his drink to give him time to think before answering. He had made a flippant remark, but Nate had evidently taken it seriously. If he were honest, he'd have to confess that he had pretty deep feelings for his buddy too. Should he admit it, or would that mess up their friendship. He was about to come clean, when Nate's lips began to turn up at the corners.
"Gotchya!" Nate snickered.
Bryan laughed heartily, but inwardly, he felt a twinge of sadness. He would definitely move in with Nate, but he hoped he could keep his straight-boy façade intact. The temptation might be more than he could handle.
They didn't need another thing to do on top of their already busy schedules, but the guys signed out the rug machine from maintenance, and cleaned the bedroom carpet on Friday night. While they were at it, they did Nate's room and the living room. The place felt clean and fresh when they were finished. By turning on the bathroom exhaust fan, and setting up two box-fans, they managed to dry it out pretty well before bedtime.
Since Austin had already paid the rent for the whole term, Bryan was free to move in anytime without adding to his financial obligations. He did that on Saturday, late in the day. His former roommate was happy to see him leave, because there would be no one to put a damper on the party he planned to throw next week. Maybe he'd have a girl over tonight! Good riddance to that studious party-pooper rubbish.
Living together was good for both Bryan and Nate on several levels. They didn't have to go hunting for suitable places to study. They rode to the campus and the gym together, so they spent less on gas. They could hang around the house in their underwear if they liked, because there was no embarrassment. They'd been in each other's company bare-assed in the locker room already. Bryan loved seeing Nate shirtless so he could check out his developing muscles, but he had to be careful not to get caught staring. He also needed to jack off daily so as not to embarrass himself. Living with Nate was both awesome and frustrating.
One night, Nate was in a silly mood, and "attacked" him for some unknown reason. The two of them ended up wrestling on the carpet, giggling. It felt good to both of them. Then Bryan popped a boner. Nate could feel it against his thigh, and he began to get hard too. Both blushed. Bryan got up, saying he needed a drink of water. He brought one to Nate as well. They settled down to study, but neither put his heart into it initially.
Christmas break meant they'd be apart again. Nate didn't like being separated from the guy he had grown attached to. It would be for only a few days because they would be returning to their jobs before second term began.
He tried to analyze their relationship. He wondered if Bryan cared for him to the extent he did for Bryan. He remembered that moment of hesitation at El Paraiso when Bryan hadn't answered with a smart-ass comeback after Nate talked about being soul-mates. Perhaps Bryan had been on the verge of agreeing. What if he hadn't said "gotchya" and made a joke of it? Looking back, Nate felt like he'd definitely screwed up.
As Nate was gathering a few articles of clothing to pack for his short stay at home, he became aware that Bryan wasn't doing the same.
"Hey, you'd better get with it if you're going home tomorrow. It's not like you to put it off till the last minute."
"Um, I'm staying here."
"Dude, you can't be by yourself for Christmas! What's going on?"
"My parents are going to Colorado to see my sister and her family, and I don't have that kind of time off. That's probably why they decided to go."
"Why didn't you tell me? You're welcome to come home with me."
"I doubt your parents would want me either."
"You're not playing the poor Latino-boy card on me, are you? My parents think the same way I do. They'll love you."
"Nope, I'm playing the poor gay-boy card. Um, I intended to come out to you gradually, but I can't fake it anymore!" Bryan began to sob.
"Awesome!" Nate exclaimed. "I've been afraid to tell you about me because I didn't want to lose you as a friend. Remember when you accused me of being a wimp? You were right! I've been afraid to face you."
Bryan looked at Nate in disbelief, but only for part of a second, because he'd hardly taken another breath before finding himself wrapped in Nate's strong arms.
They couldn't speak for several more seconds; their lips were otherwise engaged. When they did come up for air, they giggled like a couple of little kids.
"Okay, that settles it; you're coming home with me. It's time to meet the in-laws!"
"I can't do that; your mom isn't expecting me, and I don't want to mess up your relationship with your parents. I've already done that with mine."
"It will be fine. I'll call right now so she can peel another potato for dinner," Nate joked.
"Hi Mom," he said into his phone as he switched it on speaker.
"What's going on? You aren't cancelling, I hope."
"Nope. I'd like to bring my roommate home too. I think you remember me mentioning Bryan."
"Mentioning? At Thanksgiving, you talked about him incessantly. Has he agreed to be your boyfriend yet? I hope so because sleeping space is a bit short with my brother and family coming. Is he willing to share your bed?"
"M-o-o-o-m! He's here listening!"
"Oops! I'm sorry about that, Bryan. I'm such a tease, and I get myself into hot water a lot of the time. Please forgive me and say you'll come. You may have Nate's bed, and he'll take the couch in the basement."
"I'm a worse tease than you are, and I'll be very happy to sleep with your son if it's okay with all of you."
"It won't offend anyone in this family, with the possible exception of my sister-in-law, and if she doesn't like it, she can go to a motel!"
"I'll plan on it then. Thanks a million for inviting me. I can see where Nate gets his great personality."
"You are such a charmer. I knew you would be, if you care for my son."
"Bye, Mom. We'll see you tomorrow. Don't tease my boyfriend mercilessly while we're there. He's kinda shy."
"Am not!" Bryan objected."
"Good night, Son, and good night son-in-law!"
"Why don't we practice sleeping together tonight?" Nate grinned.
"Those twin beds are pretty narrow," Bryan frowned.
"My room is a little wider than yours. If we move the nightstand, we should be able to put them side by side, and have enough space to climb in from either direction."
"Okay. When we're done, could we take a shower? I feel sweaty already, and I'll be worse by the time we move furniture. We could wash each other's back."
"On second thought, I hate to go to all that effort tonight. let's just pull the mattresses off and lay them on the living room floor. We can do the serious rearranging when we come back after Christmas."
"Is showering still on?"
"Yup; I'd like someone to wash my back, and maybe some other parts."
"I'm your man when it comes to personal hygiene!" Bryan grinned
"Cool! From now on, I'm your man too."
--------------------------------End-----------------------------------
Author's notes: If you enjoyed this tale, I would love to hear from you. If you'd like to be added to my "alert" list to receive notifications about future stories, I will be happy to add your name.
David dlee169@hotmail.com