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Usually, Robert did his best to ignore him - shoving his headphones in or giving a polite, sterile reply before slinking out early. Sometimes he even skipped the gym showers entirely, opting to ride home as a sweaty, uncomfortable mess on the bus or apologizing to his Uber driver. Facing the terrible plumbing of his own apartment felt like the safer bet, because staying this close to Chad felt entirely too much like playing with matches.

But tonight, Chad wasn't letting him fade into the background and after the psychological warfare in the cafeteria this morning, Robert wasn’t in the mood to run away either. Straightening up from the cable machine, Chad took two steps forward and climbed right onto the empty treadmill directly next to Robert's.

Chad started hitting the buttons on his machine, the rubber belt ramping up beneath his feet. "Five-minute sprint challenge. Right fucking now. Let’s go. Highest distance wins.” Chad started to jog, his pace already faster than Robert's. “If I win, you use your fancy executive powers to restock the breakroom with premium coffee for the next month. You know, the dark roast I like. Not that shit they usually give us."

The mention of Robert’s knowledge of his favorite coffee was a subtle nudge that had Robert rolling his eyes but the competitive spark already caught in his chest. He was tired of playing defense, tired of ignoring the constant challenges and honestly, he was tired of the smug look Chad would give him at the gym next time if he backed down now. This was their baseline - the sharp, easy banter where they actually made sense.

Robert reached out to hit his own speed increase. "And if I win?”

Chad smirked, his eyes cutting sideways as Robert set the timer on his own console. “You won’t.”

Robert let out a breathless, genuine laugh. “You're on."

For five minutes, it was pure, exhausting noise - the slap of their sneakers, the rush of air in their lungs and the heavy awareness of each other’s bodies pushing to the limit side by side. Chad didn't keep quiet either, throwing out casual insults every time Robert checked the distance.

"Is that all you got, bitch? My grandmother walks faster to the buffet, Bob-bob!"

When the timers finally beeped, Robert collapsed forward, hands gripping the console, his chest heaving as he stared at the screens.

Chad had beaten him by two-hundredths of a mile.

"Unbelievable," Robert groaned, his throat raw and burning. "You cheated. You’ve got a ridiculous stride length,"

"I have superior lung capacity and better genetics. It’s fucking science," Chad panted, though he looked thoroughly satisfied, his chest heaving as he offered a smug, sweaty high-five in the space between their machines.

Robert swung his arm to smack Chad's hand away, but in his utterly exhausted state, his coordination betrayed him. His hand lingered for a half-second too long, his palm pressing flat against Chad’s broad, calloused hand.

Their skin was slick, hot, and instantly electric. The playful, competitive illusion fractured for a split second, the latent heat of Chad's element humming right against the sensitive pulse point of Robert's inner wrist.

Robert pulled his hand back quickly, clearing his throat. "Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your favorite coffee. I'm going to go abuse the showers. The water pressure in my building is-”

“An insult to humanity. Yeah, everyone knows," Chad finished smoothly, his eyes tracing the line of sweat dripping down Robert's neck. He bit his lip, throwing Robert a sharp wink as the smaller man stepped off the treadmill. “Take your time,"

Robert's heart skipped a beat - and it wasn't from the cardio.

excerpt from Waiting on You ~ Book 2 ~ Part XV. Melting Point