Me: How is your week going?

Mark: Crazy. Had to completely rework a proposal because the client decided he needed to make massive changes to the design. You?

Me: Crazy here as well. We are installing new underwater treadmills, which means that end of the pool is off limits.

Mark: I am probably going to be working late all week. Then I told Nathan and Lincoln I would go out with them Saturday night. Want to go out Friday?

Me: Well, crap, I am busy Friday... When are we going to see each other?

Mark: Damn. I don’t know. Want to do lunch one day? Maybe Wednesday.

Me: No, not Wednesday I have a midday appointment. How about Thursday?

Mark: Sounds good.

“So, I was thinking. Have you ever been kayaking?” Mark asked in between bites of his half of a massive grilled cheese sandwich. Neither of us had much time for lunch so we decided to meet at the closest food truck park. In the end, I got empanadas, and he got a grilled cheese and then we split them both in half and shared. Win-win for both of us.

“Kayaking? No, I haven’t been. I have seen people doing it though; it looks fun. Why whatcha thinking?” I asked as I moaned. “Oh my God! This grilled cheese is insane!”

“I know, right? Anyway, I was thinking about going kayaking. There’s a place on Capitol that rents them. I thought I might go Sunday. I’ll have Em all day Saturday until I’m supposed to meet up with the guys so I should be free Sunday. Wanna go?”

“Sure, how about I swing by around 10:00 and we can go?”

We made arrangements for Sunday and then headed back to work. As I walked back into the rehab center, Matt was there at the front desk. I didn’t have any patients that afternoon because my end of the pool was still closed to complete the installation of the treadmills. I was really excited to get the new machines. I knew it was going to be really beneficial to my patients.

“What are you doing hanging around up here, Stillman?” I asked him. Honestly, he had been hanging out up at the front desk a lot lately. I think he had a crush on the new admitting rep, to be honest. I couldn’t blame him. He was cute as can be and pretty much exactly Matt’s type.

“I had a patient cancel last minute. Her grandson came in on leave from the Navy to surprise her for her 70th birthday, so I don’t really blame her for canceling. She was so excited. I just stopped up here to see how Brian here was doing.”

“Brian is doing just fine,” Brian said sassily. “Although he can’t get much work done with you guys hanging around up here.” Oh yeah, he was totally Matt’s type. He had blond hair and a pretty face. I would guess he was about twenty-four or so, and I would say the only prettier guy in the hospital was Nathan. I had never seen Matt date anyone other than guys just like Brian.

Matt put his hand on his heart like he had been shot. “You wound me, Brian. I was just concerned about how you were adjusting to the new job, and you basically tell me to get lost.”

“Well, Matt,” Brian said demurely, “I do so appreciate your concern. But there is no need for you to worry about little ole me. I could do this job in my sleep.”

I laughed at Brian. I liked him. “Hey, Matt, I was going to see if you wanted to go hang out Saturday. You could come too, Brian, if you want. We usually hit the warehouse district and grab something to eat and then spend the night dancing.”

“Thanks for invite,” Brian said. “Let me see what my boyfriend has planned, and if we aren’t doing anything, maybe we’ll come find you.” He looked at Matt pointedly as he said boyfriend, but then he winked at me so I knew he wasn’t really upset with him.

Matt smiled at Brian. “Seriously, y’all should join us. We have a good time and usually a lot of the people from work are there. It’s a good way to meet people.”

Then he turned his attention to me. “Wow, so the elusive Justin has decided he wants to hang out with his friends this weekend. That hasn’t happened for quite a while. I feel so special. Privileged even. What brings on this sudden need to hang out with us lowly peons? No, wait. Let me guess. Your ‘not my boyfriend’ boyfriend must be busy.” Matt even threw in some air quotes around ‘not my boyfriend’ just to demonstrate how much of an asshat he was.

“Dramatic much?” I asked him.

“Well, am I right?” he asked. “Is he busy?”

I sighed. “Yes Matt, Mark is busy Saturday. He is going out with Nathan and Lincoln. But seriously, man, I just thought we could catch up, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” If he was going to be a jerk about it, I would just stay home and watch TV.

“Of course, we want to go out, you idiot,” he said. “You just haven’t come out with us in a couple of months is all.”

“I have too. I went to Kayla’s birthday thing like two weeks ago and to Jarrod’s before that.”

“Jarrod’s birthday was in a restaurant, and Kayla’s was in a straight bar and both times you came stayed a bit and left as soon as you could. Other than work, we haven’t seen you, but I’ll get with Casey and Preston, and we’ll have a boys’ night. That actually sounds good.”

I thought about it for a minute, and he was right. We hadn’t hung out at all. “We are having a cookout next week you should come,” I said before I even thought about how that would sound or if Mark, Suzie, and Tom would mind me inviting people to their house. Shit.

“We? Who is we and where is this cookout?”

“At Mark’s place and the we actually isn’t me. I mean it isn’t my cookout. It’ll be Mark, his friends, and Mark’s ex-wife and her husband. Plus, probably a couple neighbors and some kids.”

“Well that sounds positively domestic.” Matt rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t miss that for a million bucks. Text me the address and I’ll totally be there.”

I chose to ignore that and told him I would see him Saturday. I was going to go check on the pool and then finish up some paperwork so I could go home.

* * *

I met the guys at the pub so we could eat before we went out. It was obvious once again they had started drinking before they got there, and I was laughing at the stories they were telling about things that had happened at work. Nathan had a patient who refused to stay in the hospital because her bird would be left alone with her son, and she was convinced he was going to teach the bird foul language while she was away.

Linc had a guy who accidentally cut his hand almost all the way off role-playing with a buddy using a samurai sword. I couldn’t even imagine the things they saw each day. There were rules and regulations about what they could and couldn’t say but even with the little bit they provided, I could tell it sounded crazy. While I enjoyed their stories, they made me glad I was an accountant.

“What’s going on in the world of Mark? Well, other than lots of hot sex with a hot physical therapist,” Linc asked with a grin.

“I know, right? I mean seriously, Mark, I’m wishing I’d given you a try because you must have a magic dick to pull Justin off the market. Well, or a magic hole, I mean. I know you’re vers, so whichever, but there has to be some kind of voodoo going on down there,” Nathan said, waving his hand in the air toward my groin area. “Voodoo, I tell you.”

“Justin isn’t ‘off the market’; we just have an arrangement is all. It’s temporary. We’re just having fun. Lots of fun. But at some point, one of us will decide we’re ready to move on and that’ll be that.” I shrugged.

“One of you?” Linc said with his eyebrow raised.

“Okay,” I sighed. “One of these days he’ll decide he’s ready to move on and that’ll be that. But it’s okay. I know the score.”

“I don’t know,” Nathan said. “I’m betting on you two going the long haul. I’ve never known Justin to go back for seconds, much less to hang around this long. I mean how long have you two been fucking like bunnies? Four months or so?”

“Three. We’ve been having sex for three months. We were just friends for the first two.”

“Oh no. I told you before, you might not have been actually sleeping together, but you two were way more than friends from the beginning.”

“Yeah, well, you’re drunk and a closet romantic, so your opinion doesn’t count,” I told him.

“Honey, I haven’t been a closet anything since I was fifteen and fell in love with my mamma’s makeup,” he quipped.

“Well, either way, we’re here if you need us, man,” Linc said, giving me a meaningful look. I nodded at him and nothing else needed to be said. I didn’t have to tell them I was in over my head because they knew me and they could tell.

* * *

We finished up at the pub and headed over to the club. I didn’t want to stay out too late since we were supposed to go kayaking the next day, but it was great to hang out with them. I danced with Nathan and with Linc. I drank a bit and just had a great time knowing that because of mine and Justin’s agreement, I didn’t have to be looking for anyone to go home with. I noticed Linc had found his twink and looked like he was headed home. Nathan was dancing with some big bear out on the floor, and while that wasn’t his normal type, he had talked about wanting a bear a while back, so maybe that was a thing for him now. Regardless, he looked very happy all pulled up against the big guy while they danced. I was thinking it was about time to go home, and I wondered where Justin was now. I was thinking about texting him when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Justin: Having fun?

Me: It has been fun. I think I am headed home soon though. How about you?

Justin: Yeah, it was great to catch up with Matt and Casey. Oh hey, I asked if they wanted to come to the cookout. Hope that is okay.

Me: Sure. Sounds great.

Justin: So, where are you?

Me: At that club we were at when you got all macho and scared poor Sean off.

Justin: Well, Sean was so not your type. I am surprised you even remember his name.

Me: Yeah, my type runs more along the lines of bossy bottoms who get all jealous and bent out of shape.

Justin: Well, I am just about a block away. Want to share a ride home and try out this bossy bottom again tonight before we go kayaking tomorrow?

Me: Sure. You want to call the Lyft or want me to?