Page 53 of Not That Ridiculous

“It’s the damp.”

“It’s not damp today.”

“Fine. Maybe it’s dropped on the hinges a bit. And no, I’m not going to take advantage of Kevin and use him as my own personal handyman.”

“Think he’d enjoy that a lot, actually.”

I pressed my lips together into a firm line and set my hands on my hips. “Jasper,” I said.

“Charlie?”

“I sense that you’re trying to say something.”

“I am. You like Kevin.”

“Of course I do. Who doesn’t like Kevin? He’s an extremely likeable man. Now, are we going to the gym, or…?”

“Yes!” Phil was leaning with his head tucked into the back of Jasper’s knees. Jasper bent down and grabbed his face, angling it up. He gave him a quick smooch on top of his head. “Bye, buddy.”

Bye? Phil knewthatword. He sighed glumly and slid to the floor.

I glanced over to check he had water in his bowl as I locked up the back, told him to continue his excellent work of being a very good boy, and followed Jasper out into the hall.

Unfortunately, he was still talking. “I think youlike-like Kevin.”

I grunted noncommittally and nudged him out the front. He watched while I yanked the door shut behind me and got it to engage on the third heave. I ignored his pointed look and shooed him down the drive.

“We’ll take my car,” he said.

“I’m not falling for that twice in a row.” He would definitely strand me at the gym again and try to make Kevin drive me home.

I lost Jasper at the traffic lights and sat there waiting for it to turn green, debating whether or not it was worth hanging a left and ducking home.

Who was I kidding?

I wouldn’t admit it even under torture but despite what I’d been yelling on that unflattering video Jasper showed me, I had enjoyed myself last time.

Not a lot, but…yeah.

I dutifully turned right and headed for the gym. Ten minutes later I slung my gym bag over my shoulder and went inside. Jasper had been cornered in Reception by a group of elderly folk whose kit, embarrassingly enough, was way more fashionable than my half-arsed shorts-and-t-shirt combo. I caught his eye, hitched a thumb in the direction of the men’s changing room, and left him to his fan club.

Part of me was expecting to walk in and find Kevin naked and manspreading again.

Let’s not be coy here—part of me very much hoped that I would.

As it turned out, Kevin was indeed in the changing room when I walked in, but this was the Kevin Wallis I was more used to, not the new and inexplicably sexual Kevin, who fingered my pastries and pushed me around my kitchen and put his tongue in my mouth.

He was on the other side of the room and although my eyes went straight to him, he didn’t notice me. He was with a group of lads about his age, a couple of them younger. All of them in their early twenties.

My skin prickled and my spine straightened. My hackles went up.

This was Kevin in his natural habitat. Where he belonged.

This was Kevin with his people, on his turf, in his element. He was the centre of a gaggle of gym bros comparing biceps, or discussing the finer points of beer, or whatever it was they were making such a noise about.

Gripping the strap of my gym bag like it was trying to get away from me, I stalked over to the nearest bench. I kept my back to the room as I fiddled about with my phone and water bottle, and managed to drag it out until the noise of voices and laughter rose then faded away as the lads exited, and Jasper came to find me.

We were here an hour later than last Saturday. Seeing how busy it was in the main gym had me making a mental note that, if I was going to be stupid enough to put myself through this again, I’d come in earlier. Maybe right after opening, if I could haul my arse out of bed.

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