Page 10 of The Grumpy Vet
"How do you know?"
He adjusts the dial and slows down to a fast walk. "A few things. One, he touches you when he doesn't need to. And two, when I asked if you could tag along with me, I had to give him a reason why. I said something about how you'd be a great instructor because of your amazing body. Let's just say, the guy couldn't form a coherent word after that."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It was cute and gross. And while neither of those two things prove you're star-crossed lovers, I definitely think he's at least physically attracted to you. That's a good start."
It sure fucking is.
This whole time I haven't been sure if Linus has been good to me—especially when I get drunk—because he's a nice guy and that's what nice guys do when idiots get shitfaced, or out of some sort of obligation to my dad to keep an eye out for me, or because I'm his employee and he needs me to show up to work the next day.
But if Dario thinks he's into me—even if it's just physically—then that's averypromising sign.
The treadmill starts beeping, indicating a sixty-second cooldown. I fetch Dario's water bottle from where he left it by the weights rack and hand it to him.
"Thanks."
He takes it from me, and our fingers touch, then he takes a few sips as his walk slows even more then finally comes to a stop. He steps off the machine, wipes it down, and then goes over to his bag. In one smooth motion, he takes off his sweat-drenched shirt. My eyes travel over his broad back as he starts patting himself dry with a towel. Even if he is a little heavier than normal, he's got nothing to worry about. Years of training have given him the physique and upside-down triangle proportions plenty of guys would kill to have. Wide shoulders, defined pecs, and the kind of arse rugby players have—big and meaty.
He's actually quite hot…which is a weird thing to think because I've never looked at him that way before. We've always just been friends, so why would I check him out?
I wonder if he's ready to put the whole Quade debacle behind him and move on? If he is, he's unfortunately out of luck. The gay dating pool in Scuttlebutt is limited, to say the least. Apart from Linus and myself, I don't know of any other single gay dudes.
I put the weights away, making sure to leave everything as we found it. We're getting ready to head out when two headlights streak through the gym.
"Look. It's Linus," I whisper, grabbing Dario by the arm.
"Why are you whispering?"
"I don't know," I whisper back, nerves rattling through my bones. "I just… Yeah, I don't know."
"Okay. Firstly, relax. Linus is only a man?—"
"Butwhata man."
"Fine." There's that slight jaw tightening thing again. "He's an attractive guy."
Normally, this would be my jump-off point for listing all the things that draw me to Linus apart from just his good looks, but I'm getting the impression Dario might be starting to get over my sappy outpours.
"Just act normal. Be yourself," he instructs. "And stop whispering."
"That doesn't help at all," I say at normal volume.
He cocks his head to the side. A few seconds later, I hear the same sound he does.
Footsteps.
Panic sweeps over me. Dario turns to look me square in the eyes, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You've got this. Just pretend it's a work day, and we're at the clinic. Don't put any pressure on yourself, and you'll be fine."
I gulp hard and start nodding, not maniacally at all. "Yeah. You're right. I've got this."
"You do." He gives me a supportive squeeze. "And if in doubt, be quiet. I can do the talking and fill in any potentially awkward silences."
"Yeah. You have a good mouth." I realise what I said about two seconds later then clasp my hand over my mouth. "Shit. I didn't mean…"
"I know what you meant. Or didn't mean." Dario smiles at me with soft eyes. "All the more reason to err on the side of silence, right?"
"Hell yeah."
