Page 11 of So Worth More
“So….?” Henry started to ask the question I’d been dreading before Will cut in saying firmly, “We’re friends and co-workers. That’s it.”
Not gonna lie, the last bit hurt and was going to keep on hurting until I could purge all these feelings I had.
Ten - Andy
Aweek passed by, and although we texted a fair bit, we hadn’t made plans to hang out again outside of our usual workouts, which was fine I guessed. Never having been in this situation before, I didn’t know how to navigate what was essentially being friends with an ex. Either my former exes dumped me in spectacular fashion, or I had to get a restraining order and a new cell number.
Unfortunately, that was no exaggeration. Jason was still under his restraining order eighteen months on. I’d moved after Dylan, another ex a couple of boyfriends before Jason, to my current place to escape him and he was banned from Parker’s before he finally gave up.
Jason was the reason that Josh and Abby had lived in my apartment for a month, with me living at their place and working remotely. We’d pretended that I’d sublet the place to them and moved, not being able to afford to break my lease and unwilling to lose my apartment. Jason, thankfully, hadn’t met my sister and I didn’t have any recent photos of her on display, so he didn’t realize we were related.
The commute from their house had been a bitch and so expensive. I’d only done it a couple of times before Jason caught me just outside of work and left me afraid to leave Abigail’s for a week. It took that long for the bruises to go down, and for me to stop feeling ashamed that I hadn’t defended myself better. Once the order was in place and he stopped appearing at my work, I’d returned home and changed as many things that I could afford to do, just so that it felt like my safe haven again.
That was part of why I was finding it so difficult to adapt to friendship with Will. First off, I wanted more than that. Second, I’d never done it before, it was a complete unknown. Will knew where the line was. Would make amends if he needed to and always meant it. If I said I was uncomfortable with something, he would stop. When I asked for space, I got it. Will respected me in a way that no other guy had.
The thing was, that respect had to go both ways. I couldn’t push him into something he said he didn’t want. I’d been given an explanation, however brief and lacking, that he wasn’t ready, might never be ready, and I had to respect that. I wanted more, he didn’t. Will had offered his friendship instead, and that would have to do.
***
Though Will and I hadn’t hung out, our usual Friday hangout with the guys was back on. A shorter gym session, and then a few beers and some nachos at the bar down the street from the gym.
Will received a hug from Brad, his usual sparring partner, and the two worked up a sweat in the ring, trading banter and punches. Will was careful to pull his punches and not aim for Brad’s head. As a former professional middleweight boxer, Brad had sustained far too many head hits and concussions, ending his career by his early thirties.
Brad was the oldest of our group. In his mid-forties, he worked in construction, running the firm that’d converted the warehouse into a gym for Henry’s father. I could hear his crazy laugh as he taunted Will over a punch that didn’t land. The older man was light on his feet and more agile than his bulky frame suggested. His grey hair gleamed with sweat under the bright lights.
“Hey, Daddy Bear,” I called out to him and he turned to face me. “Go easy on Will. I need him in one piece for a client meeting on Monday.”
Brad just grinned at me. “No promises, Baby Bear.” I didn’t love the nickname, but refused to stop calling him Daddy Bear. The name suited him too much.
Pete was spotting me as I lifted some weights. He and Henry were the same age, both in their late thirties, and the two had met in the military after being assigned to the same unit. They had such a tight bond, almost like they’d been friends for life.
After being injured and losing his lower right leg just below the knee, Henry had missed Pete and his friendship more than being in the service. It was a particularly rough time for him with the death of his mother and the breakdown of his marriage. Pete had been due to re-up but left the military and moved hundreds of miles to be near Henry instead. They’d lived together for a while until Henry met Gemma, his girlfriend of two years. The friction that she caused between Henry and Pete had Pete moving out to get some space. I’d only met her a few times and wasn’t very keen on the woman. Pete outright hated her.
Henry and Pete only ever argued over Gemma and today was shaping up to be a big one. Gemma insisted we call her Gem because she hated her full name, but it didn’t feel right to me. I hardly knew her, we weren’t friends, and what I did know about her wasn’t good. Gemma wanted more of a commitment from Henry. A ring or moving into his place; it seemed either was enough for her. Henry, though, was reluctant to take that step, and kept dragging his heels over offering her more, and Pete was all too happy to point this out. I could see Henry as he walked the gym floor checking on people and cleaning off equipment. Time and time again his gaze was drawn to Pete, who was steadfastly ignoring him.
As Pete leaned down to help rest the bar at the end of my set, his green eyes caught mine. My heart hurt for the pain that I saw in their depths. “You okay man? Wanna head out early? The others can catch up later if you want.”
Like how Will was closer to Brad, I seemed to have more in common with Pete. Knowing him, it was easy to tell there was something off. I got the feeling that Pete just needed someone on his side, to really listen. Henry had complained over and over about how much Pete seemed to hate Gemma, but couldn’t give us a reason why. Now it felt to me that Pete needed to get it out, to tell someone why she bothered him so much.
His face softened with something like relief. “That’d be great. Can I grab a quick shower first?” he asked.
I sniffed at my pits and laughed, “Yeah, I need one too or we’re never getting served. Gimme fifteen and I’ll meet you at reception.” He nodded before heading off to the showers and I watched as Henry followed.
I approached the sparring ring and called, “time out,” which probably wasn’t the right terminology but I hated boxing, hated any sort of violence really. More so after Jason, not that he’d been the first to use his fists against me, just the most persistent. I’d been in a bad place after my breakup with Jason and been given some therapy but I knew that I’d have to let a new partner know that some things could trigger me. I probably needed to seek out more counseling, but didn’t feel in the right frame of mind for it yet.
The guys paused and turned long enough for me to explain that I was heading out early with Pete. Will gave me an approving smile and quick head nod in acknowledgement, which left me with a happy buzzing feeling for having gained his approval. I frowned at myself for caring so much as I headed to the locker room.
A quick shower and change out of my sweaty gym shorts and shirt into a clean plain light blue shirt, black skinny jeans, navy hoodie and my favorite high tops, and I was ready to head out with Pete.
Henry’s, “Pete, wait!” in a plaintive tone still rang in my ears as we left the gym. I was determined to be a good friend to Pete and really listen though I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. Call it intuition or whatever, but I was pretty sure I’d known since I’d met them.
We were silent until we got to the bar and grabbed our usual booth. It was still relatively early, so the place was quiet. The music was low to allow people to chat as they enjoyed bar snacks and meals with their drinks.
I loved the vibe of this place. It didn’t try too hard like some places did to fit in a niche or theme. Simply decorated with a lot of heavy dark wooden furniture, it had a calm atmosphere. We sat in silence until our orders were taken and I let him get himself together. Pete was the first to speak. “You know, don’t you?”
I hesitated, shrugging a little. “I guessed a while ago but recently, I dunno, it seemed more obvious. You haven’t told Henry?”
He snorted, his shoulders hunched with defeat that seemed to permeate every inch of him. “Told him I’m in love with him? No. There’s never been the right time to tell my best friend about how I feel. I’ve been in love with him for years. Him getting injured damn near killed me. Gem wants to out me, though. I think that’s part of her problem with me, y’know.”
