Page 37 of Common Goal
Kyle stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the top two floors, but he couldn’t see anything past the point where they turned a corner. He slowly ascended the stairs, hoping Eric would make his presence known before Kyle looked too much like a stalker. When the room at the top came into view, his jaw dropped.
The whole floor seemed to be a studio space. The front wall was entirely windows, and the other walls were white, reflecting the midday sun. The floor was a light-colored wood, and the room was sparsely decorated with lush green plants and quiet pieces of art. It was a gorgeous space, but the most stunning feature was the man in the middle of the room balancing, shirtless, on his elbows with his legs stretched high above his head in a perfectly straight line.
Kyle stared for a moment at the tension in Eric’s muscular forearms and biceps. At the elegant lines of his bare feet. At the defined muscles of his back. He was physical perfection.
“Holy shit,” Kyle whispered, which made Eric open his eyes. His brow furrowed when he saw Kyle, then he calmly bent his knees, tucking his legs into his body before slowly shifting to a kneeling position on the mat.
“Good morning,” Eric said.
“Is it still morning?”
“Barely.” Eric stood and sauntered over to Kyle, his chest glistening with sweat. He had dark hair covering his pecs, which was exactly what Kyle had pictured. When he’d allowed himself to picture. Which was more often than he should have allowed it.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“It’s okay. Are you hungry?”
“Always.”
“Let me grab my shirt.”
“Is that necessary?” Kyle groaned at himself. “Sorry.”
Eric chuckled as he snatched his shirt off the floor. “You didn’t even last five minutes.”
“Well, can you blame me?” Kyle waved his hands in the direction of Eric’s bare chest. “I had no warning at all.”
“I’ll be sure to text you before I remove my shirt in the future.”
They both kind of froze after Eric said that. Then Kyle laughed, mostly to break the tension. “I would appreciate that.”
“I’ll make some coffee. What do you like to eat in the mornings?” Eric headed down the stairs and Kyle followed.
“Lucky Charms. Coco Puffs. That sort of thing.”
Eric frowned. “Oh, uh. I don’t really—”
“I’m kidding. I know we don’t know each other well, but I am pretty sure you don’t eat a lot of garbage sugar cereal.”
“No.” His smile was sweet and a little embarrassed. “I don’t.”
“Did you eat already? You don’t have to feed me.”
“I haven’t eaten. I like to work out first. I’m hungry.” They reached the kitchen and Eric got started on the coffee. Kyle, unsure of what to do, sat himself on one of the stools at the island.
“Did you sleep well?” Eric asked.
“Like the dead. You?”
“Same. I don’t usually stay up so late. I was exhausted. Do you like Greek yogurt?”
“Sure.”
“I have berries and granola. And honey.”
“Fancy.”
The coffeemaker gurgled as Kyle watched Eric assemble two bowls of yogurt with fresh berries and what looked to be locally made granola sprinkled on top.
