Page 5 of Numbers Boy (Working Boys #2)
CHAPTER FIVE
Steve
THE NEXT SUNDAY , I take Stacy for a mid-morning walk and then walk myself to Full Fitness, the gym that Stu works at, to meet Henry for some strength work.
While I wasn’t too far off when I joked with Noah about not doing any crunches, I do have to keep up some sort of fitness routine, especially now that I’m starting to perform again.
Walking, much less dancing, in heels takes more strength than it looks like.
I wave to my bestie, and he waves back from where he’s currently spotting one of his clients, and then head over to the side room that Henry has booked for the next two hours.
When I go in, Henry is predictably already there.
He pulls off his oversized sweatshirt to reveal a hot pink crop top with the words “In My Pink Pony Era” splayed across the chest in big bubble letters and tiny Spandex shorts.
Henry teaches pole dance classes, but since he’s not planning to be on the pole until he heads into the studio this afternoon, his outfit is completed with a pair of white-and-pink thigh-high socks that should look ridiculous, but are somehow both sexy and adorable on him.
We lay out our yoga mats and run through a few easy stretches as we catch up.
“How did your search for a dog walker go? Did you ever find someone who’s good enough for Stacy?
Because you know the Working Boys will make it work if we need to.
None of us want you to have to deal with someone who isn’t amazing,” Henry rattles off, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes and barely taking a breath as he leans forward to stretch his legs in a straddle.
I get the feeling this sentiment applies to more than just who I find to walk my dog.
Actually, I know it does. Because those boys were there for me 100 percent when I was going through everything with Adam, and all they wanted was for me to be happy.
Even though I started pulling away and stopped doing the things I loved, they were there for me as soon as I needed them to be.
“I did find somebody. From that flyer Andrew saw, actually. His name is Noah, and he’s coming to meet Stacy tomorrow and make sure she feels comfortable with him.
” I refrain from mentioning how handsome and sweet he is.
I told Stu about Noah right away when I got back to my apartment after we met.
But I know as soon as I let on that I might possibly have a teeny, tiny crush on the man who will be walking my dog for the foreseeable future, Henry will go into meddling mode, and I’m not ready for that.
But, damn, Noah was really sweet. I think about his smile when he was talking about working with his best friend, and my stomach flips.
“I love that idea,” Henry says, his legs out in a wide V and body folded all the way forward. “Better that than to have him show up when you need to head out the door and Stacy wants nothing to do with him. Does this mean you can start booking more rehearsal time and look for bigger gigs?”
“Hopefully,” I agree as I start doing my ankle warm-ups.
“I’ve already got a few of those brunches lined up, so I’ve got plenty to work on, but my contact from my first brunch let me know that there’s a charity drag show at Shimmer in April.
They need audition tapes by the end of February, so that gives me a good amount of time to get footage from my performances and to film anything else they need to see.
It’s pretty relaxed and isn’t as competitive to get into as some shows, so I’m feeling good about it. What do you have coming up?”
Grabbing a jump rope to do some cardio, I listen to Henry update me on his work life.
“I’ve got classes like always, and I still love teaching them, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll do the strip club.”
“How come?” I pant out, not completely surprised by his comment. He hasn’t been stripping for very long, and he’s never seemed as excited about it as his pole work.
Henry shrugs and starts foam-rolling his legs.
“I make good tips, but I don’t really enjoy the environment.
I think a more theatrical or burlesque style of stripping would be more up my alley.
There’s hardly any actual pole dancing at the club because the body oil makes anything other than basic floor moves impossible. ”
“That makes sense. Does Chad know about it yet?”
“Nope, and he’s not going to unless he happens to come into the club when I’m working.”
I nod, not wanting to get too involved in the subject but still wanting to be supportive.
Chad is one of the Working Boys, and everyone but Chad himself knows that Henry happens to be in love with him.
Unfortunately, Chad has an annoying habit of being extra careful when it comes to Henry and his activities.
I’m not quite sure why Chad’s so overly cautious, but over the years, I’ve decided it must have to do with how he and Henry met.
Freshman year of college, Stu and I were excited to be roommates and take on the world.
We became fast friends with Henry, the outgoing twink who lived across the hall from us, and his two friends from back home in Minnesota.
Greg and Leighton roomed together because they were both in sports, while Henry was one of the few freshmen who lucked into a single room.
Within the first two weeks, all five of us started getting dinner together and did as many movie nights as we could fit into our various schedules.
A few months into school, Henry all of a sudden started bringing Chad and Mark along.
I never thought to ask the details about how they met, just sort of assumed Henry had adopted them like he did me and Stu, and the five of us effortlessly expanded to seven.
Now here we are, just over four years later, and our group is still going strong.
This past fall, we had an awesome Halloween night out, and we were able to get everyone together for Thanksgiving.
Even my relationship and eventual breakup with Adam haven’t permanently messed with the Working Boys.
And Greg now has Andrew, who tags along to events and joins right in.
I’m sure he’ll be at our first Working Boys Book Club Brunch in a few weeks.
But I’m still waiting for something to change.
Every time Henry brings up another activity that Chad has an issue with, I wonder if it’s going to finally be the time that Chad says something they can’t work past. It’s either that, or Chad finally pulls his head out of his ass and realizes that he’s in love with Henry, too.
Now that I think about it, that probably explains some of the protectiveness.
But until either of those options happens, all I can do is be there for my friends and hope for the best.
THE NEXT MORNING , I wake up early, even though I don’t have anything major on my agenda for work.
Still, I take the time to do a full face of makeup and end up changing my outfit three times before I settle on comfy, wide-legged jeans and a cozy cropped sweater that always makes me feel cute.
The fact that the color of it happens to remind me of Noah’s beanie from the other evening doesn’t have anything to do with my selection.
Okay, so it doesn’t have everything to do with my selection.
I know that there’s no reason for me to get worked up over the guy like this, but even in that short time that we talked at Spill the Beans, I felt more like myself than I have in ages.
He made me feel seen and appreciated for who I am.
If I get that sense of validation from a quick meeting, what could he make me feel like if he were allowed to take his time?
No, Steve, stop it. The poor guy is just coming over to meet with Stacy and get things figured out for his job, which you are paying him for. Nothing else can come of this.
Speaking of Stacy, she pushes her nose into my bathroom and nudges my leg with her head.
“Hey, girly, ready for some breakfast?” I ask, reaching down and ruffling the fur between her ears. “Sorry if I took too long. I’m a little caught up in the guy who’s coming over to meet you today.”
We start to head toward the kitchen, Stacy staying right next to me the whole way, like the good girl she is.
I quickly get her food put out and then make some breakfast of my own.
After we eat, I take her out for a morning walk before we hunker down in my office.
She curls up at my feet, and I try to get into my usual rhythm, but an hour in, I can tell this is going to be a long day.
I take more frequent breaks, and we go for an extra-long walk over lunch, even though it’s freezing outside.
I just need to do something to help me deal with all of this excited anticipation.
As I’m getting ready to unwrap all of my layers post-walk, I feel my phone buzz in my coat pocket. I peel my glove off with my teeth so I can use my fingers more easily to get the other one and then dig out the device.
Stu-boo: If there’s an apple of your eye and an apple of your cheek, why isn’t there an apple of your lips or chin or something?
I snort a laugh and stretch my frozen fingers to reply as I step out of my boots. “Your Uncle Stu is a weirdo,” I mutter fondly to Stacy while I text back.
Me: I mean, there’s your Adam’s apple
Me: But other than that, no idea
Me: What brought on this deep question?
Stu-boo: Was eating an apple at lunch
Me: Makes sense
Me: How’s the rest of your day going?
Stu-boo: Great! I’ve had a few new one-on-one clients who seem really committed
Stu-boo: One of them seemed really nervous at the beginning of her session, but she was willing to try and by the end she was surprising both of us with what she could do. I’m excited to see where she ends up
Me: That’s awesome!
Stu-boo: How about you? You’ve got the cute dog walker coming by tonight, right?
While I didn’t want to tell Henry about how cute Noah is, I immediately told Stu because I tell Stu everything.
He was the first one to know when I was suspicious of Adam, and he’ll be the first to know when anything else starts to happen in my currently on-hold love life.
Just like I’m the first to know when Stu has burning questions about body parts named after fruit or prostate stimulation or whatever else crosses his mind.
After being friends since first grade, there’s not much that we don’t share with each other.
Me: Yep! Less than four hours before I see his handsome face again and try to make sure Stacy is the only one drooling on him
Stu-boo: I mean, that hawk tuah girl isn’t wrong *water droplets emoji*
Me: I’m not getting my saliva anywhere near him, Stu.
Me: I’m just going to daydream about it like a normal person
I click my phone screen off and groan as the clock lights up, and I realize how much longer I have to try and busy myself with work. Five o’clock can’t come soon enough.