Bankers' Hours by Wade Kelly Read Free Book Online Page A

probably best, but if I avoided the gym when I knew he’d be there and he noticed, then I might as well kiss our friendship good-bye. He’d probably get mad. He would know I was avoiding him.
    Today, though, he’d come in and spent a good thirty minutes working one machine and then the next, stopping to help his daughter, but hadn’t come over to talk to me. I thought it might have been because of the way I’d acted last week, but it also could have been having his daughter with him. Maybe he didn’t want me to meet her. Maybe he thought she’d annoy me. Maybe he wanted to keep her away from a gay man.
    “No,” I mumbled. “I doubt that.” He hadn’t seemed bothered about my sexuality and hadn’t treated me differently. “He got angry when I was rude,” I mumbled some more.
    I finished chest presses and glanced over at him again. It had become a habit for the last five stations. I couldn’t go about my routine without knowing where he was. Tristan was looking my way this time. I smiled softly, much like he’d done to me last week. I thought he’d walk over, but he didn’t. I took a deep breath and realized I wouldn’t be happy sitting across the room, so I walked over.
    “Hey,” I said. “I worked the machines on my own this week.”
    He grinned. “I noticed.”
    I gave him my guilty look. “I have a confession. I came in Wednesday night and asked an employee to show me how to do everything.”
    Tristan chuckled. “That’s great. I was wondering because you seemed more at ease.”
    “I am. It’s all new, though. I never really worked out before. I’m more of a couch potato.”
    It seemed like he was about to comment, but his daughter interrupted. “Dad, that class I wanted to do is starting upstairs.”
    “Claire, this is my friend Grant. Grant, this is my daughter.” He gestured to me and then back to her, treating this like any other introduction. No hesitance or strangeness.
    “Hello,” she said, rocking on her heels. “It’s nice to know you have friends, Dad.”
    “Hey! I have friends. Jeff and Will are my friends.”
    “Jeff and Will work for you. That doesn’t count. Can I go do the class?”
    I enjoyed the way she ribbed him. They seemed comfortable with each other.
    “Sure,” he said. “I’ll be down here when you’re done.”
    Claire looked at me and said, “Watch out for my dad, will you? He’s a mess without me.”
    Tristan moaned quietly, and I chuckled as Claire took off down a hallway. “She’s funny.”
    “Very,” he commented drolly. “I’m doing leg presses next. Where are you off to?”
    I shrugged. I’d made my round, and I was tired. How did I tell the workout master I was done? “Um, I thought I’d finish with the treadmill for twenty minutes.”
    “Weren’t you on that when we got here?”
    He’d seen me? “Oh, yeah. I guess I’ll… I might do….” I glanced around, trying to figure out which machines to name.
    “You’re done for the day, aren’t you?” How did he know? Tristan sensed my shock and explained, “You’re sweaty, and your last rep over there was a struggle, wasn’t it?”
    I nodded. He’d been watching me as I had been watching him. I’m not sure how I felt about that, considering we were only supposed to be friends. “Yeah. I’m really tired. I guess I’ll see you around. It was nice meeting your daughter. She’s cute.” I felt odd standing next to him as he sat on a weight bench. If someone wanted to use the equipment, then we’d be in the way.
    He smiled wider than I’d seen before. “Thanks. I think she’s awesome, but I’m very biased.”
    “You’re allowed to be.” I wasn’t good at small talk, but I couldn’t leave quite yet. I was still conflicted. I was attracted to him, yet I knew I shouldn’t be. We were friends, pals, buddies. Nothing more. “So, is it true you don’t have many friends?” Kids could exaggerate. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tristan had loads of friends. He seemed nice and