Daniel stood in front of the gym, looking at the time on his iPod. He coincidentally turned up the volume of the rap song at the very moment a rapper said, ‘No homo.’ He changed the song even though it was one of his favourites.
He grinned when he saw Eddie jog up to him in a black T-shirt with the word ‘Ghost’ on it and a pair of dark grey track pants. While jogging he was taking a CD out of his purple duffle bag.
He handed it to Daniel. It said ‘Rage Against the Machine’.
Daniel nodded in understanding. ‘I didn’t know these guys did rap. I assumed they were a punk band or something like that.’
Eddie gasped in a loud voice and put a hand on his heart. ‘Assumed? How dare you!’
Daniel raised an eyebrow. ‘Was that sarcasm?’
Eddie chuckled. ‘Oh my god, you’re like a kid.’ Daniel frowned. ‘Oh, sorry. That came out wrong. I didn’t mean to insult you or anything.’
Eddie gulped, his eyes blooming outwards like a pansy in the spring. Daniel was laughing. Holy hell he was laughing. His voice was as deep as one would expect from him but somehow it didn’t sound harsh or threatening. It was kind of quiet and melodic.
A smile leapt onto Eddie’s face. He watched Daniel laugh with the curiosity of a visitor looking at a zoo animal. Daniel eventually noticed this and felt his cheeks heat up.
He coughed. ‘Let’s go in. Have you been to a gym before?’ Eddie shook his head. He and Daniel walked inside and headed to the desk. Eddie turned his head and saw several rows of treadmills to his right. ‘Okay, so make sure to negotiate. Don’t just take the first offer. Young people can’t afford the full price. Oh, and you have to get them to give you one free session with a personal trainer. That way you can properly learn how to use the equipment. I can teach you a little, but there are some machines I don’t use.’
Eddie nodded, reigning in his temptation to point out how long Daniel just spoke for. At the desk, Daniel told the receptionist that he had invited a friend and therefore he was entitled to two weeks free for his membership plus a water bottle. He held his thumb up at Eddie, who was whisked away to a table in the corner of the gym.
When Eddie returned to the desk, Daniel asked him how it went. ‘14.95 per week plus one session with a personal trainer next week.’
Daniel grabbed his arms and pulled him closer as if he was about to give him a hug, but he stopped and stepped backwards. Eddie froze, surprised, before rolling his eyes.
It took Eddie five minutes of using the cross trainer before he was slumped over the damn thing, panting and whining. However, he kept going when he heard Daniel lightheartedly laugh at him. That damn melodic laugh played in his mind over and over again like a theme song in a sports montage.
Eventually, he was able to work on running on various equipment for half an hour. Whenever he felt like giving up again, he looked at Daniel next to him and watched him smile as he ran faster and faster. Something told him Daniel would quickly choose runner’s high over sex. The slight growth down below added to this hypothesis.
Little did he know that Daniel kept sneaking glimpses of Eddie’s slender arms and legs as he worked out.
After the thirty minutes were over, Daniel told Eddie, ‘I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I’ll meet you in the other weights room.’
Eddie smirked but said nothing, preferring to go the dignified route and chug the water from his bottle.
In the toilet stall, Daniel held his head in his hands.
What’s wrong with me? He’s a fucking fairy. What, do I find fairies hot now? I’m not even gay, and if I was, why the hell wouldn’t I be into manly dudes?
He lifted his head and saw an advertisement for Viagra posted on the stall’s door. He sighed, not sure whether to laugh or punch something. Then again, he found the image of older men trying to treat their erectile dysfunction quite useful for curing his current temporary ailment.
He rushed to the weights room, where he saw Eddie using the small hand weights. ‘Move over, strongest man in the world!’ Eddie declared with a grin. ‘I bet he can’t use two three-kilogram weights at once!’
‘Who’s the child now?’
‘Point taken. So, am I ready for those long weight thingamajiggies or am I just supposed to use the dumbbells?’
Daniel walked up to a machine and sat on it, grabbing the handles on each side and pushing them forward and back a few times. He jumped up and made the gesture an old-fashioned gentleman would use when welcoming a woman to his house.
Eddie tried to push the handles forward, grunting like an old man trying to get out of bed. Daniel chuckled and changed the settings to make the machine lighter. Eddie blushed.
After another half hour of using various weight machines, Eddie begged Daniel to stop, and Daniel finally granted him mercy. Daniel stood with his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground, his eyes avoiding the droplets of sweat that fell down Eddie’s arms.
‘So, um, would you like to, maybe, I dunno, do some more studying at my place?’ he asked. ‘We’ve got that essay next week.’
Eddie grinned like someone who knew he would get that question. ‘I will on one condition. I get to use your shower.’ Daniel’s jaw crashed onto the floor. ‘Ew, not like that. I’ve got an outfit I just bought in this bag and I need to get the sweat off my body or else I’m gonna be super uncomfortable wearing it. Plus, I hate public showers.’ Daniel bit his lip. ‘Please? It’s my birthday next week.’
’You want to use my shower for your birthday?’
‘It can be part of the present. You can also, I dunno, get me a keychain or something.’ Eddie bared his teeth and batted his eyelashes, which were still long despite the lack of mascara. Daniel sighed and led him to the bus stop.
They sat down and waited in silence when other people sat near them. Eddie considered talking but saw that Daniel was looking down at his fists on his lap.
When they boarded the bus, Eddie couldn’t keep his mouth shut. ‘How did you make friends when you don’t even like talking near people? Hell, what made you able to talk to me in the first place?’
Those words gave Daniel’s heart an uppercut. ‘You seemed easier to talk to, and I was desperate to get better in English,’ he muttered. ‘That’s all.’
The ride was silent.
As they reached the stop near Daniel’s house, Eddie sighed. ‘Sorry for being so rude.’
‘Don’t worry about it. Oh, by the way, we have to sneak inside.’
‘What? Why?’
‘Mum doesn’t want me going to the gym until she’s sure my leg has healed. I think it’s fine, but she wants me to wait another week or so. Oh, and… sorry for not telling you last time, but it’d be best not to… act gay around this neighbourhood. Especially the family next door with the big fence. They’re cashed up bogans and they have a guard dog.’ Eddie opened his mouth. ‘And no ranting about what I just said. Just… stay safe, okay?’
Eddie groaned but nodded. They took a windy path to Daniel’s home. Each home got progressively larger, more modern and more expensive. As they passed the home next door, the low, thunderous bark of a dog made Eddie jump.
Daniel walked to the side of the house, reached behind the gate to open it and crept inside, Eddie following him from behind. Daniel slid the back door open and tiptoed into the house. He felt his heart stop then beat at the speed of an Olympic runner’s treadmill when he heard his mother’s voice. He and Eddie snuck to the staircase one slow footstep at a time.
They ran up the stairs, laughing. Daniel opened his drawer and pulled out a shirt. ‘Get changed in the bathroom,’ he said. ‘I’m gonna get changed in here. Knock on my door when you’re done.’
‘Wait, you’re not having a shower after doing all that exercise? Are you some kind of wild animal?’
‘I’ve got deodorant.’
‘Not good enough.’
‘Leave me alone, Mum.’
Eddie scowled at him but did as he was told.
Daniel waited ten minutes after changing into jeans and a plain T-shirt but didn’t hear a knock. He opened the door and knocked on the bathroom door.
’You still in there?’
‘Almost done! This eyeliner’s killing me.’
‘You’re putting makeup on? What’d I tell you about acting gay in this neighbourhood?’
‘Wearing makeup doesn’t make me gay!’
‘But you are gay!’
‘Correlation, not causation, sweetie!’
‘I just don’t want you to get hurt! And… don’t call me ‘sweetie’!’
Eddie released a miraculously high growl and opened the door. ‘I’m done. Happy now?’ Daniel gasped through his nose. Eddie was wearing a tight navy top that went off the shoulder and had a picture of Bela Lugosi as Dracula printed on it. His skinny jeans were black and ripped. Around his neck was a plain black choker that made his neck look more muscular than it actually was. His still-wet hair fell down his shoulders. His makeup was heavy, dominated by dark colours that made him look mature. Daniel gawked at him.
Eddie smirked. ‘Very happy, apparently.’
Daniel’s cheeks burned. ‘Shut up. I’m not like you.’
‘Sure, sure.’
The two sat down and studied. Eddie had to tap Daniel’s head over and over again to get him to concentrate.
‘My arms aren’t going to tell you the themes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ he said, causing Daniel’s cheeks to get even redder.
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