Page 120 of Left on Read
He chuckled affectionately. “So you switched to gymnastics?”
“Yup. I’m pretty sure the only reason our parents signed us up for lessons in the first place was because they were tired of us playing Power Rangers and trying to flip off the furniture. Unfortunately for them, we didn’t stop flipping off stuff. We just learned to do it without breaking the house—or ourselves.”
“Did you ever compete or anything?”
“Nope. Not past club stuff and local competitions. We got accepted into an elite club just before…when we were twelve, but had to quit because of some stuff going on at home.”
I knew Zane had told him about Mom getting sick, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
“What about dance?” he asked. “Did you start that before or after gymnastics?”
“After. We were eight when we started, and that was because our gymnastics coach told our parents it would make us better gymnasts, which would help our chances of getting scholarships. Zane convinced our parents to let us keep dancing. They wanted us to focus on sports.” I did air quotes with my fingers. “But Zane’s a stubborn bastard when he wants to be, and they eventually let us do both.”
“Really?” Hayden shot me a surprised look.
“Mmmhmmm. He loved it from the first lesson. I did too, but music has always been Zane’s thing. He taught himself to play guitar and writes his own music, even though he can’t read sheet music. He used dance to center himself the way I used gymnastics. And I really like it too, so we kept dancing even after…things changed.”
Hayden flipped on his blinker and merged into the left turning lane. “Do you like going to clubs? I know you work at one, but do you ever just go out and dance for fun?”
“Not in forever. I’m usually working when the clubs are open, but I had a blast the few times I have gone. There’s something about the energy of everyone just vibing and letting loose that soothes me. Maybe that’s why I like working at the club so much. I get to chill with my friends and do one of my favorite hobbies, and I get paid.”
“Win-win.” Hayden shot me a quick grin.
“Are you a club person?”
That didn’t track with his introverted ways, but I didn’t want to assume anything.
“I went a few times in college and had fun, but not since I graduated. Ryan keeps trying to convince me to go to Chimera, but that’s not really his scene, and I’m not about to go alone.”
“Chimera?”
“A gay club.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to a gay club.”
“You have?”
“Oh yeah. Nick’s told me all about them, and it sounds like a blast.”
“Do you think I should start working out?” he asked suddenly.
“That depends on why you think you should start.”
“What do you mean?” He slowed to let someone cut in front of him.
“Do you want to work out because it’s something you think you’ll enjoy or because you feel like you should?”
“Mostly because I feel like I should.”
“Then no.”
“Really? You wouldn’t want me to be more athletic?” He shot me a surprised look. “I’ll never be at your level or do the stuff you do, but there’s a whole aspect of your life that I can’t support you in.”
I rested my hand on his thigh. “You’re perfect just the way you are. You don’t have to be in the gym with me or on stage to support me. I have my buddies for that. I don’t read, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love that you do. Everyone has different talents. It would be boring if we all did the same thing.”
“I don’t think I could ever be a gym person.” He turned into my neighborhood. “I tried, but it’s just not my thing.”
“The trick to fitness is finding something you enjoy, something that doesn’t feel like a chore. It doesn’t have to be the gym or any sort of class, just something that gets your body moving and gives you a nice dopamine dump.”