A Secret Between Friends

[wbjason]

[COLOR=white]Well guys, LONG time lurker/reader here. Following some encouragment from a couple amazing writers (Xyg and Helliot), I decided to give this a shot. Please be gentle on me... this is my first ever story, after all, but I would definitely love to hear your feedback![/COLOR]
Part 2 will follow very soon... hoping to have it up tonight.

[COLOR=white]A Secret Between Friends[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]To say that I travel a bit for work would be, at times, the understatement of the year. My job takes me all over the country for a week or two per trip. What's worse is that it comes in waves, never a regular schedule. Sometimes I'll go three months with nothing but office work, and just as I'm getting into a pleasant routine, off I go on a string of business trips. Needless to say, it makes life obnoxiously inconsistent and even harder to keep a gym routine going with someone. While, I'm not the hard bodied gym rat I fantasize about becoming, I have proudly worked off the 30 plus pounds I'd put on since settling into a busy career. In fact, when I look back on the state of life as I knew it, my stats were somewhat dismal. Chris Thompson, 32, 6' tall, 210 lbs. Translation: the heaviest and most out of shape I had ever been. What happened to that fit college graduate I remember? Long gone were the days of working out every day, looking great and getting the attention of the ladies and even a few guys. I was out of shape, lazy and sick of it! Something had to change, and I was determined to make it happen. So last year I began my quest to lose the weight and get back in some kind of shape. Today, I'm happy to say that I'm down to a sleek 175 slightly muscley pounds. None of my pants fit, but I'll call that a positive consequence of months of sweat and pain.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]I had nearly given up hope on finding a workout partner after Mark, my friend and coworker, moved out of town just before Christmas last year. The problem is finding someone patient enough to stick with me and dedicated enough to motivate themselves in my absence. Add to that someone that will actually challenge me when I'm around, and I'm probably asking for a perfect trifecta of friendship. [/COLOR][COLOR=white]Not long after Mark moved away, I found forcing myself into the gym before work to be the only way I would actually go. I was making little progress and my motivation was waning. On top of it, my job had shifted to being managed by some East coast blow-hard executive that could care less about time zones. One morning in mid January, he decided that he had to have an 8am conference call to discuss the latest sales trends and the entire western division had to attend despite the three hour time difference. Damn it! I had better be getting a raise out of this guy soon![/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]Screw the gym, I thought. It may be open 24 hours a day, but at 3:00 AM the only muscle I'm working out is my brain, deep in dream land! Large coffee mug in hand, I started my commute and prepared for a long tiring day in the office. The call went as expected, lots of corporate hot air and a demand for stronger revenue across the board. Following a quick lunch and some last minute number crunching for accounting, I felt a second wind coming on. It was only 3 in the afternoon, but I'd busted my ass for 10 long hours. So, on a whim I decided to take advantage of my sudden burst of energy and head for the gym. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]As I arrived, I expected a few of the usual suspects that I remembered from my routine with Mark. They mostly consisted of a few overweight guys doing their best on the treadmills and the free weight meat-heads that I had quietly admired but never had the guts to talk to. And a few new faces that excited me a little, after all who knows what a little conversation might do.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]After changing in the locker room, I walked to the weight area intending to jump right into my workout. Today was chest and triceps day and I always started with the bench press, which was already occupied by another guy. He appeared to be alone and it seemed, playing it safe with a 35 pound plate on each side. Decent form I thought, I usually warm up with that weight. I leaned against the wall, staring tentatively at my phone, trying to pretend like I was busy texting, instead of impatiently waiting on him to finish. [/COLOR][COLOR=white]To my surprise, he hopped up, saying he'd just started if I wanted to work in with him. Sure, I said... Let?s see what he can do! As I approached the bench, I got to inspect him up close. To my slight surprise, he was a bit shorter than me. Probably not more than 5'7", but given his height he was holding his own with the weights. There was also something interesting about his look. He was clearly of a Chinese heritage, but there was a mix of something strikingly more Western. That mix only served to give him a perfectly tanned complexion, one that this Irish/English/German mutt envied highly. He was wearing a fairly baggy shirt and long basketball shorts, so I'd guessed his body must be in the average to athletic department like my own.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]I took my position on the bench and cranked out ten reps with some ease. I was still a bit distracted in thought, as I pondered this guy's ethnicity. He had a perfect west coast American accent, so clearly he was raised here. "Nice set," he complimented, as I pushed myself off the bench. "Leo!? he proclaimed, sticking a hand out for a quick shake before starting his next set. "Chris," I said, "nice to meet you." I paused, "It?s funny, I was expecting something more, uhm..." He chuckled, "Chinese"? "Well, I.. I didn't want to assume anything," I back peddled, "but... well yeah, haha!" I wrinkled my nose and half smiled at him. Shit, I was making an ass of myself already! "No, no, its fine. I get that a lot actually. My name is a bit of a story in itself, but I'll tell you that another day. My real name is a combination my crazy parents came up with: Li-Serno. So I just go by Leo." Without missing a beat, my sarcasm kicked in full force. "Bet you got called Lisa a lot in school." "Haha, nice! Sarcastic.... I like you already, Chris," Leo replied. Perfect! Maybe this day was turning out better than I thought. He started his set, having switched the plates out to 45's.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]As it turned out, the workout was much better than expected. He had almost the same routine as me. We alternated between chest and tricep exercises and despite the size difference he managed to keep up with me rep for rep! I was actually starting to push a little harder, something I hadn't done in well over a month. We wrapped up our workout and headed for the locker room to grab our things. "Well, Chris" he started, "it seems we're a good match for each other... In the gym, I mean." Blushing ever so slightly as he corrected himself. I agreed. "You know, I was thinking the same thing. And actually, I've been looking for a new gym partner. What are the odds we run into each other today?" I added. "Great! Do you wanna grab dinner and get to know each other?" He asked. "We can talk through schedules and such." I had no plans to speak of, and honestly, I really did want to find out more about Leo. "Sounds good to me," I smiled. "Yeah scheduling is definitely something we should discuss."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]A year ago, I would have been shy about changing in the locker room with others around me. But with my recent weight loss and subsequent improved self esteem, I'd realized, though not as fit as some, I had nothing to be ashamed of. Leo apparently had no issues with his self image, and in that instant I knew why. He'd all but stripped naked in a matter of seconds, enjoying the cool air on his body and I tried to maintain my composure. While he wasn't a bodybuilder by any sense of the word, he clearly had enough muscle on him to justify his performance in the gym. I stood speechless for a few seconds, admittedly enamored with his smooth, toned build. One could tell he was no stranger to working out, as he possessed a naturally athletic look, with muscle bunching and bulging in all the right places. What I wouldn't give to look like that, I thought![/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]I was suddenly snapped back to reality. "Where should we eat?" he asked. I stumbled momentarily for a response, "What? Oh, uhm, well there's a healthy food store around the corner with a really good cafe... I mean if you like that sort of thing. Clearly you must," I said, waving my hand a bit toward his still bare body. Shit, now I'm the one blushing! He laughed and thanked me. "Sounds good to me," Leo said as he got dressed. "Yes, actually I am a bit of a natural food fanatic. That and some old school Chinese medicine. You'd be amazed at how many health issues can be solved with solid nutrition and some herbal remedies." "Really? I've heard about some of that but never really looked into it. You will have to enlighten me," I said. Leo smiled, "I will, but dinner first. I'm starving!"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]At the cafe, we discussed everything from nutrition and calorie needs to my work travels. He actually had no problems working out alone when I was gone, as he said he was used to it anyway. This couldn't be more perfect, I thought! "So how do I get a body like that?" I asked in all seriousness. He smirked a bit, but assured me it wasn't as hard as it seemed; just a good diet and some dedication in the gym. His interest had now shifted to getting bigger. He had a pretty intense desire to pack on some real muscle, but had tried every routine, diet and natural supplement out there with no success. I guessed that steroids were out of the question, to which he fervently agreed. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]Then he said something I wasn't exactly expecting. His uncle owned an herbal remedies shop in San Francisco's Chinatown where he'd grown up. He was planning a trip up there and whole heartedly believed his uncle would know of something that could help. "How is that possible?" I questioned. "If there were such a magical potion, wouldn't it be well known?" [/COLOR][COLOR=white]Leo held firm, saying within all the mystery of his culture he just knew something had to exist. I chuckled and said "well let me know when you find it, we'll make millions!" Then without a blink, he shot back, "Who says I'm sharing?" Ouch! I had no response, and he seemed dead serious too. At least momentarily, until he couldn't hold back a smile any longer. I had to laugh, both at him and at myself for believing it. We would clearly get along brilliantly.[/COLOR]

[Lucas88]

Hey! Nothing to "be gentle" about. It flowed well with enough detail to give a visual without being overdone and you're building a chemistry between your characters. Looking forward to more!