Gym Buddies

pt. 3 - Officially Yours

(^^anothr drawing of mine)

[3 weeks later]

We had been on a few more dates, and as often as we could find the time, we would work out at the gym together. I enjoyed the dates most when it was Lee and Metal together. Our fourth date was a picnic at a park, where Lee and I watched Metal play on an empty playground.

It had been a long day for me, work ran late, and I was meeting him at 7. I would be at the restaurant we decided on soon enough.

"Hey!" I saw him, and quickly approached him. He immediately put his arm out to hug me, and I was so happy to be there after today. We waited to be seated, he kept an arm around my waist as the line moved. "I'm so glad we're out tonight," I sighed, leaning on him.

"Long day?"

"More than you know. I didn't even want to drive, so I took an Uber," we were seated at a table near the window as we continued to talk.

"That sounds stressful. I am sorry."

"It's not a big deal. I'm just glad to be here with you instead of being alone," I looked down at the menu for a moment, already knowing what I wanted. "Anyway, what's Metal doing while you're out?"

"His friend asked him to spend the night. He is not home."

"Huh. I hope he has a good time," I smiled, the thought that Metal was happy made me happy.

"Hey, I was wondering, how long have you lived in the city?"

I shrugged. "About six months, I guess."

"Do you like it? The city I mean?"

"Yeah. I met this guy at the gym a few weeks ago, he's made it a lot more fun and interesting for me." Lee gained a confused expression.

"Wait... Who?" He's joking, right?

"Oh, you know him. He's really cute, he's taller than I am, funny, super fit, and overall a really nice guy," I giggled. "He's even got a kid. We've been out for a few weeks now."

"M-maybe I should go. This guy seems really important to you-"

"You goon!" I grabbed his hand. "It is you!" I laughed.

"...oh," he looked out the window. My eyes gazed over his nervous posture.

"You okay, Lee? You seem... unsettled."

"I guess I am a little nervous, for more reasons than one," he turned back to me. I nodded for him to go on. "Metal has never spent the night at someone else's house, and with how anxious he gets, I guess I am just a bit concerned."

"Maybe it's normal. You are his father after all," the waiter came around to take our orders. Lee ordered something, I wasn't paying attention, as I was too focused on what else he was nervous about. "Can I get the grilled chicken Caesar salad with a water," I ordered. The waiter left and my attention was back to Lee. "Anything else making you nervous?"

"Yeah but I will tell you later. Do not worry about it," he looked at me and grinned. I smiled back, sighed, and looked outside, placing my hand on the table. His hand was almost immediately over mine. It was warm, soft, and bigger than mine, still wrapped up. It brought along a strange sense of peace and comfort. "You look exhausted," he rubbed my hand with his thumb.

"I am," Our orders arrived and we began eating. He seemed to finish faster than me on most of his food, but offered me some of his fries. I didn't deny them, but only ate a few. By the time he had finished eating, I still had some left. But, not wanting to keep him waiting for me, I told him I didn't feel hungry anymore. He seemed concerned at the idea of me not eating enough. I assured him I was alright and pulled out my phone to get an Uber at the front door to the restaurant.