AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As the ribaldry continued, Patrick leaned over towards Jared. The big man wasn’t even smiling, Patrick could see, even though his face was somewhat obscured by the way he was leaning over. Jared being quiet wasn’t unusual, but there was something more to it. Everything about his body language said he was unhappy, and he was holding it in.
“Hey man,” Patrick said softly, keeping his voice low enough that the others wouldn’t notice. “You okay?”
“I broke up with Marissa.” Jared’s voice, unlike Patrick, was loud and monotone. It sliced through the laughter and teasing like a knife, Marissa’s name dropping into a sudden abrupt silence. “I don’t want to hear it. I feel like a piece of shit, but it’s over and done with and I don’t want to talk about it.”
He didn’t need to say anything more. While they might all feel like celebrating the end of the toxic relationship, he obviously didn’t, and none of them were going to rub it in. It was better to just let him come to terms with it on his own. They all saw Marissa’s manipulations for what they were, and even though Jared had managed to actually break up with her this time, not one of them doubted she’d laid a hell of a guilt trip on him. On the other hand, this was the first time he’d successfully ended the relationship.
All that and more, an agreement to keep their mouths shut about Marissa while Jared was around, was relayed in quick glances around the room. They’d all been friends for so long, none of them needed to ask what the others were thinking.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out with her the way you wanted,” Patrick said, which was true enough. He laid his hand on Jared’s shoulder and gave it a short squeeze, before letting it fall away. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you, man.”
Standing up, he moved away as the others came over to echo the sentiments, each in their own way. Patrick started his own stretches, leading the way into getting things back to normal. By the time they were all done, Jared looked a lot more relaxed. Maybe he’d been expecting the entire room the break out into happy dances the way Olivia had, but if she’d seen Jared looking like this, she wouldn’t have indulged. None of them would. They respected that he was broken up about the end of the relationship, even if the rest of them were internally jumping for joy.
Conversation resumed, a bit more subdued, as they all stretched out and warmed up. Chris was definitely receiving the brunt of Liam’s attention, but he deserved it for all the classes he’d missed.
“How are things with you and Lexie?” asked Adam, as he went through a series of increasingly complex arm stretches.
“We’re going to her parents’ for dinner tomorrow.”
“Uh oh, sounds serious,” Chris teased, and then groaned as Liam pushed him down. “What, I can’t even talk?”
“Nope, concentrate on your stretches,” Liam said sternly. “They can talk because every single one of them is in better shape than you. It was a stupid observation anyway. Of course it’s serious, it’s Patrick and Lexie.”
“Paxie? Lextrick?” Andrew mused. Patrick glared at him.
“I will end you.”
“What? You have to admit, it’s kind of cute.”
“You didn’t do it with anyone else, you’re not doing it with us,” Patrick said firmly. He hated that stupid trend.
“Aw, come on, everyone else was too hard,” Andrew protested. “I mean come on,” he pointed at Justin and Chris, “there’s three of them in that relationship and it’s practically impossible to come up with something pronounceable. Lilary and Hiam just doesn’t sound right at all. Angel and Adam are even more impossible and so are Rick and Maria.”
“He’s got a point - ow!” Chris clenched his jaw and leaned farther over his leg, until Liam made a satisfied noise.
“I like Paxie,” said Jared, with the first glimmer of a smile they’d seen so far.
“No.” Patrick pointed his finger at him. He didn’t care if Jared was feeling shitty, no one was combining his and Lexie’s names. His finger moved to each of his friends in turn. “No, no, no, no, no. Just no. And don’t you dare mention it to your girlfriends. I’ll put you all on Dungeon Monitor duty every night for the next month.” Which would mean no scening. They all knew he wasn’t serious. Probably. But no one wanted to risk it.
Liam stepped in, a slight smile of amusement on his face. “It’s time to start anyway. Form lines.”
Thank god. For the next hour, Patrick lost himself in the forms. For him, it was almost like meditating, because his mind was able to focus completely on his body, and he wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. This was why he tried to make it to the dojo at least once a month, if not more, although he worked out at home as well. Being part of the class, studying himself in the mirror, knowing Liam was watching them, all helped him to find a kind of inner peace he didn’t get doing anything else.
However, unlike his usual times at the dojo, as soon as they were done, he started packing up.
“You’re not going to stay and spar?” Adam asked, looking surprised as Patrick started putting his shoes back on.
“No, I need to get home.”
Justin glanced up at the clock on the wall. “You know she’s not going to be home yet, right? The whole “hour” part of Happy Hour is a joke. They end up just sitting around talking.”
Sure enough, checking his phone, Patrick could see he’d gotten a text from Lexie saying Happy Hour was running long, and she was going to be home later than she’d thought. Which, he’d already known from the other guys was usually the case. Pleasure coursed through him that she was doing exactly what she was supposed to and letting him know.
“I know,” he said, texting Lexie back to let her know he’d gotten her text and appreciated it. “I have a scene at home to set up.”
Shaking his head, Adam sighed. “Part of me wants to high five you, and the other part of me can’t forget exactly who you’re setting the scene up for.”
Patrick laughed, too lighthearted to be bothered. “You’ll get used to it.”
