Dead Fit - 12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of my parents scurrying about the house, packing for their trip. I crawled out of my bed and looked in the mirror on my dresser, making sure I didn't have any hickeys on my neck or bite marks on my ears. When I was sure there was no physical residual on my body from the previous night's activities, I went outside to see if my parents needed any help.

“Another late Saturday night? Was it with your friend from the gym,” my mom asked.

“Yea, mom, we were just hanging out.”

“Oh,” she said. I could tell she wanted to ask more, but she left it alone. “Well, your father and I are about to leave. I left the number to the condo on the refrigerator. If you need anything, give us a call, honey. We'll have our cell phone with us, but if it's late, call the condo because our cell phone will probably be off.”

Their Ford Explorer was packed to the gills. Sadly, it wasn't their luggage that took up space. It was all the supplies for the drive itself that overloaded the vehicle. Gallon jugs of water, rolls of paper towels, two Styrofoam coolers full of ice and soda, packages of beef jerky, and bags of fresh fruit. Who would have guessed that a six-hour drive would require so many provisions?

Seeing the car full of stuff reminded me of the box of donations Brian had given to me, but that I kept forgetting to give my mom. “When you get back mom, will you remind me to give you a box of stuff for St. Theresa's? Some of my friends donated old items and I keep forgetting to give it to you.”

“Why don't you give it to me right now? Your father and I can stop by St. Theresa's on the way to the freeway.”

“Mom, it's not like the box is full of perishable food. It can wait until you get back,” I reasoned.

“No, no, just give it to me. Your friends went to all this trouble to donate the items. The least I can do is get it over to the church right away so they can put it to good use.”

I knew there was no point arguing with my mom. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it, no matter what the logic. I ran back to my room, grabbed the box and took it to the Explorer. My mom opened the lid to the box and marveled at the stuff.

“These items are so new. The church will be just thrilled!” She replaced the lid and gave me a hug. “We'll see you in two weeks, honey. Be good.” While she climbed into the passenger seat, I waved to my dad. From the driver's seat, he waved back to me and said, “Goodbye, Jaysen.”

Yet another heartwarming conversation with my dad.

I watched my parents drive away, then went into the house and crawled back into bed. I wasn't sleepy, but I felt out of sorts. I had such a mix of feelings about the previous night. Brian and I had taken a big step in our relationship, with him introducing me to his friends, almost like an endorsement that my status with him was serious. After all, if he wasn't interested in keeping me around, he wouldn't have bothered to have me meet his friends.

On my part, I was pleased I put aside my inhibition of a large crowd of strangers just to spend an evening with Brian. That's something I’d only do for the right person.

And, of course, the physical aspects of the night were amazing, too. I now understood what my friends in high school were talking about when they described their first experience making out. Sure, it was a few years later than my peers, but hey, better late than never. And the best part of being with Brian was his respect for me, never pushing me to do more than I was willing or ready to do.

But I just couldn't shake the bad feelings I had for Todd. All of Brian's other friends were welcoming towards me. Todd wasn’t mean, but he didn’t seem to make any effort to get to know me. And then there were the pictures I found of Brian and Todd together. It wasn’t like they were kissing in any of them, so maybe they were close friends, just like Brian had told me. But Todd did have his arm around Brian in one picture.

If I had to identify my feeling towards Todd, it would probably be jealousy. In high school, the jealousy I experienced was seeing my friends have relationships, while I went without. In college, the feeling evolved a bit. When I found myself attracted to a straight male friend who had a girlfriend, I was envious of the female for being with someone I could never have.

The jealousy I was feeling now was different – this was a possessive kind of jealousy. Brian and I weren't in any sort of committed relationship, we were just dating. Feeling like someone else was encroaching on my territory seemed premature on my part. And yet, I couldn't stop feeling this way. I didn't like it.

I spent the rest of Sunday taking care of pesky little chores, paying credit card bills and cleaning my room. Brian called me in the early evening, wanting to know if I was spending time with my family.

“Actually, I'm home alone. My parents went on vacation and left me to fend for myself,” I said.

“Well, if you're bored, you can come hang out with me. Maybe we can continue where we left off last night.” I could hear him smiling on the other side of the line.

“Sounds like fun, but I'm actually going to sneak in a workout. Sunday's are always quiet at the gym.”

“You don't sound like yourself, Jaysen,” Brian said.

“I'm fine; I'm just a little tired.”

“Are you still bothered by the way Todd treated you last night?”

“A little, I guess,” I admitted. “I'll get over it.”

“Well, can you do dinner with me tomorrow night? I thought I would demonstrate for you my culinary prowess. And I probably won’t be able to see you again until Friday.”

“Yea, tomorrow sounds good.”

After I got off the phone with Brian, I headed to the gym. On Sundays, the crowds were light and I could workout with little disruption.

When I got back home, my mood had improved significantly. It always amazed me how much I could forget the very advice I gave to clients. A little exercise always boosts endorphins, making fitness the ultimate mood enhancer. Not to mention a way to get testosterone flowing. The workout, in addition to thinking about my previous night with Brian, left me a little hot in the shorts, so I went for a cold shower. When that did nothing to cool me down, I crawled into bed and took matters into my own hands.