Noah

"You're faster than I am!" he argued.

"Why the fuck do you think I'm working out now while you're resting?"

Apparently, that was the wrong approach. When my twenty seconds were up, I started over with my next ten chin-ups, and I tried something new on Julian.

"Never mind," I grunted. "Not every well-rested young man can take on a fucking spent forty-year-old who can barely breathe."

He flipped me off at that, and I winked at him.

"Asshole." He fought a smile. "You never mentioned what I get if I win."

Six.

"Pick whatever you want."

That turned out to be the right approach. Noted for next time.

His eyes lit up, and I could practically hear the wheels turning.

"Okay, if I win…" He paused, pursing his lips. "Drum roll."

I jumped down one chin-up too early 'cause I had to laugh. He was a sweet fucking guy, and his good mood was infectious. I really dug having him around.

"If I win, you let me get a pet."

I cocked a brow. "A pet?"

"Yeah." He shrugged and looked out over the ocean. "We had a cat in Berlin."

I remembered. And I fucking hated cats.

Luckily, I was gonna win.

"Deal, kid. You win, you can get a pet."

*

I was almost there.

We only had the hill left, and then we were home.

Julian was all but dead on his feet, but he kept pushing. He ran some ten feet ahead of me. I was running on fumes, but challenges were my crack and I could go faster.

"You ready to go down?" I called, panting.

He gasped for air as he laughed. "Thanks, but you're not my type!"

I grinned and narrowed my eyes. We were halfway up the hill, so I reckoned it was time to show him who was boss.

Every part of me burned and protested. I fucking loved it. It made me feel alive.

The sun was climbing higher.

Julian growled in frustration when he noticed I was coming up next to him.

As I passed, I couldn’t help myself. "I'm everyone's type."

I gave it my all and sprinted the last distance, seriously doubting I'd be able to stand up in the shower later. But fuck it. Sweat poured down my chest, the shirt in my hand was soaked, and my eyes stung.

I reached the door a couple seconds before Julian did, and he—hell, both of us—were too spent to dish out digs.

My legs were turning into jelly, so I opened the door and got into the elevator. In another moment or two, I'd need to sit down, regardless of where I was.

"The young oughta carry the old." I threw an arm around Julian's shoulders and leaned back against the wall. The elevator was kinda slow, so it let me catch my breath a bit more.

"You're heavy. And sweaty as hell."

"No shit?" I chuckled.

I tilted my head, smiling down at him. He looked healthy with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. Blue, I noted. Bluish, grayish. His curly hair was darker than usual with sweat.

"You did good today." I wanted him to know that.

He nodded and looked down, but I could still see his smile.

"Thanks."

*

Two of my old roommates were brothers and had shared the master bedroom because it was bigger. I had lived in the room Julian was in today, and my third roommate had lived in my new study. And since the master bedroom was still new to me, I wasn’t used to having my own bathroom, so I tended to use the one in the hall. Which, of course, Julian liked to point out as stupid.

As I stood under the spray, eyes closed, shivers of contentment running through me, he knocked on the door and told me to hurry up.

Like I'd done the past few days, I told him to use my shower instead. He'd declined the other times, but I guessed he'd had enough. I heard him stomping into my room.

I grinned to myself for no apparent reason and started soaping up. It was so fucking good. My legs felt weak, but I'd live. Hanging my head, I pressed and rubbed lazily, my chest, my neck, my arms. I washed my cock and gave it a slow stroke. It had been understandably dead for a while, but there was some sexual frustration buried somewhere.

The thought of dating or even hooking up for a night didn't even exist. I wanted to be alone, and I didn't mind building up a nice porn stash.

My stomach growled and twisted in hunger, though. Jacking off could wait.

I turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around my hips. I'd actually grown to like my beard, so I let it be and just applied some deodorant before I left the bathroom.

Once in my bedroom, I opened my closet and removed my towel to run it over my head. At the same time, Julian emerged with a cloud of steam from the shower.