The Mechanic

ELEVEN

I sighed in relief when I finally saw Marty. He was sitting in the corner of the gym's locker room, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Hey," I uttered with a small smile as I sat beside him.

He looked at me. His eyes were red and puffy. "Sorry for bothering you," he croaked. "I'm supposed to call Les but she's not answering her phone."

"Don't be sorry," I said. I don't care if it was almost midnight especially if my friends need me. "What happened?"

Marty bit his lip before speaking. "Alex wanted me to move in with him."

My eyes widened, but I wasn't really shocked because their relationship seemed really serious for me. I was happy that Marty finally found someone who would take him seriously, but based on his facial reactions, he wasn't feeling the same.

"What did you feel when he said that?" I asked.

"Scared," he replied, his voice breaking.

"What are you scared of?"

"Of everything?" he said, chuckling but tears were forming around his eyes. He blew out a rough breath. "Shit, Jay. We were casually playing Xbox after eating our dinner and he said out of nowhere that we should live together. I was shocked. Then I got afraid. It hit me, you know? It hit me how much I love him and I don't want to lose him. What if he sees something bad in me once we live together and decided that he couldn't keep up with me anymore?"

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. "Marts, you're letting the ghost of your past affect your present. Alex and Gabriel are two different people," I told him, my chest fuming slightly just by mentioning Gabriel's name. That dick.

"I can't help it," he sobbed. "Gabriel left me like trash after living together for two months. He said he can't keep up with me anymore. What if the same thing happens to me and Alex? I don't want to lose him."

"You're being too hard on yourself. Gabriel is a douche. It wasn't your fault that he left. And you're already making assumptions about Alex. It's normal to be scared, but don't let your fear eat you alive and stop you from being happy."

Marty just nodded quietly. I asked him another question. "Do you want to live with him?"

"I do."

"Are you ready for it?"

"I don't know."

I stroked his shoulders. "If you're not ready, don't force yourself. But don't make decisions based on your fear. Don't run away because you're scared."

He looked up at the ceiling. "You know, Jay. I never thought he'll get under my skin like this," he said, shaking his head but smiling. "I just tried to outdance him in the club and we banged at the toilet and now look at me."

"I'm looking at a glowing Marty who's madly in love with a great guy," I smiled.

He chuckled, the sound of his laughs brightening his face. "Speaking of glow," he uttered, his eyes narrowing on me. "Are you seeing someone?"

"Me? No, I don't. Why?" I asked, confused.

He raised an eyebrow. Oh dear. He does that intimidating action every time he can smell bullshit. "There's no one?"

"No one. Why are you asking?"

"You look different these days, that's why."

"Different?"

"Yup. You're glowing."

"Me? Glowing?"

"Yes, you are. Like that kind of an after-sex glow."