Could’ve gone better

The weight clangs down on the machine, Sai sits up, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead, he glances behind him at Erik, throwing him a double thumbs-up with a grin.

“Good shit, my brother!” Erik says, slapping Sai on his burly shoulder.

“Fucking finally. New PR.”

“Had a good day, then?” Erik asks, sitting down next to Sai on the bench, leaning forward on his elbows.

“You could say that. It was pretty chill.” Sai responds, reaching for his gym bag. “Just classes and chilling.”

Erik laughs softly, looking up from the floor he sees a familiar face. Standing up, he reaches out for a hug. “Heidi! Good to see you!”

Heidi happily accepts the hug, holding Erik close against her chest, her toned arms wrapping around him and squeezing tightly. “Erik… Hi…”

Erik gestures to Sai who stands up, grinning at Heidi. “Heya… Nice to meet you.” Sai says before Erik can say anything.

Erik smirks. “Heidi, this is Sai, you two haven’t met?”

Heidi shakes her head, taking a quick, uninterested glance at Sai. “Nice to meet you.” She turns back to Erik. “What are you working on today?”

Erik responds. “Chest and arms today.” Erik juts a thumb at Sai. “He just hit a PR.”

Heidi gives Sai another look, a tad more interested this time. “Oh?”

Sai grins and flexes his arms. “Hell yeah. Been in the works for a minute now.”

Heidi nods appreciatively, her eyes scanning his semi-exposed shirt under the muscle singlet, her eyes sparking under the gym’s lights as she looks at her arms. But, she still looks back at Erik. “What about you? You need a spot, Erik?” She blushes as she tilts her head, tilting her head to the side, her hair shifting.

They make some small conversation, Sai watching closely as Heidi chats with Erik.

As she walks away, Sai bumps his shoulder against Erik. “Dude, are you autistic?”

Erik looks at him. “The fuck?”

“She’s so into you, dumb ass.” Sai says, taking a glance at her ass. “She’s got a body on her, huh?”

Erik ignores his last comment, but grimaces. “Fuck. Vi said that too.”

Sai grins. “So?”

“So, what?”

“You gonna hit that?”

“‘Hit that’? Since when do you speak like that?”

“Answer bro.”

“I mean. She’s hot. Obviously… But I have Vi.”

“You guys are open though. Like Ari and I. We both get some on the side.”

“Yeah but…” Erik shrugs. “I guess you’re right. I didn’t really think of that.” (Erik decides to not reveal his arrangement with Mrs Revers).

“Dude. Just tell her that you and Vi are open while in college. And that you wanted to be honest and that you’re into her.” Sai side-eyes him. “You ARE into her, no?”

“I mean… She’s really hot.”

“Dude. If you're not interested in her, you cool if I do?”

Erik bites the inside of his cheek. “Fuck off.” He looks over at her, taking a rest between sets, standing straight, her focus on her phone, idly rubbing her thigh.

Sai finishes a set, whacking Erik on the arm. “You’re up.” He follows his mate's gaze and nods. “She’s got back, man. Like Ari.”

Erik tilts his head, neither of these hot-blooded males acknowledging the fact that they’re staring at a girl in the middle of a public gym. “Smaller?”

Sai shakes his head, squinting, doing his best to picture his girlfriend's ass in his head. “Maybe they’re the same? But looks bigger on Ari since she’s short?”

Erik nods, putting a hand on his chin. “Wait, that might be spot on. Heids is taller and she’s ripped. So, I think it just looks different.”

A woman clears her throat next to them, the boys turn in sync. She gives them a disgusted look and walks away.

“Valid.” They both remark in unison.

Erik gets under the barbell, Sai sliding off one weight from each side as he stands over his head, spotting his bench press.

“Dude, you need to put more work in, you’ve gone up in your weights so quickly, you’re like built for this shit.” Sai says with an encouraging slap on his back.

“Hmm. Thanks, man.” Erik replies, grinning, finishing off his water bottle.

He looks up towards Heidi again, she just happens to look over at that exact moment again, their eyes meet and she smiles again, the same easy sweet smile.

“Dude. She’s so hot.” Sai says, sitting down next to him, watching as Heidi bends over to lean on the machine in front of her, she looks over and smiles, blushing lightly as both boy stare at her.

She heads over to the water tap.

“Alright. Fuck it. Now or never.” Erik says, standing up and following her.

“Wait, maybe not now?!” Sai calls after him forlornly, throwing his hands up and sitting down, watching them with worry now.

He shakes his arms out and starts to walk towards Heidi who is standing refilling her water bottle.

“Uhm.. Hey, Heids.” Erik says.

She turns and blushes, moving a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, hi again, Erik. Twice in one day, lucky me.” She giggles.

How the fuck did I miss this? She’s so obvious.

“Uhm…” he clears his throat. “I think you’re really cute.”

Heidi blushes. “Oh! Ahahahahaha.” She laughs nervously, her fingers squeezing together in front of her. “Thank you… I think… You’re really cute too…” She licks her lips nervously, looking towards her feet. “Uhm… Are you and Vi… Over? I guess?”

“Uhm…. This is where it gets weird.”

She looks up, still incredibly red.

“Vi and I… We’re in a…Uhm…”

Heidi watches him, rolling her hands together.

“We… Like… See… Other people…Consensually…But… Still dating.”

This is so stupid. I could’ve done this so much better.

“What?” She asks. Blank-faced.

“Uhmm… We’re… Open?” He says, getting softer and more awkward with every syllable.

She stares at him. “Erik….”

Erik just stands, staring at her. “What?”

“Why would you say that to me?”

“Uhm… I think you're really cute… And we get along… And I thought… I misread it? I thought we were like… vibing?”

“That’s so fucked up, Erik.” She says, her brow furrowing with anger and offence.

“Sorry?”

“I do… I guess… think…” Heidi can’t find the words, her brain swirling. “I did… Do—-Uhm. Like. Hanging out with you…”

Her eyebrows curl inwards with actual anger, eyes watering. “But this is so mean? I’d rather you tell me you want to cheat on meVi with me rather than this weird roundabout lie.”

Erik shakes his hands. “No no!” He lowers his voice. “I’m serious!”

Heidi stares at him.

She doesn’t believe me.

“I—I—I can prove it!!”

Heidi just keeps staring. Her eyes shimmer with hurt. “Erik…”

Erik pulls his phone out, already texting Vi. “Please trust me! Trust me!”

Heidi stares.

“Good one.” Sai says, shaking his head at a shaken Erik.

“You could’ve warned me…” Erik answers begrudgingly. “I don’t think she believed me.”

“Look, she believed you enough to agree to speak to you and Vi at the same time. You just went about it in the most head-ass way.”

“To be fair.” Erik replies. “It’s a weird topic to broach. How do you do it?”

Sai thinks for a moment. “Hmm.”

“What?”

“I’m not the one who usually brings it up.”

“Ari does?”

“Yep. I think it comes better from a girl rather than a man.”

“Dickhead.” Erik says, dropping his face into his hands.

“Soz, bro.” He slaps him on the back, rubbing it roughly. “Let’s go punish ourselves with lateral raises.”