Chapter 54.2

The sound of squeaking shoes and rhythmic thumping filled Nick’s ears as he approached the last curve of the track. Leaning into the turn slightly, the familiar tingle of sweat appeared down his back as he kept running, his feet repeatedly kicking off the synthetic floor underneath him. A cheer rang out from the nearby basketball court, and he smiled as he listened to the revelry; it was nice to hear students going about their daily routines.After crossing the finish line, he slowed his pace to a comfortable walk and began pacing back and forth. He brought two fingers to his neck, checking his pulse while keeping his eyes on a nearby clock.

“Looking pretty good out there, Nick!” Caleb shouted, slapping Nick on the back to congratulate him.

“Eh, my heart rate’s not where I’d like it,” Nick muttered. “My workout schedule fell to shit over the break. Granted, it’s not like I wasn’t getting any exercise, but…”

Caleb nodded slowly, recognition in his dark brown eyes. He had dark skin and short, incredibly curly black hair, and wore loose-fitting gym clothes with bright red running shoes. As one of the students who’d stayed on campus over Winter Break, he was one of many members in the freshly christened AV Club, though Nick had known him since high school. “It’s better when you’re running on your own terms, right?”

As both the boys laughed, Nick reached for his water bottle and took a long sip. Just as he finished, another guy approached them, gasping heavily as he finished the last curve of the track. His form was terrible, and looked even stranger than usual due to his relatively lanky build. His short, messy brown hair was drenched with sweat, as were his dull gray gym clothes, and he crossed the finish line with an overly dramatic look of misery on his face. He slowed down quickly, jogging over to Caleb before leaning down and placing his head on Caleb’s shoulder.

“Fuck… so much… running…” Sean gasped, his voice raspy and exhausted.

With a playful smile, Caleb placed a gentle hand on Sean’s back and encouraged him to stand up. “Hey, you did great out there. Now c’mon, make sure you’re walking around, cooling down is just as important as warming up. You want some water?”

Sean nodded quickly, his heavy breathing refusing to slow down. After gulping down nearly half a bottle, he spoke up again. “This would be easier if you two would stop lapping me. How’s a guy supposed to feel motivated when you keep putting me to shame? I ran, like, half the laps you guys did, it’s ridiculous.” Walking over to the bench, Sean grabbed a spare towel and threw it over his face, wiping away the veritable waterfall of sweat running down his forehead.

“Nick and I have been at this for years, Sean,” Caleb muttered, walking beside Sean to make sure he cooled down properly. “You only started last week. Give it time!”

Once Sean had caught his breath, he once again leaned against Caleb before quickly kissing his cheek. “Ugh, I know, I know. I should just be happy I’m still able to exercise, right? And that I’ve got friends to do it with.”

“That doesn’t stop you from cursing me out when you wake up with sore muscles.”

“Hey, small victories!” Sean protested.

The two of them eventually took a seat on the bench, though Nick stayed standing to instead start some light stretching. “I heard you met with Imani the other day, how’d that go?” he asked.

After a slight delay, Sean spoke up. “It was… nice. There’s not too much to talk about at this point. Initially, it was just a lot of ‘Oh God monsters are real and I almost died,’ but she made a lot of really great points. Working out feels good, and if it happens to make me feel more ready for the next piece of magic bullshit, even better.”

“I’m glad you’re doing this with us, honestly. The more the merrier, and all that,” Nick said, flashing Sean a patient smile. He checked the clock one last time, then added, “Now don’t get too comfortable on that bench, alright? We’re gonna head over to the climbing wall next.”

“Fuck, that’s right…” Sean groaned. “Is it too late to back out?”

Caleb jumped to his feet excitedly. “You’re darn right it is. Trust me, you’re gonna love this, it’s so much more tactile than running!”

Looking up at his boyfriend, Sean laughed. “You’re such a goober. Alright, let’s get going!”

After grabbing their things, all three of them ventured towards the massive climbing wall that sat proudly near the middle of the Griffith Athletic Center. Depending on who you asked, this building was the crown jewel of the athletic campus, far more so than the generically extravagant football stadium. It was a massive structure, packed full of exercise equipment, basketball courts, ping-pong tables, an indoor track, a pool, and countless other amenities. The basement held a variety of classrooms and laboratory facilities, most commonly frequented by Sports Medicine and Applied Kinesiology students, and just beside the main staircase, a small café happily peddled a variety of healthy drinks and shakes, in addition to more standard fare like coffee and sandwiches.

The building itself was immaculately designed, and had been built with an emphasis on natural light that Nick heavily appreciated. Nearly every single wall had been constructed with large windows, and constant skylights made sure no corner of the building remained untouched by sunlight, save for obvious spaces like bathrooms or the basement.

The second level was closer to a suspended walkway than an actual floor in and of itself. A lengthy walking track encircled the building just inside the windows, providing not just a perfect place to exercise, but also to appreciate the beauty of the building itself. Although Nick had chosen to use the official indoor track on the first level, he’d made extensive use of the walkway in the past. On either end of the walkway, connected to large staircases, were two small landings. Each of these were kept relatively open, and most commonly served as activity space for a variety of group activities such as yoga or dance fitness.

The climbing wall in question was nearly two stories tall, starting on the main floor and extending up into the gap in the middle of the second-floor walkway. It didn’t quite reach the ceiling, but those walking laps around the building often saw climbers towering over them as they scaled the wall.

Nick had yet to reach the top himself, though only because his attempts were casual in nature. He loved exercise, but as he wasn’t actively participating in any sporting teams, he kept himself busy by meeting regularly with various friends that all enjoyed different activities. Depending on the day, he might find himself free running, rock climbing, playing football, boxing, or any number of other pastimes.

Approaching the center of the facility, Nick saw several of his other friends already tackling the wall. This would be their first time meeting Sean, and while he was pretty sure they would get along well, he knew he would be on edge until he saw it with his own eyes.

Turning to Sean and Caleb, who were holding hands as they walked beside him, he whispered, “Keep in mind none of them are in the AV Club.”

They both nodded quickly. “Oh, yeah, I assumed as much, but thanks for the reminder!” Sean said.

After walking into the recessed pit that held the base of the climbing wall, Nick raised his voice and called out, “Hey, Gabe, shouldn’t you be halfway up that wall already?”

One guy in particular, one with tanned skin and medium-length dirty blonde hair, turned around with a laugh as he jogged over to Nick. “Oh, shut up! You know perfectly well that if I’d started without you, you would have given me shit about that too!”

After closing the distance, Nick and Gabe clasped hands for a moment before playfully shoulder checking each other. “You know me too well,” Nick said with a laugh.

Gabe released his grip, then immediately looked over to the other guys present. “Caleb! Is this the elusive boyfriend I’ve heard so much about? It’s Sean, right?” he asked, extending a hand with more cordiality than he did with Nick.

“Uh, yeah…” Sean stammered, grabbing Gabe’s hand to shake it. “Nice to meet you! I hope you’ll excuse that I’m not quite, uh, up to your level.”

“Bah, don’t worry about that. It’s not a competition! We’ve done this enough that we know the easier routes, so we can walk you through the basics. Actually, here, let me introduce you to everyone!” Gabe turned around and called out, “Guys, get your lazy butts over here and say hello to the new guy!”

Roughly a dozen feet away, the rest of Gabe’s friends paused their climbing preparation and looked over.

“Yo, is that Caleb’s boyfriend?!”

“Holy shit, he exists!”

“Dude, you’ve literally met him before, don’t be such an ass!”

It took several minutes for everyone to welcome Sean to the group, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he learned that Sean had met some of them before. Soon enough, he was laughing along with everyone else and awkwardly struggling to get into a climbing harness for the first time. From there, the next hour played out exactly how Nick hoped it might.

Sean took to the wall about as well as expected, but he seemed to be enjoying himself nonetheless. The other guys were endlessly supportive, offering advice on grip, routes, and technique the whole time, and eventually Sean managed to get more than a few feet off the ground.

Nick slightly lost track of Sean’s progress once he started climbing himself. It was exhilarating being on the wall again, and he even set a new height record despite falling off his exercise routine over Winter Break. He might have gotten higher had he not gotten distracted by seeing another friend of his walking along the second-story walkway. In his excitement to return their excited wave, he happily returned the gesture. Of course, by removing one of his hands from the wall, he no longer had the support necessary to keep himself up, and he plummeted immediately.

Still, it proved to be a funny moment, and it didn’t diminish his personal record. His other friend even ran downstairs to apologize directly, but Nick assured them it was no big deal. More than anything else, he simply appreciated the moment as it passed; surrounded by friends, everyone safe and happy, simply enjoying life.