...The first five minutes weren’t so bad. Scanning the large room for Stephen took most of his attention while his legs pumped in a steady, somewhat quick rhythm. The second five minutes dragged by at a considerably slower rate, his heart pumping louder by the second. By the time fifteen minutes had passed, his vision was blurry, he couldn’t get enough oxygen no matter how hard he breathed, and he was pretty sure he was going to die. Jay imagined himself keeling off the bike, his heart exploding like an overfilled water balloon, his face frozen in a final expression of horror as understanding engulfed him a second before he gave up the ghost. The beautiful people in the gym would continue to file past him, unaware that the huge man at their feet was dead rather than just lying down for a quick rest. He’d probably just lay there until the cleaning people arrived. If anybody did notice he was missing, they’d never think to contact the gym, and so his body would go unclaimed and buried in an anonymous grave somewhere.

Well, he probably wasn’t going to be buried in an anonymous grave, but everything else up to that point could easily happen. And all because the thought of seeing Stephen for a few extra minutes a day intoxicated him so much he’d put that possibility ahead of his own common sense. It was common sense that big fat lazy people didn’t belong on a tiny stationary bike in front of collegiate gods. It was unbecoming and dangerous. Not to mention foolish. What did he think was going to happen? Stephen would see him huffing and puffing away on a bike, sweating through his shirt, and become instantly enamored with him? He nearly panicked at the thought of Stephen seeing him in such a state. He couldn’t even try to tell himself that if Stephen were there, he might not even notice Jay. Jay was a big guy near the locker room—Stephen would notice him.

Oh God, what have I done?

Jay stopped peddling and rested his head against his arm, struggling to catch his breath. As soon as he got a decent amount of oxygen, he would return to the locker room, change his clothes, and leave before Stephen even saw him. The plan was stupid, but it wasn’t catastrophic quite yet. He’d just have to be happy with the two hours every day that their schedules overlapped and nip this vaguely stalkerish behavior right in the bud.

“Jay?”

Jay looked up sharply and smiled. Or tried to smile, since he was too mortified and exhausted to make his face work properly. “Stephen. Hi.”

“Hi.” Stephen gave him a questioning look. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“No, no, I…I just started this week because of my new diet.” Jay mentally kicked himself for mentioning the D-word. His friends, all girls, always admired him when he decided to commit himself to a healthier lifestyle. Somehow, it never really impressed the boys he liked.

“Oh, that’s great. Have you signed up for any of the classes here?”

Classes? That sounded like phys ed. Alarm bells instantly began to sound as the part of Jay dedicated to self-preservation encouraged him to remove himself from the situation.

“No, I didn’t know they offered any.”

“Yeah. They’re taught by volunteers. They’re basically designed to help introduce people to all the options here. I took them when I first started.”

Jay nodded. “That sounds interesting. I’ll look into it.”

“Cool. So are you just getting started?”

“I was about to call it good for the day, actually.” Jay made a show of checking his watch. “Man, has it been forty-five minutes already? I guess time flies when you’re having fun. You?”

“I’m on the way to the track for a couple laps to cool down. Do you want come with? I usually don’t feel like I’m done unless I have a good run.”

Just the image of himself chasing Stephen around the track was almost too much to bear. He’d be doubled over in pain after half a lap, and Stephen would leave him behind with a disgusted shake of his head.

“Maybe next time. I’ve got an appointment at six. So I should just hit the showers.”

“Yeah. Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yep. Have a good night.”

Jay managed to keep from collapsing until Stephen was several feet away, though the weakness in his legs had nothing to do with his ill-advised attempt to ride the damned bike. Stephen was gorgeous in an impossible sort of way, more handsome than pretty, his body toned, his eyes the deepest shade of blue. Jay had fallen in love with him the moment they met, knowing it was shallow to be in love with somebody just because they were the fairest in all the land, but not caring. Stephen was also funny and intelligent, quick witted and warm-hearted. In the month since the semester started and Stephen began working as the GLBT Center director, Jay’s feelings had only grown stronger, until he realized, much to his horror, that he really did love Stephen.