Who: Brad and Carson When: Tuesday, Nov 28, early afternoon Where: Waterfront Gym Status: Complete
Just over a week had passed since arriving back in Point Pleasant from his few weeks in India and it seemed like things were starting to look up for Brad. He had a job at the gym as a yoga instructor and even though he had only done half a dozen classes the turnout for each of them was pretty good - at least eight to ten people, one class even had fifteen and he had handled it without a problem, he was even seeing some familiar faces and it made him feel good, that he was making a difference, even if it was only a small one. Yoga was bring him a purpose and providing some sort of structure to his previous unstructured life.
It was weird that despite working in the same building and at similar hours Brad had barely seen Carson - save for a quick nod or a ‘hi’ in passing. He had put a hold on his personal training sessions while he went overseas and had yet to restart them, though he didn’t really need them for work anymore he did enjoy them and keeping in shape and once he worked out a routine with his classes he’d see if the PT still had a slot free. With an hour until his next class Brad had come in, gotten changed and was now getting himself ‘in the zone’ by focusing and meditating, be it upside down in a headstand but it worked and as he was in the corner of the staff room he wasn’t in anyone’s way. He was already sure that some of the other employees there thought that he was weird and this would only cement the fact but he had passed the point of giving a crap about other people’s thoughts and expectations of him a long time ago.
Carson had been highly distracted for the past ... while. Considering everything that had been going on in his life, he thought that was pretty understandable. He just couldn’t make anybody understand it, because it was all stuff he couldn’t really talk about. With things changing between him and Rylee, and trying to get a handle on being a werewolf and make plans for that, not to mention the disembodied, familiar voices he was hearing now and then, to say shit was stressful was a massive understatement. At least there hadn’t been any more monster dreams, though he didn’t know if that meant it was over or it was ramping up to something else.
He’d been in and out of work for a while now, but Carson had to pay the bills somehow, so he’d tried to do better and recruit more clients. People were regretting their Thanksgiving decisions and wanting him to help them work off that extra pie, and he knew after the new year his schedule would stay full for a couple of months, so Carson tried to throw himself into work. He’d seen Brad a few times in passing, and wasn’t sure how to feel about the two of them both working at the gym, but it hadn’t been a problem yet.
Carson had arrived a little early for his first appointment and put his stuff away, then headed to the break room to fill up his water bottle. The upside down man in the corner was pretty impossible to miss, even if he was out of the way, and Carson gave a surprised little chuckle. Brad looked like he was concentrating though, and Carson didn’t want to disturb him, so he just went to the sink and pushed the lever for the filtered water and stuck his bottle under the stream.
Brad had enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving, just him and his friends and quite a bit of good food, too much good food in fact. They had taken up their old tradition of Thanksgiving related cartoons before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and ate themselves silly. Needless to say he didn't eat much on Friday in between his yoga class and helping out at the bookshop. People would do anything for a Black Friday bargain.
While Brad was concentrating and focused in his headstand, he wasn't totally oblivious to his surroundings, he had heard the door open and the soft chuckle. Opening an eye he glanced over and saw his company. “Hello stranger.” He said, moving his legs down until they were on the ground and then slowly stood up, stretching a bit and getting his bearings after a good ten minutes of being inverted. “I got you some souvenirs from my little trip away, come around some time and pick them up.” He had gotten some spices like Carson had asked as well as some stunning silks that he had found in a marketplace, hopefully they would fit.
“Hey there,” Carson had answered as Brad got upright again, sounding a little amused. He was all for stretching, of course, but he’d never quite gotten into yoga. Carson’s brain was too much of an ever-moving mess for him to feel like he could meditate. The moments of mindless clarity he got while he was jogging or doing heavy lifting were good enough for him. Or so he thought, anyway. “Yeah? Thanks man, you really didn’t have to,” he added about the presents. It was a nice gesture on Brad’s part, Carson just hoped that Rylee would see it the same way. “How did everything go over there? Are you a Zen master and everything now?” He asked it with light good humor, only marginally aware that Zen was a whole different thing from a whole different region of the world.
Yoga wasn't for everyone and Brad knew it, like other things in his life he wasn't going to push his views or ideals on to anyone, though he did have a feeling that Carson might enjoy yoga, or at least a bit of meditation, maybe he'd see the other man in one of his classes one day soon. He shrugged when Carson said he didn't have to get him anything. “Where's the fun in a holiday if you can't bring back souvenirs for your friends?” Well he hoped that he and Carson were friends. “You're welcome to come by whenever you've got time.” With his body warmed up and limber he moved a foot up to rest on his thigh in a half tree pose, he was in his zone and couldn't just stand still. Brad chuckled softly at the thought of being a Zen Master, “Dunno about Zen, but I could out Om your ass any day!” He joked. “I went really well, learned a hell of a lot and had a pretty good time. Ate enough carbs to last me the rest of the year but you can't have India without curry or rice. I did lose five pounds though. And it wasn't Dehli Belly.” He added, patting his stomach.
Carson chuckled. “Yeah, there’s a lot of schools of thought on carbs,” he murmured as he flipped off the water and screwed the top back on his bottle. “It’s interesting how carb-heavy diets overseas have different results than the ones over here.” It had a lot to do with the refining process, he was sure, and how loaded up with white sugar everything was in the States. But none of that was the point, really. “Glad you had a good trip, man,” he told Brad with a smile. “How’s classes going so far?” Rylee had mentioned to him that she’d ended up in one of Brad’s classes, but it had seemed prudent not to talk about it much. “Everybody treatin’ you all right around here?”
Brad had tried to avoid too many carbs when he was stripping, they had a habit of making him feeling bloated amongst other things. Though he had nothing like that in India, must've been the basmati rice or something. “That's true, for centuries it was rare to hear of obesity or fat related issues in places like India or Japan - save for a sumo but they do it on purpose.” Not to mention that he had now developed a taste for curries and had brought back some great recipes. “Classes are going pretty good I think. I've had a few people come to every class so far, maybe I've got some fans.” He must be doing something right if he was getting regulars already. “They're treating me a lot better than at my last job, and I get to keep my pants on.” Brad added with a smirk, not to mention the hours were better. “How about you? When I left you were just getting back to bipedal status, you're looking a lot better. Bet you're happy to be back at work.”
“Hey, a few is better than none,” Carson said with a faint grin. He wasn’t really a class-leader type of guy, he’d never run one, but it had taken him a little while to build a solid clientele when he’d first started. Brad would find his people, just like Carson had. His bendy, stretchy people. They had to be out there, even in a place like Point Pleasant. “Pants are a bonus, yeah,” he added and gave a chuckle. The question about his own well-being gave Carson that all-too-familiar discomfort in his gut. He couldn’t be honest about that with anyone but Rylee, and he felt it every time someone asked. “I really am, yeah,” he agreed, nodding slightly as he fiddled with the water bottle in his hands. “I just can’t sit around and do nothing, it fucking sucks. So I’m doing better. Pretty much all healed up, keeping busy and all.” Keeping busy with insane shit, but hey, it was true. “Just glad things are getting back to normal.” Carson gave a hollow little laugh.
Heading into a Maine winter wasn't really the best time for exercising and Brad hoped that come new year (and people's inclination to take up fitness as a resolution) more people would come, plus word of mouth would spread it too, but Carson was right, a few was better than none. “You know if you're free you can come check out a class, or if you're not into groups maybe a private lesson, I wouldn't make you do anything too crazy and will stay professional.” He put the offer out there, though he had a feeling that the other man wouldn't take it up. Seeing Carson's body language as he fiddled with the water bottle told Brad that maybe things weren't as good as stated but he didn't want to push, it was none of his business really. “I know what you mean about sitting around and doing nothing, after I quit I was going stir crazy with boredom but now I've got classes to organise and teach, that takes up some time.” Plus he enjoyed reading up on new poses and their benefits. “I'd like to start up my PT with you again now I'm back, if you're up for it. And I'm here if you want to talk, or just chill out with someone.” He added with a shrug.
The bit about things ‘staying professional’ made Carson feel both grateful and a little awkward. He had no good outward reason to shut down any romantic or sexual interest -- there was nothing wrong with Brad, and Carson hoped some guy who had a much less complicated life would snatch him up. A tall order in such a small town, maybe, but it would be a relief. He pushed away the part of him that always wanted to apologize and over-explain and gave Brad a lopsided smile. “Yoga gets kinda tricky for me, with the balance and all,” he said, sticking out his prosthetic foot a little bit. He could do a lot with it, and Carson did a lot of purposeful stretching anyway, but everything had to be modified and he didn’t want to be That Guy in a classroom or whatever, and private lessons sounded like a bad idea, considering his situation. “But thanks man, I’ll keep it in mind. And just let me know when you wanna start back training, I’ve got plenty of gaps in my schedule.” He didn’t miss the part about hanging out, but Carson opted not to address it. He glanced at his watch and chuckled. “Except like, right now, got an appointment in about five minutes, so ... I’ll catch you around?” he asked as he straightened up.
The offer of private lessons was just that, lessons, despite the fact they had sex that one time Brad wouldn’t cross the line between professional and personal with a student. Ever. When Carson mentioned about balance issues because of his leg Brad, was about to open his mouth to say that there were disciplines of yoga that used props such as blocks or straps that might offer some assistance but decided against it, the whole conversation just made it clearer to Brad that the other man wasn’t interested so he just said, “Well... the offer has no expiry. If you ever want to try. As for training, give me a week to sort out when I’ve got classes and I’ll let you know.” He might be blond and to some the male equivalent of a bimbo, but he was in no way stupid and got the hint when Carson ignored his offer of talking or hanging out - Carson had better things to do and more interesting people to spend time with than him, still a faint sting of rejection bit. “Yeah, I’ll be around here sometime. Good luck with your client.” Brad offered a smile.
Having trained plenty of people himself, Carson knew there were modifications and ways around just about everything. Maybe he was too full of anxiety for yoga and just didn’t want to outwardly fail at it. He’d never been great at quieting his mind, except in the midst of really strenuous exercise. Still, if things had been normal, he probably would’ve taken Brad up and given it a shot. As it was, Carson’s instincts said he needed to be as avoidant of most people as possible, because he was also shit at keeping secrets, and he now had a lot of them. If that forced him into acting like an antisocial weirdo ... well, maybe that was in everybody’s best interests. He gave Brad another little smile back and nodded as he headed toward the door. “Thanks man, same to you with your classes and all,” he said before he pushed through it. It was time for the client-facing game face.