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Usually by the time Nadia made it to the kitchen, Tyler would be drinking a second glass of OJ with Poops purring on his lap, soaking up the affection. Tyler would chat with his sister for a bit as she ate her plate of eggs or waffles, and then head to the school track, wolfing down a big banana on the way like Josh had told him.

He’d never been a morning person, but for some reason this cheerful rhythm had put a fire under his tail. As a web designer, Nadia worked from home, so he did her errands after the run on the way home from the Hamilton track.

Just having a routine to follow and Josh’s friendly face to look forward to had made a huge difference. All day long, the run kept him pleasantly sore, and he’d even started doing some minimal weight training at Hamilton in the afternoons after school got out, when the teams were at practice and he had the whole place to himself. Josh even had him stretching now, although to be honest sometimes the stretching gave him a boner because of the associations.

Best of all, he hadn’t had a panic attack in six days.

When Tyler pulled out of the drive, the sky was still deep blue, and the headlights clicked on automatically. When he parked at Hamilton, Josh met him with a happy wave.

It felt like magic. Each night, he went to sleep satisfied and woke up psyched.

Today, the early morning air was foggy as Tyler and Josh ran side by side around the rubberized track. The rhythmic sound of their footsteps, accompanied by the muffled hush, wove a soothing cocoon for them.

“Hey, remember that time in high school when Nadia tried out for the cheerleading squad?” Tyler asked, his breath coming in short huffs. “She just knew she had it in the bag, but during her audition, she turned left instead of right and took out half the girls with her.” He snickered.

Josh chuckled, shaking his head and grimacing. “Yeah. Messy! But Nadia didn’t let that stop her. She just laughed and picked herself right back up. Spirit in spades, for sure.”

“She’s always been like that,” Tyler agreed, a surge of affection warming him. “Like our mom. She never lets anything get her down for long.”

As they continued their run, Tyler couldn’t stop stealing glances at Josh. He’d always been attractive in a boyish way, but seeing him now—grown, fit, confident—stirred up stuff Tyler hadn’t felt in… well, a long time. He felt alive, or at least as alive as you can be with a battered ego and a heart that stutters.

Still, there was more to it than just physical attraction. Tyler admired this guy so much—the way Josh carried himself, his kindness and courage with the kids, standing up for his coworkers. Nadia had mentioned something—apparently some local nutjobs were hassling the school librarian, and he had a sense that the bullying and scrutiny weighed heavily on Josh. He wished he could help somehow, return the favor.

Josh never wavered. He didn’t coach by demanding things or scolding his students, but by doing the thing he expected from others. If you want kids to try, you show them what trying looks like. If you want a team to win, you play harder. If you want bullies to back down, you face them.

“Your pace has improved a lot. And your stamina, since our first run,” Josh said, pulling Tyler out of his thoughts.

“Not that much.”

“That much. Maybe it’s your big banana.” Josh did have a dimple, after all.

Tyler opened his mouth to joke but then hesitated as he searched for the real words. “I just want you to know that I really appreciate these morning runs. Coming out here every day has helped more than you can imagine.”

“Good. Of course. I got you,” Josh replied with a quick smile.

“Thanks.”

“You’ve come pretty damn far in a couple weeks, Fantana. Someone might start to think you’re a professional athlete.” His dark blue eyes sparkled.

“Thanks to you,” Tyler replied. His eyes stung, so he turned to watch the track ahead. “Couldn’t have done it without you, Ayres. I mean it.”

Josh chuckled and pushed ahead a bit, forcing them both to work just that little bit harder.

As they rounded another lap, Tyler bit his tongue. He was fighting hard against the growing attraction he felt for Josh, because he was afraid of what it meant—for his career, for his future, and for their time together as long as he could make that last.

In general, Tyler had always acted on impulse, jumping into situations and then figuring out the mess after. But the past week especially, he’d struggled like hell to keep his natural urges in check. For whatever dumb reason, running alongside Josh each morning made him feel like maybe, just maybe, something might work out between them.

If Josh wanted it, that is. He wasn’t so sure.

Josh bumped into him, his damp arm sliding along Tyler’s. “What’s up?”

“You’re so quiet this morning.” Tyler shook his head. “Everything okay in your neck of the woods?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, we’re good.” Josh sounded stiff and looked away, focusing on the track before them.

“If something’s bothering you, you can talk to me. You know that, right?” Tyler didn’t want to pry, but he hoped Josh felt like he could share whatever was bugging him. “If I can help at all.”

“Of course. Just… I don’t know, school politics. Work crap. Nothing worth you worrying about it,” Josh replied, his voice hesitant and guarded.