Eric and Dan were rolling in the garage. They weren’t going all out. This was just practice. They were grappling on the mat. Like so many times before, they ended up face to face. Eric was on top. It was a stare-down.
Dan applied a leg lock. Eric was trying to block Dan’s arms. He broke the stare. When he looked back, Dan was still staring. He smiled at Eric.
“What are you doing?” Eric asked.
“It seemed like you were trying to kiss me,” Dan said. He stopped applying so much leg pressure. Eric eased up on Dan’s arms.
“Do you want me to?” Eric teased. He couldn’t help smiling.
Danielle was gone. Dan was Dan. But there still seemed to be something between them. Maybe that was why it was so hard to let go.
“Well, Eric,” Dan said. “You’ll never know unless you try.”
Eric moved in like he was going to do it. Then he rolled over. He trapped Dan beneath him. Dan tried to apply a guillotine.
They talked and rolled. It was a good practice.
Being macho never felt right to Eric. He was happy to have Dan in his life. Someday he’d meet a girl. Maybe Melissa was the one. Maybe she wasn’t.
Dan would meet someone he could love too. It would be awesome.
Nothing was better than being comfortable in your own skin. It was the first time in his life he’d felt like that. His friend had taught him this. Dan was living his truth. And now Eric was living his.