Lifeguard Off Duty: Chapter 3

 Written by: gainingfiction  

What the hell was he doing? Skipping the gym to go to a bakery? Bradley looked in through the glass door and spotted one of his former lifeguards, Diego, counting cash at the till. Speaking of people who could use a trip to the gym, Bradley thought with a smirk, as he made his way back to his car. He could eat nothing but peanut brittle for a week and still have a better body than that guy. At least, that’s what Bradley told himself as the 24 Hour Fitness sign passed outside the window of his car.

He didn’t make it to the gym the next morning, either. As Bradley settled into his new routine, he never seemed to find the right time to fit in a workout. He was spending more time at work, and those longer hours at a sleepy government office left him feeling vaguely fatigued. Plus, 24 Hour Fitness wasn’t even close to his new commute, which helped quiet his guilt slightly. Anyway, it wasn’t like he had quit the gym altogether: he did manage to get in some weight training during his first week at work.

He also managed a single half-hour workout in his second week. No cardio, but he at least showed his face—and got more than his fair share of teasing from his gym buddies about how he’s been slacking off. Bradley took it all in stride, but left feeling less invigorated and more frustrated than he was used to. And driving past Muffin Tops when he left didn’t help.

Plus, he was experiencing something entirely new: sugar cravings. He hadn’t even been able to put his finger on it until halfway into his third week at the office, when he was sharing one of Eric’s delicious, indulgent snacks. Before Eric had offered, Bradley had been sluggish, unfocused, and almost irritable. But after a couple of bites of salted caramel fudge, he felt… better. A little unsettled that he had picked up a new habit so quickly, Bradley put it out of his mind as he got to work.

The next morning, rather than wait for an offer from Eric, Bradley decided to take matters into his own hands. He stopped by the coffee cart in the lobby of city hall. But instead of just getting a coffee, as he had a few times before, he decided to add the “berry explosion” muffin, to top off the all-protein breakfast he had eaten at home.

“That everything?” the barista asked. Bradley had never gotten coffee while he was working before. His nametag said “Peter”.

And shit, Peter was attractive. His black hair was short and styled, and his features were sharp and handsome. He may not have had Bradley’s muscle mass, but he was obviously in great shape. Bradley had never dated a guy before, but he had fooled around with dudes in the past. And Peter was definitely the type of guy Bradley would fool around with, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

“Yeah, that’s all, thanks,” Bradley said. He flashed a smile in Peter’s direction as he tapped his card.

“The, uh, cinnamon rolls are pretty good here, too,” Peter said. “Just FYI.”

“Good to know,” Bradley said. Taking a sip of his coffee, he turned and headed to the office. He made a mental note to pick one up the next time Peter was working.

Malcolm was eating something when Bradley arrived at the office that day, and as he made his way to his corner of the office, he saw a box of (what had originally been) a dozen assorted donuts sitting on an unoccupied desk.

“Those are for everyone,” Wanda said. “From the mayor’s office, since the beach cleanup went so well.”

Still holding his muffin in a paper bag, Bradley decided to treat himself. These were Muffin Tops donuts, he reasoned, beautifully decorated and probably delicious. And Malcolm and Eric would get even fatter if he didn’t intervene. So he picked out a pink frosted one and headed to his desk.

When he got there, Bradley saw that Eric had two donuts on a napkin, and a box of what looked like white chocolate peppermint bark open to the side. “Morning, Bradley,” Eric said. He smiled, showing off his dimples in a way that Bradley was starting to find charming, and gestured to the box. “You can have some if you want. I wasn’t expecting donuts.”

“Thanks,” Bradley said, taking a piece almost habitually. He set down his other food on the desk beside him and got ready for work. But as he looked at Eric eating his donut, and took another bite of chocolate, Bradley couldn’t quite shake the feeling that his shirt was fitting him a little differently since his new job first started.