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Running Buddies
I started running as soon as I noticed my love handles on the mirror. Being fat as a kid left me with tons of insecurities related to my body. I never wanted to go back to being overweight. Bullying had taken a toll on me, but as an adult, I managed to overcome those fears and I started dating as soon as I was out of the closet. That being said, I worked out because I loved myself not because I hated my body. Even though, it was still hard considering most guys in the gay community care a lot about their appearance.
It was a crisp spring morning, I was warming up my legs for the run in my front yard. My legs were something I was really proud of, I had big pale hairless thighs and muscular calves. Lucky for me, I never had to build muscle on my legs, so I mainly worked on cardio and on my upper body. I was feeling my body warm-up and I began jogging steadily increasing my speed. I picked up my pace on the way to the lake. There was a huge park nearby, with many trees and a small lake. I went there often as it was a beautiful location to go for a run.
The cold wind blew on my shaven face, so I put my gray hoodie on. Every step I could feel my breathing and my heart beating fast in my chest. I tried to keep up the pace until I reached the lake which was the middle point of my route. There I sat on a bench and contemplated the stillness of the lake. There was some mist on top of the water, and the rustling sound of trees soothed me. I tried to recover quickly so I could continue my route.
Soon another runner appeared standing near me, which surprised me since the park was almost empty at that time. He started stretching his legs, holding his foot on with his hand for a few seconds each time. I was impressed by his muscle definition, he was ripped which I envied a little. He was wearing a tank top, which revealed different black ink tattoos on his arms.
He then looked in my direction and nodded. I did the same. He got closer and we began making small talk.
"You come here often... I haven't seen you running before....?" he asked with his tanned and handsome face. He looked like he was in his late twenties maybe early thirties.
"Yeah, I like this route. It's all quiet at this time of the day." I said drinking some water.
"Have you ever been to the other side of the lake?" He asked.
"No, never... Is it possible to get there?" I asked curious.
"Sure, you just have to go through the woods. It's like 5-7 minutes tops if you run at a good pace."
"You can follow me if you like?" He offered jogging in place with a gentle smile.
I thought about it. I wasn't used to running or training with other people, that's why I didn't like gyms. But he seemed like a cool guy.
I accepted and we started running at a good pace through the woods. There weren't many paths or tracks so I had to follow him. It was completely quiet and the only noises were the sound of our steps crushing the eucalyptus leaves on the ground and our panting. We didn't say much as we had to focus on breathing properly.
Every now and then he would look my way with his hazel eyes and smile. We were more or less the same height. He had dark brown hair and one or two piercings that dangled on his ear. We continued running at a steady pace for a few minutes, until we arrived. He was right as it took maybe seven minutes for us to go through the woods and surround the lake.
We reached a point where we could see the water appear behind all the trees. There it was, the other side of the lake. We contemplated the stillness of the lake and filled our lungs with the fresh air. He stretched his back and I did the same. I continued with my arms and legs while looking at his muscular body. He was a stunning guy. We began talking a bit.
"Nice tattoos man..." I said praising the quality of the drawings.
