The Boy At The Gym

I finally bit the bullet and struck up a conversation with a cute guy at my gym. And he didn’t blow me off!!!

The older I get, the more difficult it is becoming for me to meet people. And by “people” I mean “prospective dates”.  Part of it is Minneapolis/Minnesota, and part of it is just the awkwardness of it. People are so social media focused these days that it’s hard to meet in real time. 

Besides, social media just leads to hookups, not meaningful encounters. 

So I’ve been hoping (for quite some time) to meet a guy in band, or choir, or volleyball, or the gym.  But alas– no luck to date. Invariably when I put myself out there, I quickly learn the guy is already attached. Or not interested.  Or really weird.  

Or straight. (Whoops.)

Anyway, the gym seems to be where I develop most of my crushes. And even though none have panned out– I keep trying. 

Like with Gordy. 

I’ve seed him at the gym for months now. Many months. Sometimes bearded.  Sometimes clean shaven. Floppy, auburn hair and blue eyes.  Same Florida state workout shirt.

I always stare a bit too much and hope that he’ll catch me staring and state back. Mostly he’s engrossed in his workout and has his earbuds in. So my staring goes unrequited. 

Until last night. 

He caught me looking and he smiled and nodded. I nodded back. 

And then I walked up and talked to him. 

My opening line was “I’m glad to see your beard is finally coming back. You should keep it– it’s a good look.”

And from there we talked about beards and trimming and why he cut his off (for a wedding– not his). He assured me it was back to stay.  At least for a good while. 

We also chatted a bit about biking and places to ride. I mentioned that we should go for a ride sometime.  And we also talked a bit about beer and weekend plans. He said he’s trying to cut back because he is finally losing weight– 20 lbs so far. I told him I’d noticed and that he was looking good. (A smile and a thank you.)

When we parted, he asked if I was going to be at the gym tomorrow.  I told him that I was. He said “Good!  I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

While it wasn’t 100% encouraging, it wasn’t 100% discouraging either. I floated the idea about a bike ride, and alluded to grabbing a beer– all with no commitment. But he wasn’t dismissive either.  And he was friendly and engaged and knows my name and did say that he is pretty free and unscheduled on the weekends. 

So, I guess I’ll see him tonight. And we’ll see what happens.