Rooster | Fallen Angels MC #4

Chapter 16

This chapter was a bit of a struggle to write, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

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"Why the hell did you add so much weight if you can't bench it?" Ripper looked perplexed as he held the bar above my head. I'd just about dropped it on my damn chest.

I didn't typically think of myself as an insecure man, but the thought of Viper staring at Sniper's arm all day was making me angrier than I thought. I couldn't bench anything near that guy, and he had a damn girlfriend.

"Forget it," I sighed and sat up. The bar fell from his hands onto the rack with a clink and I dried my sweaty hands on my pants.

"You've got to work up to it," Reaper came around his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his waist. I nodded my head and stood up. "Gym safety, and all that." They kissed for about three seconds before it started to turn into a heavy makeout session. I grabbed one of the wipes used to clean the equipment at them and grimaced.

"You guys have a room. Use it." I walked towards the elliptical feeling more confident in my leg work than I did with my arms.

"Woah, woah," Ripper rushed to catch up with me. "What's got you so grumpy today?" I was feeling like ignoring him today, but he was making it hard.

"Not in the mood to talk today," I tried to gently shut him down. It wasn't a big deal. None of this was a big deal.

"So we're just not going to talk about you liking Viper?" Ripper asked. Now he was just going to push me for the fun of it?

"You're right," I hopped onto the elliptical and pressed the start for the timer. "We're not."

"Gah, you know what I meant. When did it start?" I didn't answer. The more I talked about it, the more it might be true. Right? I kept going for a few more minutes, but Ripper wouldn't budge. If I wouldn't talk to him, he'd only get more annoying and definitely more loud. I pressed pause on the machine and stopped moving.

"Probably since the day she came to the club," I said, then grimaced at myself. That sounded fucking creepy, and I hadn't intended it that way.

"Yeah?" Ripper had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"She was hot. We fooled around, then settled on a friends with benefits situation. Honestly, we're not even friends. Just benefits? If that's the only way I can have her, I'll take it," I answered. I turned my timer back on and started moving again.

"You want more." It wasn't a question, nor did it lead to another statement. Ripper knew he was stating a fact.

"She'd never go for it. I don't think she has feelings for me at all, and she would never pledge loyalty to just one club. To just our club. It would never work."

"Sounds like you've thought this out," he pondered. I nodded, glad he was seemingly agreeing with me. "Except for the part where she might have feelings for you too."

"In what universe?" I scoffed. We were opposites, and it couldn't be more clear.

"You'll never know unless you dig deeper," he shrugged. Yeah, right. Viper was a steel box and I was trying to pry through it with a spoon. I told Ripper as such.

"It's not impossible. It'll just take time," he said, referring both to Viper and to my reference. I scowled. I was reaching to turn the timer off before my brain even caught up. There was no point in working out today when my mind wasn't in it. I stepped off of the elliptical, and to my surprise, Ripper hopped on instead of following me.