Boyfight

"Runaway"

            I woke up the next morning in bed alone. At first, I thought Naomi was in the bathroom or in the kitchen making breakfast for us but I quickly learned she'd left. That wasn't like her at all. Most times when we'd spend the night together, we'd wake up together and cuddle for a while and talk about shit. Not wanting to read into something that was most likely nothing, I decided to just get up and get ready for my morning run. Almost every morning, I'd go for a run after waking up. I'd been doing that ever since I first became a boxer so it was a part of my daily routine unless I was spending my morning with Naomi.

            I was about two miles in when I accidentally tripped up this dude who was running by me in the opposite direction. He hit the pavement kind of hard, so I immediately stopped to help him. I reached my hand down to him and asked, "Yo bruh, you okay?"

            "Yeah, I'm good," he replied, taking my hand.

            After I helped him to his feet and got a good look at him, I told him, "I've seen you running through here before. You live around here?"

            "Yeah, I live about four blocks back that way." He pointed in the direction he'd run from. "I recognize you as well."

            "Sorry for trippin' you up. I was in the zone."

            "I know the feeling." He laughed and then wiped his knee, which was bleeding a little.

            "Damn, you're bleeding. I'm really sorry, man."

            "It's cool. I'm a big boy." He laughed again before saying, "My name's Jordan, by the way."

            "I'm Khalil." I pretended that I was lefthanded so I could shake his hand that didn't have his blood on it.

            He wasn't a very tall guy, maybe around five-foot-seven or five-foot-eight. He was leaner than me and had big green eyes. He looked like he was biracial but he might have just been light skinned. I could tell he was older than me, possible in his late twenties or maybe in his early thirties. The way he was smiling at me told me pretty much all I needed to know about him. Most dudes don't smile at other dudes that way where I'm from.

            "So Khalil," he said while leaning against a nearby wall, "what makes you run through this neighborhood every morning?"

            I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I just do. It's convenient and there's no dogs that chase you up in this area."

            "Oh, I thought you might know someone here."

            "Nah, I don't. Would it be bad if I did?"

            "No. It just would've helped me to...you know..." His cheeks got red and he told me, "I was just getting a vibe from you and don't know if you're gay or straight or in between. If you're anything but straight, maybe we could go out sometime. I'm sure someone as handsome as you has no problem getting into even the most exclusive places around."

            "Thanks for the compliment, bruh; but I'm in a relationship...with a woman."

            "Ah, damn. My bad, man. I am so sorry."

            "It's cool. I don't even trip over things like this, really." I looked at his knee again and asked, "You sure you're okay?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for not knocking my head off. You look like a boxer or something."

            "It's all good." I shook his hand again and told him, "Take care, bruh."

            I could feel him looking at me as I ran away. It honestly didn't bother me when other dudes checked me out or even hit on me. I actually had a feeling that guy was gonna hit on me, which is why I took note of how he was smiling at me. Guys like Jordan—that are respectful when they hit on me—are easier to deal with than most women who hit on me. One woman tried to fight me when I told her I wasn't interested and that I was in a relationship. Still, I had no interest in a guy like him. I fought masculine dudes for a living and I've always viewed masculinity in a universally different light than I view femininity. As a result, feminine gay dudes have always had me somewhat curious.