"I don't know, since I have no idea what you're referring to…"
Calix smiled. "Sorry, I'll stop messing around. I ran a Spartan race yesterday."
"A Spartan race?" Rhett had heard of it, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Something like a mud run?
"It's an obstacle course, designed for people like me who are desperate for a physical challenge. There are several levels, ranging from a Sprint—the easiest one—to a Super, a Beast, and even an Ultra Beast. The latter is at least a full-on marathon, usually held in the mountains, combined with more than seventy obstacles."
"Holy shit!" Rhett blurted out, and he clapped his hand over his mouth, but Calix merely laughed.
"I told you I'm an idiot. I ran a Super yesterday, so of course today, I'm paying the price."
"The Super is how long?"
"I've done a few over the years, and yesterday was my slowest time so far because I'm a little out of shape. I haven't had enough time to train. It took me four hours yesterday."
"You voluntarily ran an obstacle course for four hours…"
"Yup. I should have my head checked, right?"
Rhett wasn't stupid enough to confirm that statement, but yeah, that was not a bad idea. Who the fuck would run a course like that? For fun. Hell, he could never survive one himself. "What obstacles?"
Calix shrugged. "Can be a lot of different things. Crawling through the mud under barbed wire, climbing low and high walls, free climbing a rope and having to hit a bell at the top, swimming, carrying sandbags or buckets with stones… They're endlessly creative in torturing us."
Rhett stared at Calix with open mouth as he casually listed the obstacles. "And you pay for that?"
Calix burst out laughing, and it took a minute before he could speak again. "I know. I'm certifiable by now."
"So you're suffering from…muscle pain?"
Calix lifted his right pant leg, revealing deep, red scratches. "That and a few battle wounds."
Rhett gasped. "What is that?"
"That is what happens when you descend a mountain too fast and lose your footing, then slide down into the bushes. I've got bruises and scratches all over my body."
Okay, Rhett had to agree. Calix was certifiable for willingly participating in such torture.
Calix held out his hands, showing Rhett his palms, which were covered in angry blisters. "To be honest, these are the most painful. I slipped down a rope, and even though I was wearing gloves, my hands still got hurt. I can barely hold a pencil."
God, Rhett couldn't even imagine. And those injuries didn't look like they would heal in a day either. "Those looks incredibly painful."
Calix sighed. "They are, but I can't complain too much. First of all, I did choose to run the race, even though I knew I hadn't trained enough, so that's on me. And second, I wasn't as careful yesterday as I should have been. I was rushing, and I paid the price. Lesson learned."
"And by lesson learned, I hope you mean you'll never run another Spartan race again?"
Calix grinned. "Nope. I love them way too much. It's hard to explain, but running those races is an incredible rush. It's conquering yourself, and there's nothing like it. Besides, I love the community, the atmosphere. The Spartan racers are wonderful and fun and always encouraging and supporting each other. You should look it up on YouTube sometime, especially the speech they give before a race. The first time I heard it, I got goose bumps all over."
"I will," Rhett said. No chance in hell he'd ever catch that particular bug, so no harm in watching the video, right? “But doesn’t your neck bother you with those obstacles?”
Calix nodded slowly. “Yeah, it does. But I started running these before the bombing, and after…I needed them. They were kind of a confirmation that I hadn’t lost everything. I can’t do the longer races anymore, like the Beast and the Ultrabeast. But I can push through the pain for a Sprint or a Super. The good news is this was the last race of the season, so I won't run another one till April. Anyway, I have to get going. I need to grab some lunch before my next meeting." Calix studied his hands. "Though I'll be lucky if I don't drop it before I'm back in my office."
"I can carry it for you," Rhett offered. "I was having lunch anyway."
Calix furrowed his brows. "Are you sure? My office would be out of your way if you were headed toward Levar's."
"No, he has an appointment, so I was going back to my office."
"Please don't tell me you planned on eating lunch by yourself in that pathetic little broom closet."
Rhett chuckled at that accurate description. "Sadly, yes."
"Well, that's easy, then. We'll order lunch, you can carry it, and then we'll eat together in my room. Problem solved for you and me, so a classic case of a win-win scenario."
Calix's tone left no room to argue, even if Rhett would've wanted to. Not having to eat lunch by himself was enticing enough to say yes, but to spend it with Calix was even better. The man made him feel safe, which was about the highest praise Rhett could give someone. And he was nice to look at. Very nice.
"Deal."
Ten minutes later, they sat in Calix's office, enjoying a club turkey sandwich. "These are so good," Calix said with his mouth full, and Rhett smiled. He'd always considered Calix to be ultraprofessional, but lately, he'd seen more and more glimpses of the man underneath.
"I know. I'm always happy when they have these on the menu. They put something in their mayo I haven't been able to figure out."
"Do you like to cook?" Calix asked him.
Rhett shrugged. "Levar can't cook worth a damn, so if I wouldn't, we'd either be starving or eating out constantly. It's a good stress relief for me, I've found."
"I get that. That's running for me." Calix sighed. "I really need to be more serious about getting my runs in, at least every other day. I've been slacking lately, and besides paying the price for that yesterday, it's an excellent way to reduce my stress levels."
"I'd imagine your job comes with an incredible amount of stress, so yes, doing whatever you have to do to keep those levels tolerable seems smart."
Calix rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I know. It's one of those things I wholeheartedly support in theory but has proven to be a hell of a lot less easy in practice."
Rhett hesitated. Was it wise to bring this up? He stood a good chance of ruining the easy-going atmosphere, but he couldn't not say anything. "I've learned the hard way to prioritize self-care," he said softly. "It's the only way I'm able to function."
Calix met his gaze with understanding, soft and serious at the same time. "Then you're further along than I am. I suck at self-care."
Wow. Rhett hadn't expected Calix to be that honest about his shortcomings. Even more startling was that Rhett would never have guessed. Calix seemed like he was doing fine. Apparently, he was good at keeping up appearances.
He took a deep breath. "Grief is a funny thing. It always comes back. If you don't work through it but instead try to work around it, it will come back. Sooner or later, it'ill force you to face your emotions, and I've discovered that the longer I wait, the harder it is."