Dakota didn't know how to start a conversation with most of the meeting attendees, so when his eyes settled on a well-built man sitting in the back of the room, he felt some relief. The guy was bigger than Dakota - he was on his phone, and even simple flicks of his thumb sent ripples through his bulging arms - but Dakota worked out regularly and could strike up a conversation about that easily. He headed over to the guy, who happened to look up at him as he approached.
Dakota smiled. "As-salāmu ʿalaykum!"
The big guy blinked in surprise at the greeting. "Um, peace be upon you too," he said, extending his hand. "Abdul."
"Da-" Dakota caught himself as he gripped the man's hand. "Hussein."
"Hussein? Really?"
"My name for the MSA," Dakota explained. "I'm here as part of my Cultural Studies class and my professor wants us all to fit in."
"Funny," Abdul said. "Well, pleasure to meet you, Hussein."
"You too." Dakota shifted back and forth on his heels, trying to think of how to propel the conversation forward. A thought came to him. "You uh, you bodybuild?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it that exactly, but I do work out a lot, yeah, and I'm always trying to get bigger. You?"
"Yeah, I do too. Work out a lot I mean. Do you...how do you keep weight on during Ramadan?" Dakota scratched at his chest.
"Looking for tips?" Abdul smiled. "Um, well to be honest I don't lose weight quickly. I was always naturally kind of...husky, I guess. But I have alarms set for when we're allowed to eat, then I immediately have a protein shake just to warn my stomach I'm going to eat in a little bit. Then I space my meals out as much as I can and just shovel in the calories while I'm allowed. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night but that's kinda extreme. Have you ever celebrated Ramadan?"
"Yes," Dakota lied, not wanting to be awkward. "Yes, all my life."
"Wait so you're actually a Muslim?"
"Yes, I am a devout Muslim," Dakota nodded. He flexed his bicep casually and enjoyed how it strained against the knit of his sweater. "I am building my body for the glory of Allah."
"Well, whatever you're doing dude, it's working. I swear you've gotten bigger just standing here talking to me," Abdul said.
"Really?" Dakota looked down and noticed his sweater was skintight against his torso. His pecs made a solid shelf out in front of him, and stretched out the sweater so much that some of his chest hair was poking through the knit pattern. "I guess I have put on some good size lately."
"Yeah, you look great. Keep crushing it, brother." Abdul extended his fist for a bump. "I'm gonna go grab a drink of water, so I'll catch you in a bit."
"Ma'aasalaama," Dakota said.
"Ma'aasalaama, Hussein."
As Abdul walked away, Dakota couldn't help but smile over how well his first interaction had gone. Whatever he'd expected, it hadn't been as good as that. He could even see himself becoming actual friends with Abdul. The guy was cool and friendly and they had a lot in common. Not a lot of gym bros understood the struggles of Ramadan, Dakota thought as he puffed up his chest with pride. His mountainous pecs had gotten too big and solid for his sweater, and with a soft rip, they tore it open. But the tear was barely noticeable, because Dakota's chest hair filled the open space, making the sweater look like it just had a black V design in the middle. Dakota didn't notice his furry pecs were hanging out. He was too busy itching his cheek and wishing he'd remembered to shave his face before he came to the meeting. He couldn't see that the shadow creeping rapidly over his jaw was as black as his chest hair.