Page 25 of The Exception

“There's two more minutes of warm up," she said. "Good luck, soldier.”

* * *

When the treadmill went up to twelve percent incline at eight miles per hour for the third time, Trav started to have boot camp flashbacks, reaffirming that Nurse Pope would've made a hell of a drill instructor. His t-shirt was drenched with sweat and his quads were burning like he’d been running for hours. It had only been thirty-five minutes. He was making it, but pretending that the workout was no big deal took a lot of energy, adding to his exhaustion.

He glanced over at Sonya out of the corner of his eye. She was still running like she didn't have a care in the world and it made him respect the shit out of her even more than he already did. Her brown skin glistened with sweat but she didn't look even close to as worn out as he felt. Every now and then, he'd notice her smiling or mouthing the words to whatever song she was listening to. Once, he'd caught her moving her arms like she was dancing and he'd been so distracted by it that he'd almost face-planted off the machine.

The treadmill slowed and leveled out, allowing him to ease his stride.

Thank Christ.If Mike found out about this, he'd never let it go. Out of the army for less than six months and he was getting his ass kicked by a treadmill and by the woman running next to him.

Both of them slowed to a jog and then a walk, giving him time to get himself together and to gulp down his entire bottle of water in one go. Every muscle in his body screamed at him and maybe the water would shut them up.

“Well?” she asked. Her breathy voice went straight to his dick. He tried to focus on her face but her cocky, satisfied smile made the situation worse. He was no better than the dude from earlier. He just needed to focus on maintaining the illusion that the workout hadn’t gotten the best of him.

He took a deep breath and shrugged. “Not bad. It reminded me of boot camp.”

That smile grew bright enough to light up her whole face, and if he’d felt rundown a second ago, that smile was enough to recharge him.

“One of these days you'll figure out that I'm right about most things.”

He laughed loud enough that people working out around them stopped and looked.

“Maybe I've already figured it out and I just like messing with you,” he teased.

A flash of humor crossed her face as she dismounted the treadmill. “So you’re a glutton for punishment, is that it?”

“Nah. That’s you with that damn workout.”

She handed him a few paper towels and laughed like she couldn’t help herself. He’d never get tired of hearing that sound and he was already thinking of ways to tease another one out of her as they wiped down their machines.

She lifted her gym bag onto her shoulder and the movement sent an odd twinge of disappointment through him. Sure, they’d only worked out together but it was the most fun he’d had in a while. The thought of it ending made him a little desperate to keep it going. Maybe she'd want to grab a post-workout smoothie or something? She seemed like the type who would enjoy a disgusting green concoction while explaining to him all the reasons why it was healthy.

Would it be weird to ask his preceptor to join him for a drink?

Of course not. There was nothing wrong with trying to be “work friends” with Nurse Pope. Hell, maybe it would even help them work better together. Or maybe he’d crash and burn like he had with asshole Elliot. If he didn’t at least try, he’d keep having no one to hang out with.

Stop being a weirdo and ask her.

He sucked in a breath of courage and ran his hands through his hair a few times, that nervous tic back in full force.

“Do you—”

She glanced down at her phone and frowned. “I have to get home. See you at work tomorrow?”

Swallowing his disappointment, he gave her a short nod. “I'm gonna to sleep like a rock tonight, so thanks for pushing me.”

She nudged his shoulder with her own. “Isn’t that my job, intern?”

He grinned. “It is. Have a good night.”

“You too, Trav.”

* * *

Sonya rushed through her apartment door just as her cell phone started ringing again. She hated feeling like she was about to walk a tightrope every time her father’s face lit up her phone screen, but she never knew how their weekly conversation would go. That was one of the reasons she’d escaped the gym so fast. No one needed to overhear any of that.

She prayed he was having a good day and this wasn’t one of the calls that left her sad and exhausted.

---