Page 25 of The Change Up
I’m lost, shimming my shoulders and bopping my head to ‘Super Freaky Girl’ as I approach the halfway mark of mile three. Pushing myself, I continue to focus on clearing my mind and making sure I’m maintaining good form. I haven’t spared a glance at Cody since he came in. But my willpower is slipping, and I hope to take a quick glance, just one more image to get stuck in my brain of his bulging muscles.
But when my eyes flashed to him in the mirror, I found him already watching me. Our eyes meet, and an explosion sets off in my brain as his intense gaze sears straight into my soul. My breath hitches, and I feel my toes catch on the moving belt.
In one instance, I witness my life flash before my eyes and my inevitable collapse on the moving surface. Squeezing my eyes shut, I wait for impact.
Only impact doesn’t come.
Strong arms wrap across my waist. Cody grips my hip with one arm while his other hand grips the handle of the treadmill keeping me from a very painful fall.
Adjusting his stance, he brings both of us to a standing position, his grip never leaving my hip forcing our bodies to be pressed against each other. My breath comes in fast pants causing my sports bra-clad chest to brush up against him. He groans at our contact, but neither one of us moves away.
“Shit, Wildflower,” he says, concern lacing his voice.
Breathlessly, I stare up at him. “Thank you.”
He nods. The hand not clasping my hip moves to brush a spare piece of hair from my face. My heart stutters at the contact. Cody’s eyes move from mine as they run over my body, and suddenly I feel like I’m standing in front of him stripped bare. He’s looking for any injury, but there isn’t one. Thanks to him.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes finding mine.
With a small smile, I nod. “I am. How did you catch me so fast?”
“I don’t even know. I saw your foot catch on the belt, and I just knew what was coming next. I practically dove to make sure that you didn’t hurt yourself.”
My smile falls as the realization of what he just said hits me. “But you could’ve hurt yourself.”
“Would’ve been worth it.” That cocky smirk is back on his face, and it causes me to wobble a little.
I watch his eyes bounce from my eyes to my lips and back like he’s asking for permission. He must see something on my face because before I know it, his head is dropping, and his lips are awhisper from mine. Reality comes slamming back into me, and I push my hand to his chest.
“I need to go to bed,” I blurt the words out in a rush needing this moment to stop. Needing space from the one who seems to be everywhere all of a sudden.
A frustrated sigh escapes him and the hand gripping me releases my hip as he brings it to run through his hair. Slowly, he steps away from me, but his gaze never leaves mine.
“When are you going to forgive me?”
A frustrated laugh leaves my lips. “Forgive you?”
“Yeah, forgive me.”
“Maybe when you give me an explanation. Or hell, I’d even take an actual apology. How am I supposed to forgive you when you can’t even be honest with me?”
“Chloe…” He starts, but I’m quick to put my palm up interrupting him.
“Don’t, Cody. Look, I’m here to do a job just like you have a job to do on the field. Stop pretending like the two of us have anything to do with each other. Let’s leave the past in the past and move on. I don’t want to be here as much as you don’t want me here.”
Turning from him, I storm out of the gym. Suddenly, I’m ready to sleep and forget this night ever happened. Pushing through the door, I’m rounding the corner when I hear a frustrated curse come from behind me.
I don’t turn around.
And I don’t stop until I’m safely behind my door. A place where Cody can’t randomly show up.
I don’t bother to shower either. I just toss my phone and AirPods on my nightstand before crawling into bed.
I run my hand through my ponytail as I take in my reflection in the mirror. My eyes look tired. They’re bloodshot with blue bags underneath them. No amount of eye patches or concealer is going to make me look like a human today.
After last night’s run and gym debacle, I was able to fall asleep immediately, which surprised me. But it still wasn’t long before my alarm was going off.
Today the baseball team has a noon game, but there’s a lot that has to be done beforehand, and I’m on the same schedule as the team if I want a ride to the stadium. I could tell Coach I will catch an Uber, but this is my first game, and I need to make a good impression. I want to see the ins and outs that go into a game day.
