Page 10 of Running Into You
“That sounds like a solid plan. I haven’t started Christmas shopping yet.”
“It’s September.”
“Exactly. I’m two months behind.” I groan. She picks up my coat from the rack, holding it open for me by her front entrance.
“I look forward to hearing everything about Saturday,” she adds meaningfully. “Ev-er-y-thing.”
I roll my eyes at her as I shrug into my coat.
“Speaking of Saturday,” she stops me before I can leave. “It’s been a while since we cleaned up down there.” She makes a circular motion toward my crotch, a wicked gleam in her eye. “If you want to pop back on the table, it’ll only take me a minute.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me! See you Sunday!”
Chapter 6
Betty
The next time I see Josh is Thursday morning. I’m leaving for work and double-checking that I’ve bolted my door when he arrives on our floor from the stairwell, clearly back from some sort of workout. His Boston U tee clings to him in all the right places, and his face glistens. The look of exhilaration on his face makes me wonder if he’s just conquered a mountain. He certainly looks like he could, with those broad shoulders and muscular legs.
“Hey there, neighbor,” he says in a sultry tone that makes me feel hot and chilled at the same time. He’s smiling at me like he knows something he shouldn’t, and I pray that he didn’t just see me admiring how his legs look in those shorts.
“Morning! Cardio-Pilates in the park?” I tease, facing him head-on.
“That was yesterday. Today was just a run.” He uses one arm to pull his other arm across his chest in some sort of a stretch. I’ve seen the movement before, but I don’t know what it’s called or what muscle it stretches. What I do know is that his impressive biceps are testing the strength of the cotton T-shirt he’s wearing. “And you?” He takes in my pencil skirt and white collared button-down shirt, the smile still on his lips. “If you’re moonlighting as a flight attendant, you’ve forgotten your little silk scarf.”
“Did you know the reason flight attendants started wearing those was that the scarf could serve as a temporary bandage if a passenger got injured?” I have no idea where I read that random fact, just that it’s stayed with me for years.
“I love that you know that.” His smile turns me to liquid. He’s abandoned the arm stretch and is now doing the thing where he balances on one leg and grabs the other leg behind his back. I’ll call it a pirate stretch. Whatever it’s called, it draws my attention to his firm chest. I think about how it felt being pressed against it when we hugged on Monday.
“How are you settling in?” I ask, pulling my focus away from his impressive physique.
“Great. The boxes are mostly unpacked, and I’m slowly pulling the rooms together. I’m really happy with the apartment. I was worried the space was going to be too small, but it’s perfect.” He looks relaxed and happy, probably still riding the endorphin ride from his run. At least I’ve heard that’s a thing.
“Maybe you don’t take up as much room as you thought you did.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.” His tone stays the same, but the smile fades and his shoulders sag a bit. Shit, was that the wrong thing to say?
“I should be getting to work,” I say finally, but I stay firmly planted in front of my door. I don’t want to go yet.
“Yeah. I have to jump in the shower.” He starts to walk in the direction of his apartment, keeping his eyes on me.
“That’s actually super dangerous. You could slip and fall, and I won’t be there with my scarf to help you.”
“I promise to be careful.”
“Enjoy your shower, neighbor!”
“Enjoy your flight, Betty.”
I’m still smiling when I get to work, having spent my walk replaying the scene in the hallway. There was none of the awkwardness of our first encounter, though a few heated moments at least on my behalf. I can’t get over how much I’ve missed the clever back-and-forth of our conversations. If I’m honest, I’m disappointed in my younger self for depriving us of his friendship all these years. I know she was trying to protect her heart, but she robbed herself of so much happiness. Still, I can’t begrudge her too much. Even now, I remember the angst she felt over letting him go. But I can handle it now. I hope. I will probably always want him, seeing him all hot and sweaty in his workout gear made that perfectly clear. But I’ve learned the hard way that I am not the relationship type. I’m just so happy to have him back in my life, in whatever form I can get. And I’m back to thinking about his form again.
“Someone had a good night,” Sara calls from the kitchen and Andrew turns his full attention to me. She’s perched herself on the oak coffee table, her long legs dangling over the side while Andrew sits in the chair in front of her, looking at his phone. I usually hate when she does that. You shouldn’t put your ass on a common space that someone’s going to eat a Danish off. Still beaming from my conversation with Josh this morning, I don’t let it bother me.
“Morning guys.” I redden, but the smile never leaves my face. “Just woke up on the right side of the bed, I guess.”
“Who was on the other side?” She winks at me. Feeling playful, I stick out my tongue at her and continue down the hall to my office.
