Page 93 of Puck with Karma
Sweat runs down my face and my t-shirt is soaked. My brain is wired, but nothing registers. It is the weirdest feeling.
I step off the treadmill, filling all sorts of dizzy. I walk to where I left my water bottle when I first walked in here, then lean against the wall, my breath sounding labored in the quiet room.
As I look around, I realize that I’m not sure how long I’ve been down here for. I feel lost. The last week has been a blur, and I don’t know what to do with myself. All I think about is Abigail Bennett.
I chug down the bottle of water, not stopping until I drank it to the last drop. It is a welcome distraction if only for a few seconds.
The security sensor on the door to the gym beeps, signaling a visitor.
“Hey, man,” Noah waltzes into the room. “Why didn’t you say you’re coming down? I would’ve worked out with you.”
I finish my water but don’t say anything.
“Did you run? I wanna run.” He walks toward the treadmills. “Or maybe I’ll go on the elliptical. Should I do the elliptical?”
My eyes drop to the treadmill I just vacated. I need to clean the handles. The memory of that first meeting with Abby crashes into me. I was on this same treadmill on that day. After an upsetting conversation with my father, I ripped the one handle off and made a complete mess.
“Or maybe I should…”
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” I snap at him. “Unless you need my blessing. You have it. There. Now shut up.”
Noah freezes in his spot where he is now standing in between a treadmill and an elliptical, still unsure of which one he should get on.
“How can you be in a bad mood already?” He shakes his head at me. “The day just started.”
“That’s none of your business.”
He takes a moment to assess me. He looks like he wants to say something, but then changes his mind. And then he changes it back again.
“Is it because you don’t want to be my friend?”
He sounds so young and innocent in this moment, I feel guilty. He also sounds… alone. I can relate to that one hundred percent.
“I didn’t know you wanted to be my friend, Noah.” It’s like I’m talking to a little kid.
He looks embarrassed now. Instead of answering, he turns around and gets on the elliptical. I guess he made his choice for cardio. I watch him for a bit, guilt and shame taking over. That’s unexpected.
I grab a towel and the bottle of cleaner, then walk over to the treadmill I just vacated. I spray the handles and wipe them clean, dragging it for as long as I can. When I realize that Noah is not willing to throw me another bone, I let out a long sigh.
“I don’t have any close friends on the team,” I tell him. His shoulders tense, but he doesn’t react in any other way. “I’d be honored if you wanted to be that for me. I could definitely use a friend,” I add after a moment of hesitation. This is so not in my wheel house at all.
I wait him out, but he still refuses to say a word. I guess it’s my turn to beg.
“This is where I met Abby for the first time.” It’s confession time. “I had just gotten off the phone with my father. I was angry.” That was when I realized that I didn’t want to deal withmy father any longer. “I turned around,” I motion toward the door, “and noticed someone taking a picture of me.”
I finally have his attention.
“She was taking pictures of you? For the press?”
“As it turns out,” I chuckle, “she was on a video call with her two best friends. It was her first day in the building, and she was giving them a tour. But I broke her phone before she could explain.”
“Did she get angry?”
I think on it. “Surprisingly no. Once I calmed down, I realized how cute she was. But, on the next day, I ran into her at the arena. I accused her of stalking me.”
I laugh as I remember the look of shock on her face when I called her out on it, but she stood up to me. She was so damn adorable.
“Do you really think she cheated on you?”
