Having no time to prepare, I focus on my goal. Catching the woman in front of me.
With the gym’s location on the edge of Jackson, we back up to the foothills, where there isn’t any snow on the ground yet. Which means there is the perfect running trail, the first part mostly uphill, that Scott fucking loves making us run.
Says it builds character.
I think he just likes seeing us in pain.
What an asshole.
I close the distance easily with Audrey and try to slow her down to a more reasonable pace.
“Leg’s feeling better?”
She doesn’t look at me, keeping her vision laser-focused on the trail ahead.
“Much.”
“Did you ice it?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. What a conversationalist you are.”
This draws her to an immediate stop.
“We don’t have to have some big heart-to-heart. Casual is okay.”
Ouch. Okay.
“Sorry, I guess I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
I push past her, cutting her off at the fork in the trail.
“You don’t need to pout about it.”
“I’m not.” I totally am. It’d put Willow to shame. “I’m just trying to respect your wishes.”
“Logan, stop.”
Dark clouds have been moving in all day. With how cold it’s been, it seems the first big snowfall in town will be here at any moment.
“Look, I’m sorry. If you don’t want to talk, we can do this run and be done. I’ll even let you win so you don’t have to hang out with me at the gym.”
Her brows pull together, breath leaving her chest in big puffs.
“Did you ever think about how hard this is for me?”
“What?”
“Logan, I loved you and out of the blue you ended this. I was devastated. Did you stop to think that maybe,just maybe, being here and being around you is hard for me?”
I kick a rock in the dirt. “Of course I’ve thought about it.”
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that you’re here. Fine. I knew it was a possibility. I’m just trying to get through this with my heart in one piece.”
This really isn’t the time to have it out. But she’s right. It’s not fair to her to keep trying to get her attention when she wants nothing to do with me.
“Okay.”
