Tomorrow I get to hug my best friend for the first time in too long.
I pack up my stuff for the night and head to the parking garage. I'm going to hit the gym on my way home today. I haven't been in a while and I'm craving the endorphins. I've been running on the beach in the morning, but I haven't worked on my upper body lately.
My arms start to burn after only a few minutes using the free weights. I switch to a machine, but the burn won't go away. I give up and head for the treadmill. I'm half-way through my two-mile run when I hear his voice as clear as day. He can't be more than five feet behind me. I trip over my own feet and almost go flying off the treadmill.
"Reagan. How are you?" I turn to find Will, shirtless and sweaty, suppressing a sexy grin. He saw me trip, he had to.
"Hey, Will. I'm good. How are you?" I try to act casual. I haven't seen him since Felicity and I left him and Frank-the-tool at the bar months ago.
"Good." The girl standing next to him nudges him in the side. "Sorry. Reagan this is Angela, my girlfriend. Angela, this is Reagan."
He doesn't attach a title to my name which is probably good. How would he describe me, anyway? The girl he attempted to date? The girl who left him standing in a bar?
"Hi," I say in her direction. She's glaring at me. I would act the same way if my boyfriend were staring at another woman that I didn't know. She needs to retract her claws, though. I'm not here to fight for him. "Well, you two have a nice night. I'm going to hit the showers."
I walk away from them without another word. That's turning into my MO these days. Words complicate things. I don't like complicated. I have enough things in my life that are complicated. I don't need to add anything else to the list.
The next morning I'm just about to leave the house for my run, when my phone rings. It's the ass-crack of dawn. I answer without looking to silence the ring. I don't want to wake Felicity.
"Hello?" Who in the hell is calling me?
"Would you like some company on your run this morning?" I recognize the voice but don't place it right away. "The fact that you're awake tells me that you still run the beach every morning."
Will. Why is he calling me? After running away from him and his girlfriend last night, he has no reason to call me. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Your girlfriend didn't seem too excited to meet me last night. I have a feeling she wouldn't like you running with me. Alone. On a beach. At six o'clock in the morning."
"She wouldn't like it, but it's not up to her."
"Why are you trying to cause problems for yourself?" And for me. I want to add that, but I keep it to myself.
"I'm not. I told her that I was going to try and get you back as a client. I need the extra work and since you’re still working hard, I thought we might be able to team up again."
Will was a fantastic personal trainer. I haven't replaced him because I haven't had time. I've been using everything he taught me, though. I still run the beach in the mornings. I've set up a workout space in the guest bedroom. I even purchased a few pieces of equipment. At first, it was to avoid going to the gym and running into him. After a while, it was more convenient to come home and work out on my own schedule. I had to move my equipment out to the garage so Elliot had a place to sleep or else I wouldn't have gone to the gym last night.
"I don't think that's such a great idea. I have things under control for now but thanks for the offer."
"I'm outside your back door. The least you could do for my efforts is let me run with you."
What? I walk into the living room and sure enough, Will is sitting in a chair on the back porch, grinning at me through the French doors. He waves and I hang up on him. He's not going to go away. When he stopped calling after I walked out on him, I thought he was a quitter. I was either wrong or he's changed his ways.
Unlocking the door, Will follows me with his eyes but he doesn't say anything. He knows the drill. We run. No talking. I close the door behind me and immediately start stretching. He mimics my actions, the routine we use to do together, as I put my foot on the railing and stretch my thighs and calves. This goes on for five minutes before I jump off the patio and onto the sand.
It's brisk this morning as the wind slaps me in the face. The sun is starting to rise and warm the air around me. My body warms about halfway to the turnaround point. I kick it up a notch, forcing myself to run faster. Will keeps stride with me.
When we first started to run together I struggled to keep up with him. Running on a treadmill is different than running in the sand. It takes strength to push yourself through the sand. There's resistance that you don't get when you're on a machine. I nearly broke down that first day, but Will wouldn't let me quit. He showed up the next morning and pulled me out of bed and onto the beach.
His persistence turned me on. I had high hopes for him. I'm glad it ended when it did. I could have let myself get attached to him. That wouldn't have turned out good for either of us.
Felicity is drinking her morning cup of coffee on the deck when we make it back to the house. I've asked her to run with me before but she refuses to do anything before she has coffee.
"Morning." She says as I plop down in the chair next to her and stretch out the best I can.
"Hey," I say between deep breaths.
"Will," Felicity says and nods in his direction.
"Good Morning, Felicity. Nice to see you again." I look up to find Will leaning against the railing, dripping sweat but breathing normally. Show off.
"What brings you to our part of the beach this early in the morning?" Damn it, Felicity. Why are you asking him questions that you know the answer to already?
"I thought I would be able to convince Reagan to work with me again, but she's a stubborn one."
"That doesn't explain why you're still here." I try to suppress it, but I can't. A small giggle escapes my lips when I see the look on Will's face. Felicity just put him in his place and he has no idea what to say. God, I love this girl.
"I guess I should be going then. Ladies, it was nice seeing you. Reagan." He waits for me to make eye contact before he continues. "If you have a change of heart, you know how to reach me."
I nod but don't respond. He takes that as his cue to leave and disappears around the side of the house. Felicity lets me catch my breath and grabs me a cup of coffee before she starts her inquisition.
"What was that all about?"
"I ran into him at the gym last night. He must have decided that I needed some help based on what he saw." Not a chance but I have no idea why he would show up here otherwise.
"Yeah. That must be it. You're getting fat." I don't miss the sarcastic tone she's taking with me. "Look, he was a nice guy. If you were to give him another chance, would it be the worst thing in the world?"
"He is a nice guy. His girlfriend also seems like she might be a nice person. I met her last night too."
"Oh!"
"Yeah. She was with him at the gym."
"That's kind of weird, right? He introduces you to his girlfriend and then shows up here."
"It is, but I'm not surprised. I have a knack for picking the wrong guys. He's already on that list, remember?"
We drink the rest of our coffee in silence, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline. Felicity will sit out here for hours if I don't get her moving. Today is the big day and I'm going to need her help getting everything ready. We have to go to the store this morning and start prepping food. Our guest of honor will be here about noon and everyone else will be arriving about four. Time to get our butts in gear.