Page 45 of Walk With Me
Eden snorts. “You need to lay off the coffee.”
“You don’t think it’s a little fairytale-ish?” I ask her. My hand snakes across her jean-clad thigh, causing her to jump and bash her knee on the underside of the table.
“It took us three years to admit we liked each other.”
Becca nods. “She’s not wrong, S. You were so dumb.”
Time to move the conversation on. “Eden, do you play video games?”
“Um, what?”
“Xbox, PlayStation?”
“Um, I have an iPad I use for sketching. Jenna has a Nintendo Switch. Why?”
“Just curious.”
The bell rings. Eden groans because now we have a double period of gym. “Alright, Bishop. Let’s do this. I’ve got one more surprise for you.”
“What was the first surprise?”
“The sneakers.”
Becca sighs. “You two are so cute together.”
She’s not wrong.
“Okay, what’s the second surprise?”
Eden hands me her phone and points to an app. “I found this on the NHS website. It’s the original Couch to 5k app. Pain in the arse to download. Had to change the location on my phone and everything.”
“Eden. This…this is great.”
“My mum told me I play things too safe sometimes. I don’t want to do that with you, or with this exercise crap.”
Chuckling, I stroke her face. “Maybe don’t call it crap.”
“One step at a time, love,” she replies with her gorgeous side grin.
“So how does it work?” Pia asks, grabbing the phone from my hand.
Eden looks at me for a beat longer before returning to our friends. “Basically, it’s a series of short workouts. Starting with a five-minute walk. Each lesson the time gets longer, and you have to alternate between walking and jogging. Eventually, you get to jogging the full 5k. Supposed to take ten weeks, which is five weeks ahead of schedule.”
That’s a lofty goal. But if Eden is going into this with enthusiasm, I’ll be right there with her.
“Yeah, but life happens, Eden. I’d give yourself a few more weeks as a backup.” Pia says, tapping the app and scrolling through. “Cool, you get to choose the person who narrates the lesson. I don’t know any of them. That’s lame.”
“What do you think?” Eden asks me quietly. “Is it a good idea?”
Taking her hand, I pull her up from the table. “It’s an amazing idea.”
We all head over to the gym locker room, where Eden proceeds to surprise me again. She pulls out a pair of gym pants and a different band tee than the one I know she’s wearing under her hoodie.
It’s not just me who’s noticed. Half the girls in the room are staring at her as she changes.
I, for one, am staring at my girlfriend because she ishot. Underneath her baggy layers is a taut, wiry frame. I’m a little sad when she puts a t-shirt back on. Then again, she takes off her skintight jeans next, so it’s not all bad. Her backside is covered in tight boi boxers. They have little unicorns on them.
Becca leans into me. “Damn, Sloane. Who knew she had all that going on underneath?”
