Page 42 of Run To You
Sloane stands on tiptoes, fishing for the good honey on the top shelf. Her shorts ride up, revealing the bruise-purple mark on her thigh from when she tripped last week and refused to ice it, saying it built character.
She catches me staring and grins.
“You can’t blame me,” I declare. Which makes her do that thing where she reds up from her collar to her hairline.
We camp on the floor of her living room with our mugs, knees pressed together, and something in my ribs slides into place, like a puzzle piece I lost ages ago.
“I should give you a heads-up,” Sloane says, picking at a stray fuzz on my shorts. “Alex texted me. She plans to be at the next run and wants to meet up.”
I consider this, sipping my tea. “Will it be weird for you?”
“Maybe,” she admits, looking down. “We sort of lost touch after…you know. I didn’t think we’d be friends again.”
“Do you want to be friends?”
“Not like before,” she begins. “I’m happy with friends from a distance. Is that okay with you?”
I appreciate her asking, but I’m still not the type of person who will ever dictate who my partner can be friends with.
“That’s up to you, babe.”
Sloane’s breath hitches. “You called me, babe.”
“It feels right,” I say. “If you’re okay with it.”
She answers me by attacking my face. I’m a dopey mess by the time she pulls back.
“Are you sure about Alex?”
“I support you, Sloane. I’ve got no issues with her.”
Sloane flashes a smile so open and grateful it nearly floors me, and she leans her head on my shoulder, just like she used to when we were dating the first time around. I lace our fingers. She squeezes once, and then again, as if to convince herself I’m real and I’m not going anywhere.
We talk for hours. About whether running shoes actually matter, and how evil Bella was to throw my old faithful sneakers in the trash. Then we move on to whetherJenna will ever admit she likes someone and have the bollocks to bring them home. We fall asleep curled into each other on her couch, the TV tinting the room blue.
14
Sloane
As much as I wish I’d woken up next to Eden naked and sated, I have to admit I still feel really fucking good. She knows about my mistake with Alex and didn’t run for the hills. Now that everything is out in the open and we both know exactly where we stand with each other, I can start planning our dates.
Looking back, we never really had proper dates. Most of the time, we hung out in one of our rooms and watched a movie or went on a run. I mean, wewereteens with no money and then went off to college. Now though, we’re certified adults, and yes, I will need to take money from mytrust fund, but I can justify that. If it means Eden sees how serious I am about us, then that’s just how it will have to be.
Eden had to leave early this morning because she promised Pia she’d stop by her place for breakfast. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to stay just a little longer, but the space was probably sensible.
Our chat last night was a lot to process, and I want to give myself time to really sit with everything. Before therapy, I would allow strong feelings, whether they were negative or positive, to build up until I couldn’t handle them. With the help of Dr. Chen, I’m much better at dealing with emotions and feelings as they happen. It stops me from getting too full.
That’s how Dr. Chen described me. She said I was like a glass bottle left outside and my feelings were the rain. Every time it rained, the bottle filled up, but I waited until it was running over before emptying it. She described it better than me, which is why she’s the expert. The point is, I make sure I empty my bottle as soon as it stops raining.
Not having Eden here with me this morning also helps me think of other things in my life. Like Jenna. Until Eden mentioned she’d been MIA last night, I’d not noticed her absence because I’ve been hyperfocused on Eden. Iwon’t fall into the trap of being a crappy friend, so I gotta up my game.
I shoot Jenna a message asking if she’s free for lunch. I get a thumbs-up back, which makes me smile because no one under the age of forty uses that anymore, right? Eden does, but she’s a self-proclaimed old lady in a young body. Maybe the apple doesn’t fall as far from the tree as Jenna would like. I’ll need to mention that to her.
With a skip in my step, I tidy the apartment and continue to ignore the mountain of clothes piled up in my closet. If I shut the door…it doesn’t exist.
Mom and Dad are already lying by the pool when I walk over to the main house. Dad must have taken a day off, which means I get to spend some quality time with him.
“Morning, pumpkin,” he says, lifting his sunglasses into his hair.
