Page 35 of Run To You
The air is chilly but charged with that festival energy. Rainbow flags everywhere, people in tutus, a suspicious number of middle-aged dads in crop tops.
Our team, Don’t Stop Retrievin’, takes its place near the back so Pia can stand with us a little longer. Sloane is in her element, doing dynamic stretches and gently coaching the rest of us through warm-ups. I’ll cop to checking out her arse while she did those stretches. Even Bella joins in the stretches—not ogling Sloane’s bum—a sight so rare that Becca documents it for posterity.
The emcee starts up on the mic and it’s go time. I do a couple of jumps to warm my leg muscles.
Pia takes out a tiny confetti cannon and aims it at the crowd.
“For luck,” she says, then detonates a cloud of neon paper that settles mainly in Sloane’s hair, making her look both ridiculous and beautiful.
The starter pistol goes off, and we run. I love the adrenaline surging through my body. We might not be running fast, but we’re all-in together. Perfect. At the first donut station, as promised, Bella cheers and veers off to claim her prize for participating.
At the halfway mark, though, Bella gets sugar-induced cramps and we all agree to walk for a bit, which is a perfect excuse to talk.
If I didn’t know my little hellion friend any better, I might think she planned it this way.
Sloane is glowing as we approach the three-kilometre marker. “Today is already better than I thought it would be,” she says with a big, beautiful smile.
“Did you think it would be a bad day?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I didn’t think I’d be here with you guys in the first place.”
I nudge her gently. “But you are here.”
She takes a deep breath, eyes suddenly shiny. “Yeah, I am.”
I can’t help myself. I pull her in for a sweaty, impromptu hug, right there in the crush of runners. She stiffens for a second, then melts against me, her arms tight around my waist.
Becca and Bella wolf-whistle, but I don’t care. It feels right.
We finish the race together. We left Bella and Becca behind, meaning we never got to call our chant. Pia will be pissed. I know I’ve not set a personal best, which is a little irritating, but overall, being here with Sloane and crossing the finish line together is better than any record I could set.
Pia makes us laugh when she shouts across the cheering crowd, “Team Don’t Stop Retrievin’, looking strong!”
Sloane and I high-five and then laugh. Half our team is nowhere to be found! Looking strong, my arse.
When we’ve finally reunited with Bella and Becca, we eat rainbow cupcakes and cheap bagels, pose for a team photo, and promise to do it all again next year. I believe we actually will.
When the day winds down, Sloane walks with me to my car. She hesitates, looking up at the sun as it bounces off the city windows.
“I had fun today,” she says, softly.
“Me too.”
“Maybe next time, we could…hang out, just us?”
Cue internal happy dance.
I’m momentarily speechless, then nod. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”
She leans in, quick as a flash, and presses a kiss to my cheek. “See you soon, Eden.”
I stand there for like a full minute, watching her walk away, before I remember how to move. I get in the car, turn up the radio, and head home, already smiling at the thought of next time.
My phone buzzes as I enter my apartment. A grin curls my lips as I see Sloane’s name on the notification.
Sloane
Thank you. For today. And for…you know. Everything.
