7/3/18

Edited: 10/22/20

Same Time Tomorrow

I spent most of my free afternoons running through the park. Still, the idea of a jog as a first date sounded a bit odd to me. When Will suggested it, I paused, baffled.

"Afraid you can't keep up with me?" he teased with a glowing smile. He was leaning against the row of lockers at school, arms hanging loose at his sides with his head angled toward me. I noticed how the deep blue color of the lockers complimented his fair skin and pale blue eyes. My stomach did a little flip at his easy grin, but my temper flared at his challenge. I'd taken the bait, as he'd known I would. I was a bit of a hot head and he knew it.

"You're so on," I said, closing my locker and grabbing my bag from the floor. We walked out through the royal blue double doors at the front of the school, and Will followed me across the nearly empty parking lot. Many of our classmates had high-tailed it out of there seconds after the final bell. Not surprising, considering it was a Friday and the weather was nice. Will's big silver jeep was back inside, but he tailed me to the sidewalk.

He paused by the wire fence."So we're on for this weekend?"

I adjusted the strap on my shoulder. "I normally run Saturday afternoons through the park. Does that work for you?"

"Perfect." He tweaked the end of my ponytail. "See you then, Jasmine." As I watched him jog back towards his car, a smirk found its way to my face. Nice butt.

I started walking home. It was warm and slightly humid, and my bag weighed me down with all the work I had to do this weekend, but I was used to it. I wanted to study pre-med in school, so I was taking extra classes my senior year. It was partially why I loved running. It let me unleash all the pent up energy from having to cram all the time for exams. I was going to be busy this weekend, but I didn't mind sparing an hour to meet Will. I always ran, and the trail through the park wasn't long, less than two miles, and we were both avid runners.

I got home and immediately started on my homework. I wanted to kick back and relax tonight before my shift in the morning. That was another stress pool altogether. I waitressed at a diner down the street, and morning rush was always killer, but the tips made up for it. That was another reason I needed my runs in the afternoon. Frustration.

Surprisingly, my homework didn't consume my entire night, so I changed into cozy pajamas, ordered a pizza for myself, and lounged in bed to binge-watch Grey's Anatomy. Halfway through my third or fourth episode, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I begrudgingly paused the show and stretched to pick up my cell. My irritation melted away when I saw Will's name. I swiped and opened the text:

Meet me at the park entrance tomorrow around 4 p.m. Cool?

I smiled and typed a response.

Cool:)

I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

❈

The next morning was a nightmare. With two call outs, I had double the amount of tables than usual, and the chef on call wasn't nearly as good as the one who normally worked on the weekends. Needless to say, I was ready to run.

I met Will at the park entrance. He was wearing his jogging shorts and a fitted, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his muscles. The sight definitely helped my mood.

"Hey," he said, smiling as he handed me a water bottle. Despite the heat, there was an occasional breeze. His dark brown hair was ruffled and his cheeks were slightly wind kissed, making his dimples stand out even more. Was he always this cute?

"How long have you been here?" I asked as I took the proffered bottle. Condensation had already started to collect on the plastic, coating my fingers. I swiped my hand along the back of my neck to cool my skin. It was humid and, even though I only wore workout leggings and a tank top, I was already sweating just from the walk. "It's crazy hot out here," I said, uncapping the bottle.

"It's not too bad." Will shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but even he had started to sweat. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, then guzzled a few ounces of water. He gestured for me to follow him with a tilt of his head. "Come on, let's stretch."

My eyebrows puckered as I sipped my water. I never stretched before a run this short. I never needed it. The brisk walk from the diner was all I needed to warm my muscles and I was so ready to run. I couldn't wait to feel the wind against my face, especially because I was starting to get really hot.

Will glanced over his shoulder at me with a questioning look. I took a final sip of my water and followed as he led us to a small patch of grass where we set our stuff down. Runners didn't carry too much, but I did have my watch, which tracked my speed and calories, my car keys, and the water bottle.

After we spent a good five minutes stretching, he took the water bottle from me and walked quickly to his jeep. I snapped my watch into place on my wrist, stuck my car key into my GoKey bracelet, and looked up to see him jogging over.

"Ready?" he asked.

I wanted to scream HELL YES, but I simply nodded, and we started off at an easy run. The trail was man-made, a sort of habitation project for the local environmentalists. Two years ago, this was mostly concrete and fencing, but they'd transformed it. You were mere feet away from the city, with its busy streets and loud cars, and still, it was like you were miles away. The trees formed a canopy overhead, making you feel like you were cocooned in their silky foliage. The soft dirt and debris beneath my feet cushioned each stride, minimizing the impact to my knees. The world faded around me and I just ran.

For longer runs, I usually began with a light jog, then worked my way up to about an eight-minute mile before easing back down. I ran everyday, and could run a six-minute mile but, as this was a date, I figured I'd go easy on him. To my content, he set a good pace, and for the first half mile, I kept up with him easily. Soon, I ran a little faster, overtaking him just an inch or so. Despite my exertion, I smiled. I loved the feel of my muscles flexing to carry me across the cement. I loved the slight burn I got from running up the hills and the stretch as I really started to pick up speed. Will was right behind me the whole time. His posture and lack of heavy breathing told me he could have easily overtaken me, so I decided it was time to make him work for it. I jacked up my pace, and he jacked up his. I started sprinting, and so did he.

My breathing was becoming more labored, but I kept my pace just in front of Will. It was hotter than usual, so there were fewer people out, and I didn't have to worry about barreling into someone. The wind blew past me and whistled in my ears. I felt it chafe against my cheeks and knew that if I could see them, they would be flushed. I felt his presence and knew he was right behind me, and before I knew it, he was beside me and quickly gaining the lead. I huffed at the exertion and pushed my legs faster than before.

We reached the end, and he was still ahead of me by about a foot. I leaned over, bracing my palms on my knees, my chest heaving. Will was the same way, but he seemed to recover faster. I still had my head down when he spoke.

"You okay?" he asked sincerely.

"Sure. Just let me catch my breath," I huffed and started pacing to calm my heart rate. My hands on my hips, chest opened up, my breathing began to slow. Sweat trickled from my brow and down my neck, but I relished in it. I checked my watch to see my speed. Not my best, but not far from it either. I was focused on the numbers when Will spoke.

"Are you too tired, or can you go for a little hike?"

I threw him a puzzled look. "A hike where?"

"Just through the fence, up the hill." He pointed towards the break of trees behind him. The path ended, but you could see a small outlet. I looked sidelong at him, but he just smiled. "It'll be safe, I promise."

I pursed my lips. It was getting late, how safe could a hike be in the dark?

Will stepped closer. "I want to show you something. Please?" He looked so hopeful that I couldn't say no. We walked toward the outlet and shimmied through the twigs. The path was much more narrow than I thought, but it was manageable. Though some places, we had to crawl under low branches or fallen trees. Will took my hand to help me over a large trunk and kept it for the rest of the way.

"Almost there," he said. But I was too focused on his hand, warm around mine. Soon I heard the sound of running water, and when we emerged from the cover of the trees, my breath caught in my throat. Moss covered the ground on which we stood, climbing up the sides of the cliffs that surrounded us. A shimmering waterfall descended from the top, flowing into a gorgeous cobalt pool so dark it looked like melted obsidian. The setting sun shown just over the ridge behind us, shining over the waterfall and making it look like glittering diamonds falling into the water below. It was utterly breathtaking.

"You like it?" Will squeezed my hand. I'd forgotten he was holding it.

"It's beautiful." I turned to smile at him and he was staring at me. More like gazing. I felt a blush reddening my cheeks and hid it by looking at the waterfall.

Will gave my hand a slight tug. "Come on. It's getting late and we need the light to get back." Reluctantly, I followed him back the way we came. I could have stayed there all night.

"How did you find this place?" I asked.

Will still held my hand, but the path was only big enough for one body at a time, so he talked facing forward. "My dad and I used to hike all the time. We moved a lot when I was younger and that was what we did when he was home."

"When he was home?"

He paused before answering. "He was in the military. When he was on leave, we would hike every weekend."

The tension in the air suddenly got very thick, and we walked the rest of the way in silence. Once we were walking through the park, Will broke the awkwardness.

"I could go for some ice cream, how about you?"

"Sure, sounds great."

Just outside the park was a quaint little ice cream shop, and we started heading toward it, stopping by his car for a quick drink of water. We walked in, basking in the AC, and approached the counter. I chose cake batter with rainbow sprinkles on a cone, and Will chose rocky road. We walked outside, our treats melting in the summer heat. I quickly licked the sides of my ice cream where it was running down the side. Will laughed and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"How is it?" he asked, gesturing with his own cone.

"Delish!" I took a big bite of my ice cream and felt my mouth grow numb. "Oh," I laughed, swiping my tongue over my lips. "It made my lip numb."

Will didn't laugh. He just leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to mine. I let my eyes close and didn't open them until Will stepped back.

"Better?" he asked.

I met his gaze with a smile on my face. "Yea, better." I felt the blush on my cheeks and looked down. We walked towards our cars, finishing our ice cream on the way. Will walked me to my Ford Explorer, opening my door and letting me climb in. He left the door open and leaned against the side. I turned in my seat, letting my legs dangle outside of the car.

"Thanks for meeting me today," Will said.

"Thank you. I had a really nice time."

Will tweaked the end of my ponytail again. "I want to show you something else. Will you meet me here tomorrow?"

I hesitated. I wanted to say yes, but my studies were important to me, and I needed to focus on them.

"Please?" Will angled his head toward me, his lower lip slightly pouting out.

I bit my lip, but I couldn't keep from smiling at the look of hope on his face. "I'll meet you tomorrow."

He gave me a lopsided grin, and when he started to lean toward me, I hopped out of the car and pecked him on the lips, giggling at the look of surprise on his face. I jumped back in the car and he softly shut my door. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked.

"Same time tomorrow."

AN: Hey guys! So this is an idea I've had in my head for a long time now and it kept nagging at me to finish it. I finally did! It's not quite where I want it to be, but for now, I'm happy with it. Do let me know what you think! Right now, I'm keeping it as a one shot, but if enough of you express interest, I'll consider making it into a short story or something. Talk soon! Please read and review<3

-Nicole