(Excerpt of Across the Street, Romance for all Seasons #2. All rights reserved. Unedited and subject to change.)
Steven lowered his phone, gripping it with an iron fist as he slumped into the front porch couch. Well, shit, there when his whole reason why he was back in Seattle. The one that got away was gone for good, and being the gentleman his grandpa always told him to be, he took Cassidy’s message and said being friends was a-okay with him.
It was a bold-faced lie.
He bent forward, tightening his laces and making sure his shoes were up for the miles he was about to put on them. He needed a new pair, but it was still a few days before pay day.
It wasn’t exactly running weather, but Washington had put off its first snow for the the season and was sticking to its signature rain. Steven tugged on his hood, stood and shook out his knees, and took off down the sidewalk.
In, out, in, out… the mind-numbing would start soon, he knew it. His eyes caught a glimpse of one of the neighbor girls across the street, and he politely waved when she looked up from her book. Her brows twitched slightly and the smallest of smiles crossed her lips before she returned to her story. Steven focused once again on his breathing, taking the next turn off his street and past college row.
His grandpa had lived in the same house since he bought it in the fifties. Over the course of his life, Steven had witnessed oldies move out and young college kids move in. He’d wondered often when he was a teen if his parents had survived that crash if he’d be in Washington at all. From what his grandparents had told him, Mom had her sights on Alaska.
But if he’d lived there, he never would’ve met Cassidy. His gut lurched and his phone was a dead weight in his pocket. Guess it didn’t matter anyway—he’d lost her and she wasn’t ever coming back.
He shook his head and picked up the pace. In, out, in, out… He was supposed to be numb by now, but Cassidy’s face kept popping in and out of his head with each breath. She still wore those adorable glasses. Her hair was longer than it was when they’d dated, but still as naturally brown as it always had been. Cassidy wasn’t the type to dye her hair. She was more concerned over the next Marvel movie theory or too career focused to wonder what she’d look like as a blonde.
The last time he’d seen her, she had that angry flush in her cheeks that he longed to cure. Her parents—her divorced parents—had been fooling around in Cassidy’s bed, and she was a little more than peeved. He couldn’t blame her, even though a selfish part of him was thrilled that she called him to rescue her. He’d gone home that night walking on air, ready to make up for breaking up with her years ago.
He scoffed at his past self. What a pipe dream that turned out to be.
Water spattered up his legs as he slammed into a puddle. Sprinkles of rain soaked into his hood and mixed with the sweat collecting on his forehead. He looked up at the next street sign as he passed. Three miles. He was in the run three miles and he was still pining.
He turned his feet around, frustration rolling down his spine as he sprinted back home. Grandpa most likely was ready for bed, and his sister, Jemma, probably wanted help with the laundry.
The numbness came to his fingertips first, the cold crawling up his arms and finally to his brain a mile away from home. He grinned, soaking in the methodical beats of running. Right foot, left foot, in, out, crack in sidewalk, again… again… heart beat fast, faster, in, out…
As he turned onto his street, the neighbor looked up from her spot on the porch, her book perched neatly in her lap, a worn, oversized hoodie covering her torso and draped over light brown hair, the ends tinted with a turquoise blue. Her back straightened, and an awkward, yet determined smile appeared on her lips. She lifted a hand, her fingers trembling as she waved.
Steven half-grinned, taking in an easy breath. “Must be a good read,” he said, keeping his pace as he passed, but turning around to run backward across the street. A gorgeous shade of red splashed her cheeks, and she mumbled something unintelligible.
“Didn’t quite catch that,” he said with a laugh, stopping in the middle of the road. The rain picked up around them, and if she wanted any chance to be heard, she was going to have to shout. But by the way she curled into her faded blue hoodie, he doubted she was even capable of anything louder than a whisper.
She clacked her teeth together before gulping. Instead of shouting, she held the book near her face and gave it a thumbs up. A chuckle rose from Steven’s gut.
“Maybe I’ll borrow it sometime,” he called out through the rain. “Have a good night.”
She nodded, the red in her cheeks somehow even darker than before.
Gorgeous, he thought, then turned to his own porch. Jemma sat on the couch, pressing her lips together in amusement as he shook his hair out.
“Showing off for the girl across the street, I see.”
“Was not.”
She snorted, her breath blowing the dark bangs off her forehead. “Oh yeah… all guys go running in the rain past sorority houses all the time.” She deepened her voice. “I’m Steven. Look how muscular I am. Look at my pecs showing through my white shirt. Look how not out of breath I am.”
He wrinkled his nose and rang out the water from his hoodie t-shirt. Okay, maybe he was a bit nipply, but it wasn’t on purpose. No wonder that girl was as red as a tomato.
“What are you doing out here?” he said, slumping down and wiping water on her leg. She punched him and scooted away.
“Grandpa’s doing yoga in his underwear again. I love the man, but he needs to wear pants.”
The screen door creaked open and two excited Labrador pups tripped over their giant feet and mauled him.
“Hey guys, I know… I know… I’ll take you next time,” Steven said, rubbing the ears of his six month old labs. The chocolate one leapt in between him and Jemma and immediately nibbled on his ear. The white one who was a little on the small side still couldn’t quite get the jumping thing.
He would’ve taken them on his run, but it was a lot of scolding them and less running, and Steven had really needed to clear his head—even if it did take five miles for that to happen.
“I’m Steven,” Gemma imitated. “I’ve got two adorable puppies and six-pack abs.”
Steven shook his head. “No one’s even out there.”
Jemma sat forward and pointed straight across the street. “That girl hasn’t left the porch since you told her to have a good night.”
Steven’s gaze followed his sister’s finger, and through the thick rain he could make out her figure. She was back in her seat, knees curled up and book nestled on top of them. Her feet were covered in bright pink socks.
“You want to tell her you’re in love with someone else, or should I?” Jemma teased, but it dug deep in his chest, twisting and gutting him. “Don’t want to get her hopes up, right?”
Steven moved the chocolate lab from his lap and stood up. “Hey, will you keep an eye on them?” he said, trying to level his voice. “Batman likes to run off.”
Jemma tucked her hands under Robin who was still bouncing around her feet and cuddled with the pups. “Don’t take long. I’m not nearly as fast of a runner as you.”
Steven tried to smile—Jemma obviously wasn’t aware just how badly what she said hurt—and headed inside to shower. Grandpa was indeed sprawled out in the living room, donning only boxer shorts as he stretched into downward facing dog.
“Don’t take too long, son,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’m gonna need some hot water.”
“No problem, Grandpa.” Steven shut himself inside the bathroom and squeezed out of his wet clothes. His shorts thunked as they hit the tile, and he bent, digging out his phone.
His run was a bust; the second his phone was back in his hand, his fingers were already scrolling to Cassidy’s last message. His heart thudded thick and heavy as it sunk into the pit of his stomach.
You’re coming to Thanksgiving dinner this year, right? I have someone I want you to meet.
It was accompanied by a shining picture of his beautiful best friend, her smile bright and excited, her eyes lit unlike he’d ever seen. And next to her, looking just as joyous, was a man he’d never met before, but by the way he was kissing her cheek, he was someone he never wanted to.