ADRIANA

 

She pulls at the old denim shorts that she had thrown on, almost unconsciously, feeling dangerously underdressed around him. “Grayson.” She breathes his name out before she pulls herself together. “What are you doing here?” She tilts her head taking in his running shorts and top plastered to his sweaty body. He looks sexy and masculine, and she feels herself clench her thighs together automatically.

 

“Adriana.” There it was, that damn musical way that he said her name. “I was just out running. What a coincidence seeing each other again, right?” He shifts his weight from one foot to another like he’s uncomfortable.

 

Adriana wonders to herself why he keeps sticking around if it’s so unpleasant for him to be in her vicinity. “Yeah, what a coincidence.” She sneaks a look at Willow who is being uncharacteristically silent, burying her face deeper and deeper into the menu. “After all these years living in Florida and never seeing you, I’ve run into you two days in a row.” She wants to slap herself on the forehead for stating the obvious.

 

Grayson looks at her and then focuses on something just behind her left shoulder. His insistence in not looking at her is starting to make her wonder if he has a problem with his eyesight or if he thinks she was hideous. “I’m sorry I had to leave last night; I had an early start.” He gestures towards a man on a bike on the other side of the street.

 

“Is that your coach?” Adriana nods towards the bald man who looks like he’d rather be anywhere but under the burning morning sun. That head must burn like a furnace under this sunshine. He could probably use some shade.” She waves at the man, and he makes his way over hurriedly, standing underneath the restaurant’s canopy, grateful to be out of the sun. Poor guy, he had just been waiting for an invitation.

 

“Thanks, I was starting to wonder if Grayson here was going to wait until he could cook his morning eggs on my head.” He rubs his reddening bare head.

 

“We should try that some time!” Grayson smiles at his coach, and it’s the first genuine smile that Adriana has seen from him. It conjures up memories that she has to stamp hard on to keep at bay.

 

“I know the feeling, my pale friend. I fry like a chip in this godforsaken place.” Willow gestures to her enormous hat and glasses in explanation.

 

“Why do you live in Miami if you don’t like the sun?” Grayson frowns at her as if she were an unknown species.

 

“I didn’t say I don’t like the sun; it’s the sun that doesn’t like me so much. We’re not all blessed with Adriana’s genes.” She casts a rueful eye at the tanned legs poking out of Adriana’s shorts, leading Grayson’s gaze towards them. He stares at them for a beat and licks his lips, a sensual gesture that Adriana can feel in her very core.

 

He shakes himself out of wherever his mind had gone and snaps his attention back to his coach so quickly that Adriana wonders if she had imagined the whole thing. “West, this is Adriana and Willow. Adriana and I went to high school together.”

 

She reaches out her small hand to shake West’s large one. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

 

“Sir, isn’t that what pretty young things call old men?” His eyes crinkle as he smiles jovially at her, and Adriana can’t help but smile right back. “Just call me West.”

 

“Alright, West.” Adriana beams brightly at him.

 

“Be careful who you bat those beautiful eyes at, Adriana, you’re likely to stop traffic.” West stares into her green eyes intensely, like they’re something he’s never seen before.

 

“Thank you.”  Automatically, she looks down at her sneaker-clad feet, embarrassed at the compliment. When she looks back up, she notices that a shadow has passed across Grayson’s face, like he’s mad about something. 

 

“You can let go of her hand now, West. She’ll probably be needing it back.” Grayson looks pointedly at the hand that West is still holding until his coach shrugs at Adriana and releases it.

 

Adriana tries to figure out what that was all about and sees that Willow is giving Grayson a similar look of curiosity.

 

“I guess we should get going.” His voice is gruff, as he motions towards West.

 

“Sure.” Adriana tries to ignore the feeling like she’s just been kicked in the stomach. “It was good to see you, Gray.” It’s the first time she has called him by his nickname, and she had said it more tenderly, more intimately than she had intended. But she couldn’t help it, it had reminded her of all those walks, of all the talks they had, the memory of his hand on her shoulder as he guided her home.

 

“You too, Adrie.” Her name is soft on his lips, and she feels her whole body warm at his words.

 

As he turns to go, West throws him a look that she can’t quite identify. “Ladies, it was a pleasure.” West nods to them both and fixes Adriana with a look. “Hope to see you again soon.”

 

As she watches Grayson start to walk away, she has to stop herself from taking a step towards him to say…Well, that was just it. What was she going to say? Even she didn’t know. All she knows is that thinking she might not see him again, that he might walk out of her life a second time, is more painful than she can put into words.

 

All these thoughts are circling around her mind, as Grayson comes to a stop and turns around to face her again. His brow is furrowed, like he’s frustrated or angry. She wonders if there’s ever a time when he doesn’t look like he’s conflicted about something. It’s that same look that he’d given her all those years ago, like he was fighting with himself about something.