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Chapter 32: Match your Pace

Chapter 32: Match Your Pace

The bed is so comfy that I don't have it in me to leave it – I know it's going to be chilly the second I do. Content, I snuggle into Jay's chest, seeking warmth. Unfortunately, not long after, I feel his arm slowly leave my waist.

I sigh into my pillow, hearing him get up for his daily run. The room is still dark and the space beside me is now open; cool air hitting my body. I groan, summoning the inner strength to force myself to sit up.

"What time is it?" I eventually speak, lazily pulling myself into an upright position.

He looks my way in surprise while pulling a shirt and hoodie over his head. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

I shake my head. "You did but I was planning on joining you today in any case."

Suspicious, he narrows his eyes at me as if trying to solve a puzzle. Suddenly, concern sweeps across his face. "Babe, are you sick?"

He's by my side in a flash before I can even blink.

"No," I yawn and push him away with one hand, adding little to no effort.

He furrows his eyebrows, unbelieving of what he's seeing. "You understand that it's four in the morning, right?"

"I must love you a lot," is my only explanation.

I stall for a second longer before finally dragging myself out of the bed and into the icy weather.

Slobber lifts his head to look at me, as shocked as Jay, before releasing a guttural noise of disapproval. He puts his head back down and curls deeper into the fluffy blankets.

After brushing our teeth, I start changing into one of my many exercise outfits, opting with black running tights and a black nylon vest.

"You're going to run..." Jay pauses before pointing at himself, "with me?"

Why is this so hard to believe?!

"Yeah," I confirm while putting my hair up into a high ponytail, "and I'm going to match your pace too," I tell him cockily.

He raises his eyebrows, taken aback by the challenge. He leans against the wall and bites his bottom lip, suppressing a grin, clearly amused. "Oh, really?"

"Really. Exercise caution because I'm about to be running circles around you," I reply and push my arms through a purple sweatshirt, feeling his gaze on me.

He crosses his arms over his chest and smirks, rising to the challenge. "You talk a big game, Klutz. I just hope you can put your money where your mouth is, but I doubt you're even a real contender."

I bend down to put on my shoes, aware that he's tracking my every movement. "Ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will," I tie my laces, glancing up at him with fire in my eyes, "five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain," I stand up and walk past him, deliberately smacking my shoulder into him on the way out, "and a hundred percent reason to remember my name."

I just Fort-Minor-ed him.

He stays in place, stunned, taking a second to recover before chasing down the passage after me. "Doubt I'll ever forget your name." He grins teasingly, "That was so hot; I nearly needed a cold shower."

I grin to myself, proud. "Good."

*~*~*~**~*~*~*

I slam open the door and march into the room that Laiken has decided to inhabit for whoever knows how long. "Wake up, Lai-Lai!" I shout, startling him. "We're going on a run together."