It was a totally refreshing sleep, from which Debbra woke up at 6 am, very excited. She had a peanut shake, an espresso, put on her training clothes, put on her sneakers and left, excited. She drove to the infallible playlist of Harry Styles' latest album, Harry's House. Debbra smiled, thinking that she had known his real home... She went to Hyde Park, happy, because she really missed training, she couldn't stay more than two, three days without running. Running had helped save his life at a very difficult time. It was the sport that she loved the most, and that she had started to practice late - after the age of 40. But it was worth every step, every kilometer. The well-being she felt after training was literally addictive, as was the habit of training absolutely alone.
She never minded if the course was crowded with other runners, as long as no one came close offering or asking for company. Debbra would run around listening to music, or podcasts that interested her. Or, sometimes, he would run without hearing anything but his own breathing and the impact of his feet hitting the ground. It was all she needed. Today she would run around listening to Brazilian music - Ed Motta, one of her favorite Brazilian singers, and who she had learned to admire along with so many others, due to the strong ties and having part of the family in Brazil.
It was quite cold, the day hadn't even cleared yet. But there was no wind or rain, which in London is something relatively rare. She felt the hot air coming out of her mouth condense and form a little smoke as she warmed up. A few brave ones passed by her, concentrated and alone. Occasionally, she would see pairs or small groups running and talking. He put on his playlist and the wonderful first chords of "Colombina" flooded his ears. She adjusted the headphones and fired her smartwatch to check the race data. And then she started off, happy, feeling the cold air on her face. She was wearing a black tracksuit composed of technological leggings, ultra comfortable and warm. T-shirt of the same material and a light jacket on top. She couldn't carry more clothes on, because running warmed her body quickly and she didn't want to carry clothes tied around her waist.
Debbra ran for pleasure. What he really liked was stretching longer and longer routes, not worrying too much about speed. She had her modest goals, she liked to evolve, but what enchanted her was running further and further and ending up less and less tired. Or rather, more and more in a good mood. And in those, she had already done half marathon training - 21 kilometers, cool.
Today she intended to run 10 kilometers, if nothing got in the way. And so she went, feeling the pleasure of her body gaining rhythm, the cold practically non-existent, the day clearing, the sound of winter birds, people arriving for a walk, some in work clothes. The elderly with their pets. People of various ages doing Yoga, Taichi Chuan. She loved it all. And it went on.
About 50 minutes later, when she was already on the last kilometer, a man pulled up to her, who got scared. Debbra looked away and took the phone out of one ear. A boy in a cap, shorts and sweatshirt smiled, under a hood. He had a tiny bandage on his forehead. It was Harry. "I'll take you to the finish line, lady," he said, matching her strides, which must have been really annoying because his legs were longer, he must have run much, much faster than she could. Debbra didn't stop, but just smiled and concentrated on finishing the course. "But what is this man doing here?, she wondered. "Did he at least come with security?", she thought.
Reaching the end of the drive, Debbra pulled into the parking lot where her car was parked and stopped. She checked her timing and parameters, released her legs, and rotated her feet to stretch. She was sweaty, feeling the endorphins animating her body. And I was intrigued too. Harry hadn't even been out of breath, as he had only run a short distance. He just stopped, and pulled up to her car. Patting the bodywork, he fired. "Hello Salvation SUV". "Hello, pretty lady. Good morning," he said, and reached over to kiss her on the cheek. "Good morning, oh, I'm sweaty, snotty," she said, kind of pulling away from the kiss a little, but not quite. "How did you know I would be here?" she asked. "You yourself told me that you like to run here. It was very specific, by the way", she said. "It wasn't difficult at all. Is everything okay?" he asked next.
YOU ARE READING
Immaculate
Fanfiction"Harry just wanted some solitude and privacy. He wanted to remember what it was like to feel 'normal'. But he ended up on the verge of death, in a distant and dangerous place. When all seemed lost, she came to his rescue. And it changed life itself...
