Darling

Chapter 2

At the crack of dawn, I rub the sleep from my eyes before starting my run to the gym. I hate exercise. Loathe it. But I force myself to do it anyway. It's really only fair that I get my body moving with all the takeout and booze I consume on a regular basis. Ever since moving to the city, I've committed myself to actually going to the gym I spend way too much money on every month. As much as I despise it, it's paid off. A year of training has made a significant improvement in my physicality. My muscles are more defined, and my confidence is better than it has ever been.

After a few blocks, the music thumping in my ears and my elevated heart rate energize me enough to rouse me awake to full consciousness. My run is brought to a stop at a crosswalk about halfway to my destination, and as I wait, I catch my breath, my hands on my hips, chest heaving. A pained expression is painted across my face as sweat begins to drip down my forehead.

I try to subdue my breathing when a woman around twice my age in a pantsuit strolls up beside me with a leather briefcase in hand. She has a prominent streak of white in her dark hair which compliments her sharp features. Her attention shifts from her phone to me when she stops.

I've become accustomed to people in the city ignoring everyone else around them- a significant change from my upbringing in the South. So, when this woman takes notice of me and smiles, I'm a bit taken aback. I know I must look like a hot mess right now with my sweaty flushed face and heavy breathing. I return her smile and promptly look down at my feet, not wanting such a beautiful woman like her to see me in a state like this.

I move a step away from her and use the bottom of my t-shirt to dry my face, the action exposing my midriff. When I finish, I notice her eyes wandering, a subtle smirk gracing her red lips. After a beat, she says something I can't quite make out over the music playing in my ears. I take my earbud out and take a small step closer to her.

"Huh?" I ask, still trying to catch my breath.

She chuckles before motioning to my abdomen with a nod.

"I like your tattoo," she says, her dark eyes eyeing me up and down once more.

I instinctively touch my abdomen in response. In my last year of college, I decided to get a moth tattooed on my stomach, a couple inches above my belly button. I've gotten a few more tattoos since then, mostly on my thighs and upper arms.

"Thank you," I say, still regulating my breath. "I like your hair. I'm Margot."

The light changes right as I finish my sentence. The mystery woman and I walk across the street together and stop at the sidewalk to continue our conversation.

"Thank you, Margot. I'm Roma. You're stunning, by the way." She adjusts her handbag on her shoulder before running her fingers through her hair.

Her compliment makes my smile grow wider. I look her over, my eyes drawn to the huge rock on her left hand. Roma takes notice of my observation and promptly folds her right hand over the other. She shakes her head.

"Oh, sorry. It's actually, uh- It's not what it looks like," she attempts to explain.

Her stuttered response makes me chuckle.

"It never is, is it?" I ask.

She laughs along with me. "My husband and I have an... understanding."

Usually, a situation like this wouldn't deter me. But I've grown tired of flings that never end up evolving into something more.

"Look, Roma," I start. "I really do appreciate your... advances." I take a deep breath and exhale while wiping the sweat from my brow, wondering how to put this lightly. "I'm just not really up for this kind of thing right now. I hope you understand."