Midnight Run

Chapter Five

Carl was sprawled out on the couch when Nora got home, watching a reality show about robots, but he grinned as soon as he saw her.

"Lady, you owe me a date." He ran his hands carefully through his blue-tipped hair. "Let's go out!"

Nora shook her head. "I've got to get up early to run." She paused, considering. "I better enjoy it while I still can."

Her roommate sighed heavily. "Takeout again," he said, pulling out his phone and hitting speed dial. While he was on hold, he glanced at Nora. "What do you mean, while you still can?"

She told him about the job offer while he ordered. "I'm seriously thinking about it. I mean, a raise and a 401k? That's, like, a real job."

Carl nodded thoughtfully. "I'd go for it."

"But what about running? I was just thinking today that I might want to start training for the Half this spring."

"Why not run at night?"

She glared at him. "In Central Park? I'm not that stupid."

Carl rolled his eyes. "I'm sure there's a midnight runners' club around; why don't you look online?"

"I've never heard of anything like that," she said slowly. "Do people seriously run at night?"

"All the time. And hey, this is the city that never sleeps, right?" He joked.

Nora rolled her eyes. "How do you even know about something like this?"

Carl's smile slipped, and he started to fiddle with the gauge in his left ear. "Reggie was into running."

They hadn't really talked about Carl's breakup since he moved in, and Nora mentally kicked herself. "Oh." She'd known Carl and Reggie were serious enough to move in together in Philly, which is why their breakup combined with Carl's desire to get away had given Nora a new roommate, but Carl hadn't wanted to touch the subject the few times she'd asked, and after a couple of months, Nora had let it drop. At a loss, she gave him a quick hug, but he swatted her arms away and popped off the sofa.

"No sympathy, girl. I'm fine. But I bet you'll be able to have your cake and run it off too if you find a running group."

Nora considered it. "Maybe. I've never really trained with a group before; part of why I like running is being alone."

Carl shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but group sports always seemed like more fun to me, anyway. All those sweaty bodies getting physical together! And," he added slyly, "maybe you'll bring home a fine running buddy for me." He reached for her hand and gave her a clumsy twirl.

She laughed. "I'll do my best, but if they seriously run at midnight, I might be too tired to remember!"

Carl winked. "I'll leave you a note to remind you.

***

Carl's right, Nora thought as she skimmed the Meetup group for the New York Midnight Run. The group met every day, rain or shine, in Central Park. There were tons of smaller sub-groups, too; people training for a five k, a ten k, and even the upcoming half marathon. Bingo. Nora clicked on the group training for the half, and before she could talk herself out of it, sent in a request to join. The site asked for a user picture, and Nora uploaded a photo she'd snapped of her running shoes right after she bought the newest pair. She'd sprung for quality that time, and although it might have been silly, she couldn't resist the urge to take a picture of the neon stripes and tight laces.

She filled out her profile, keeping it short and sweet, and set her phone down on the nightstand. I'll tell Todd tomorrow, she thought, and she fell asleep with a smile, and this gives me an even better reason to call home on Sunday!