Sunday mornings can be well greeted with cold dawn air breathed in. Theresa enjoys running in the park in the quiet time before New York is out and about.
The ever-present smudge of the red lighthouse rests by the water, unpopulated by children in this early hour. Fort Washington greets its regular runners with leaves on the ground from overnight.
Just as she's sat down to take a breath, Jake passes by her.
Jake?
"Jake!"
The brown-haired boy turns his head around. Uncannily similar, but not the same, the stranger smiles at her.
"I'm afraid you've called out the wrong brother."
"Oh, sorry, you just – I really thought it was him."
"Yeah, I get that quite a lot actually," his chuckle puts her at ease. "I'm Patrick, the cooler older brother."
A joker, like his sibling. She smiles up at the warm hand thrust at her. "I'm Theresa."
"Huh, Jake's yet to mention you to me."
Shit. Why does she never think before getting herself in these situations?
Fuck. What if she's a one-night stand his brother did not want to call back?
"I'm closer to his roommate actually."
"Stephan? He's an idiot that one, but then again, so is my brother."
"Well, I won't argue you on that point."
Is it weird she seems to get along so well with everything to do with Jake?
The walk back home has her aware that he is also an avid runner, a recent med school graduate – current intern – and most interestingly, that Jake is reeling from a bad break-up.
"Enjoy med school as long as you can. Intern life is fucking hell."
"Oh, Lord. Don't get me started." She grimaces, enough people have told her the same thing.
"Well, I have to get going. Hope to see you again Theresa, you seem like an excellent candidate to be friends with my brother. He needs better buddies."
She needs a better job if things continue this way.
↬ A U T H O R ' S N O T E ↫
as a further apology, a double update!
YOU ARE READING
Emotional Outlets | ✓
Short StoryIn which a hooker falls in love with her client's roommate. snippet: "She'd wanted to slap him. Right across that goddamn handsome face. But then again, he is right. Isn't he? She is actually a whore. Isn't she?"
