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Chase's POV

Gabriella's hazel eyes locked with my brown ones before blinking in recognition. The moment she realized who I was, she jumped up and got away from me as far as possible without actually running away. I hate that I made her feel that way, and I also hate that she is no longer pressed up against my body.

I didn't understand why that every time we touched, an actual spark happens between us, and THAT makes me want to touch her over and over again. I don't know what it is, but a part of me needs to feel it. It's all just ridiculous because I don't find her attractive and how she's adverting her eyes and biting her lip tells me she wants nothing to do with me either.

Which is fine, because this stupid desire to touch her is just that. Stupid.

"Chase? Gosh, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have been standing in the path like that. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you just then, did I? I'm so, so sorry. It will never happen again. God, I'm such an idiot." She took off her hat and ran her hands through her short curly hair and bit her lip and looked everywhere but at me. And I hated that.

Gabriella placed her hat back on and pulled the bill down low so I could no longer see her eyes.

"I, um, should go," she said, pointing over her shoulder. "I'm sorry again, Chase." She turned around as quickly as she could and started to power walk away from me.

I stood there watching her retreating back and before I could stop myself, my feet started to jog to catch up to her. "Gabriella, wait!" I grabbed her wrist to slow her down and again, that electric shock course throughout my veins.

I don't know what it is about her, but I wanted to never stop touching her skin if it made me feel like that all the time.

I dropped her wrist when she looked down at it and then back up at me with a question on her lips. "It's okay," I found myself saying, and then I stared as her fingers brushed over her wrist where my hand just was. "I should have watched where I was going, but instead I had my head down with my mind elsewhere and I'm sorry," I rushed through my words needing to get this over with as fast as possible because I itched to touch her again and that scared the fuck out of me. "Are you okay, though?"

Gabriella stopped walking at this point and looked down her body and brushed off some rocks that implanted in her knees when she fell. "I'm fine." She said with an indication that she was everything but fine, but I didn't press.

"Okay..." I didn't know what else to say. I was a loss at words when suddenly I remembered something. "Aren't you supposed to be at Infinity right now with Blaney?" I totally forgot the whole reason why I was running was to get away from that place and most of all, to get Josie out of my head.

Gabriella was a great distraction because she made me forget about all of my problems right now.

"Oh, um. Yeah..." she trailed off.

"You're not coming back, are you?"

"I don't want to talk about this with you." She said suddenly, and started to walk away from me.

Fine. Whatever. I don't care.

But you do care.

I glared at the devil sitting on my shoulder and ignored the truth.

"Gabriella, wait!" I jogged this time to catch up with her and I don't even know why I did. This is the second time she's walked away from me and here I am, running after her.

I don't run after women, especially ones that do nothing for me, but yet...

Fuck.

"Chase, just leave. I'm sure you have more important things to do." She took a swig of her water bottle and continued to power walk, faster than she did the other day at the gym and I have to give her credit for it.

"How long have you been walking?" I said instead.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because if you're not at Infinity, then we'll do your workout here." She stopped and gave me a disbelief look before laughing dryly.

"Um, no."

Gabriella quickly turned on her heal and starting going in the opposite way she was walking. "You can try to walk away from me, but you and I both know I'm going to catch up." She huffed, and as quickly as she was walking, she stopped and sat down in the grassy area near where we first bumped into each other.

"Why, Chase?" She said, looking out over the beautiful lake. The sun was high in the sky and there was a little breeze going. It was the perfect summer day. I watched as a boat zoomed by and a flock of geese flying ahead, like any of those things would give me an answer.

"I don't know," I said, settling on the truth. I silently sat down next to her, leaning back on my hands with my legs outstretched. She laid back then, closing her eyes and I couldn't help but stare at her. She was frustrated by my answer and I don't blame her.

Suddenly, she spoke, just a whisper above the breeze and my heart sank at her words, "you made me feel like shit, Chase. You have no idea how hard it was for me to even sign up for that program and then when I find out that Ryan wasn't the one training me, I had to run." She sighed, taking off her hat so she could rub her eyes. "Then you ran after me and I thought that maybe, just maybe this would work out. Boy was I wrong."

She sat up then, crossing her legs Indian style to look at me. "Do you know how hard it is for someone like me to be in the same room as someone who looks like you?" My brows knit together like she was insulting me, but she wasn't. "You looked at me like I was a helpless cause and then you continued to be on your high horse and strung me around the gym like I should know how to properly work on every equipment and especially know how to lift weights." She was silent for a second and I knew I shouldn't say anything, because what would I even say? I was a dick to her and she's calling me out on it.

"Then you told me to leave." She sighed, placing her head in her hands. "I was a helpless cause the moment I walked in and you confirmed that by ordering me to go." She looked up at me then, a lone tear streaming down her face.

I leaned over, wiping away her tear without realizing what I was doing. She gasped and just stared at me. Another one fell then, my palm cupping her face so my thumb can wipe it away. I hate that I was making her cry.

I hate all of this.

I'm better than the guy she's describing. My mom would be so ashamed of me if she knew I was treating someone who didn't look like me as trash. Because that's exactly what I did and when those thoughts first entered my mind, I did nothing to push them away. Fuck. 

When did I become THAT guy?

Finding my voice, I looked her straight in the eye, "I'm really sorry, Gabriella." More tears started to fall and this time I moved in closer, using both of my hands to wipe them away but she stopped me before I could.

"I don't want your pity, Chase. I already know I'm a failure and I don't need someone like you, to remind me of that." She stood up quickly and brushed off any grass that clung to her baggy jogging pants.

I hopped up after her. "Wait! Let me make it up to you." She stopped with her back towards me. "Come to your next appointment, that's all I ask." She didn't any anything, "I'm really sorry, I should have never treated you like that." This time, when Gabriella walked away from me, I let her.