Midnight Run

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kingston's allergies hit a few days before the half marathon, and despite the antihistamines he was popping like candy, he seriously considered skipping the race. But quitting didn't come easy to him, except where women were concerned, so he laced up his running shoes and headed down town for his seven thirty start time.

The last race he'd run back in Texas had involved powdered paint and blasting music, and it had felt more like a rave than a run. The crowd at the starting line for the half marathon was a lot more subdued, but a heightened sense of energy filled the air, and Kingston started to look forward to the run despite his sinuses.

Even though it was technically spring, the early morning air was still chilly, and Kingston wondered fleetingly if he'd ever get used to weather in New York. After admitting to his sister that he was thinking about leaving, he'd started to tentatively scope out the transfer situation at work, but things weren't looking good; his work at the New York office had been noticed by folks higher up the food chain than Mr. Fitz, and after a few innocent questions about locations and opportunities, Kingston got the impression that the bank would fight to keep him in New York.

There was something about the place, Kingston realized as he joined the crush of runners at his start time. It might not be the fairy tale of his youth, but when he ran down 42nd street and realized that the electric billboards surrounding Times Square were still flashing, even in the pre-dawn hours, he grinned broadly. This is what drew me here, he thought as he tried to keep his pace steady. The lights, the grit...there's nowhere quite like it.

The course looped through the city, and Kingston thought it just might be the best way to see New York; the streets, famous for their traffic and noise, were strangely silent with all the traffic blocked off. The only sounds Kingston could hear were the cheers from the spectators lining the course, the pounding of the feet surrounding him, and the beating of his own heart.

He tried to catch his breath, but it was hard to remember to breathe through the smile plastered on his face, and he noticed similar expressions on some of the other race participants. The streets still smelled like smoke and car exhaust, even without the traffic, but Kingston breathed it all in with a ridiculous grin. His feet pounded into the asphalt, and he imagined that he could feel the thrumming pulse of the city with every step he took.

Kingston had no idea how many people had run the half that morning, but he felt like he was connected to each and every person there; they'd all been witnesses to the surge of emotion he'd felt while he was running around Manhattan, and that intimacy made Kingston feel like all the other runners were his closest friends and family.

By the time he reached the finish line, he felt like his chest was about to burst open, but it wasn't strictly due to exertion. Despite his allergies, despite his wounded heart, despite everything, Kingston had fallen back in love that morning, and this time, he didn't think he'd be falling out any time soon.

This time, he'd fallen in love with the city.