Coincidental Couple

Chapter X: Unlucky

Chapter X: Unlucky

It was blistering hot to be a Thursday afternoon in mid-autumn. Even with the air conditioner on high in the building, the sunlight penetrated the windows and heated the office. The nearby skyscrapers reflected the sun and blinded me from every corner in my office. And to make things worse, the day happened to drag endlessly on for what seemed like forever. The afternoon seemed so far away and the weekend even further.

As I put on my running shorts, my favorite pink neon running top and a faded white tee, Sierra knocked on my door.

“Hey Elle, I’m not going today, it’s too hot. Ken and I are going out for some ice cream and probably head to the park and sit under a tree for a while.” She sounded apologetic and I believed her.

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t be long.” I gave her a thumbs up and slipped my tennis shoes on and my iPod earplugs in and opted to take the stairs down, as my warm up.

To my surprise, I found the good looking man finishing his stretches. I wasn’t expecting his presence since it was very earlier in the afternoon. He had already done his jogs for the week. He appeared very tense and didn’t look over to me, which was something unusual in him.

Instead of following him, I sat on a bench to stretch a bit longer and saw Ken and Sierra, both with an ice cream cone in hand and linked each other’s arms sweetly. They were walking along the sidewalk, contemplating the beautiful but hot day. Despite the scorching heat, the park was crowded and that certainly wasn’t usual either. I had a bad feeling about starting my jog, but I ignored it and went ahead and got started.

About mid run, I was concentrated on ignoring the blistering temperatures, but I felt a bit dizzy. It was probably my blood pressure dropping but I didn’t want to give it much thought. For some odd reason, I happened to glance over my right shoulder and saw the man hovering over his knees, most likely regaining his breath.

I was still glancing over my shoulder, when I heard Sierra shout my name behind me. “Elline, look out!” Too late.

One second I was staring at the man and the next second I was flying in midair and landed on my back, staring directly at the blinding sun. I yanked the headphones out of my ears and threw them aside. I felt very lightheaded, but it wasn’t long before a crowd of people were hovering over me. Of course Ken and Sierra were next to me within seconds, but other people surrounded me, and among the crowd was the good looking man.

“People, step aside. Give her some space.” He ordered politely.

“Elline.” Sierra scolded, rolling her eyes. I knew exactly why she was reprimanding me. She caught me.

“Don’t say it.” I mumbled. My eyes began to flutter but I tried to concentrate on Sierra so I wouldn’t black out.

“Someone life her feet up, she looks faint.” The blonde man ordered. Ken was kind enough to help, but I flinched when he touched my left ankle.

“Don’t touch it!” I weakly cried.

The handsome man looked over at me and then leaned over to examine my ankle. I saw him look over at Sierra and back at me again.

“Miss, your foot is getting swollen. It’s best we get you to a clinic to check your vital signs and keep an eye on your ankle. It looks like you sprained it, but we better not jump to conclusions.” He glanced at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Elle, can you sit up?” Sierra asked me. I covered my face with my forearm and bit my lip.

“Maybe I can carry her to a bench while we wait for an ambulance to come.” Ken offered.