Tripped By A Dog

Chapter 1

The hot California sun beat down on my sweat-clad skin as I ran. My ponytail bounced behind me as my brain jammed out to my running playlist on Spotify. This was an every day thing, rain or shine. Hot or cold. Running was my stress relief.

I took in the beauty around me, still learning where things were. After graduating from college this past June, I finally convinced my parents to let me move nearly 3,000 miles away from home. My older brothers weren't keen on the idea of me moving to California. Saying things like, "You won't last." Or, "Have fun struggling to pay for everything." As much as I loved my family, I ignored them. This was for me, not them. It was time to spread my wings and fly. Especially since I was two months away from my twenty-third birthday.

As I turned the corner of the sidewalk, I heard a dog barking happily. The barking reminded me of my dogs back home and how crazy they were. The barking seemed to get louder and closer as I continued my run. It wasn't until I felt myself fly forward. Landing directly on my stomach. "Willow! Get back here now! Are you alright ma'am?" I heard a British accent. The voice belonged to a man.

I began to sit up, my sports bra and shorts were covered with gravel. "I'm okay. Is your dog okay?" That's how I normally was. I would be the one to get injured but was more concerned about the other person. Or in this case, a dog. "Oh, Willow is fine. But you don't look okay." I hadn't looked up at the man yet so I looked at myself. My left knee was bleeding and my hands were scraped up from the pavement.

The man knelt down beside me. I finally had the chance and looked at him. My heart nearly stopped beating that very second, right then and there. There was absolutely no way this was real. This had to be a crazy dream. It couldn't be him, could it?