Finding Us (4 page)

I open the door to the apartment, kick off my shoes and make my way to my room. Summer wouldn’t be home for another two hours so I throw on a pair of running shorts, a sports bra and my running shoes. I grab my iPod from the kitchen table, tuck my key in on the side of my sports bra and shut the door on the way out.

I take the stairs down to the first floor, wave to Henry, the doorman, put my ear buds in and hit play before he opens the doors for me into the stifling summer heat. I turn the corner and take off in a sprint, needing to feel the burn in my lungs. Running in New York was scary as hell for me at first. I was afraid to wear my headphones because of all the traffic, but now that I’ve been doing it for the last few months it’s a piece of cake. One thing I’ll never get used to is the awful smell when running past the subway entrances, it smells like piss. I do love running past the hot dog, pretzel and peanut vendors on almost every corner. The smell of the fresh cut grass in central park reminds me of back home right after the landscapers mowed the lawn.

I decide to switch up my running pattern by going ten blocks straight, running the direction of the cars, and then cross the street and run the opposite directions of the cars. As I start picking up speed I get that tingling feeling like I did in the elevator. I slow down a little and glance over my shoulder, careful not to stumble. Sure enough, Knox is hot on my tail. I curse to myself and then pick up my speed a little, hoping to lose him. I stop at the cross-walk and wait for the light to change but this unfortunately gives Knox some time to catch up.

A few seconds later he’s running in place next to me and I think I melt into the pavement. His hair is wet and standing up all over the place. His shorts are hanging low on his hips and Knox’s shirtless body is dripping with sweat. I watch as a drop runs down his forehead, his face, his neck, his chest and then down the center of his delicious abs! I bite on my bottom lip, holding back a moan that is so very close to escaping my mouth. Both of Knox’s arms are covered in dark tattoos. The screeching of brakes and someone blowing their horn has Knox turning to see what’s going on. On the middle of his back are beautiful angel wings with a brightly colored heart placed in the middle and a ribbon wrapped around it with a date on it and he also has Koi fish covering both of his calves.

People all around us start to cross the street but my feet are rooted to the ground. Knox is checking me out much like I just did to him. He now knows about my hip and belly button piercings. He saw my rose and vine tattoos that start right under my sports bra and stretches all the way down my sides, stopping just below the hem of my shorts. And since he’s been following me he’s seen all the details of my butterfly wings taking up my entire back. The smile on Knox’s face feels about as intimate as a kiss to me right now. He licks his lips and gazes up at me.

“Are you following me?”

Knox wipes the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “Nope, I run all the time.”

He could be telling the truth, he did just get back into town.

I quickly look up and notice the light is now yellow. I swiftly look to make sure no cars are coming and take off across the street, needing to place some distance between Knox and myself. I get about three blocks away from where I left Knox standing and I can feel him closing the distance again. I try to speed up, my lungs protesting, legs shaking. I make it up the next block and turn right, slowing down just a bit. Knox catches up, hardly breathing hard when I feel like I’m going to pass out in this heat.

He strides up right next to me and smiles, “How many more blocks do we have?”

Barely able to breathe, I answer, “
I
have nine and when did this turn into a ‘we’?”

Knox just smirks at me.

Jerk.

I take a few deep breaths and take off again. I make the nine blocks in record time. I stop in front of my apartment building, hands on my hips, walking back and forth trying to slow my heart rate and Knox is doing the same.

Breathing heavily, he says, “See you in a few.” Then he turns and strides away in the same direction that we just came.

I don’t respond because he’s sadly mistaken if he thinks I’m still having dinner with him. I retrieve my key and ride the elevator back up to my floor since I’m exhausted and don’t think my legs will make it up the steps. I’ve made good time running today and I still have another half hour before Summer gets home. I walk into my room, grab a towel then head into the kitchen for a bottle of water. I go sit out on the balcony, knowing that the sun is now behind the taller buildings and I will not roast sitting outside.

Our balcony isn’t anything special since we are surrounded by high rise after high-rise but it’s still beautiful out here. I take a seat in one of the two chairs that we purchased. I’m mid sip of my water when I catch a glimpse of a shirtless guy directly across from me. I divert my eyes, not wanting to get caught gawking. After taking a sip I twist the cap back on the bottle and place it down on the ground beside my chair. I stand up and peek across from my balcony again. There, standing out on his patio, is none other than
Knox
.

Knox lives directly across from my apartment? More importantly, how come Summer never mentioned this to me?

I guess he was right when he said he would see me in a few.

Well played Knox, well played.

I invited Rex, Summer and Jasmine over for dinner so that I could really get to meet Jasmine, but she bailed. Summer claimed she had too much stuff going on that night.

Bullshit!

Our little dance at the club bothered her and if I’m being honest it affected me too. Surely it’s just a physical thing; she’s fucking hot and knows how to move her body.

I need to get close to her for my plan to work.

She’ll cave eventually.

The next few weeks fly by and we are coming up on Fourth of July weekend. Summer and Rex have been working me over, trying to get me to agree to go to Myrtle Beach. Rex and Knox own a house right on the beach. It sounds great; my only problem is...Knox is going to be there. I really would like to get out of the city. I just wish it didn’t involve Knox coming along. I’m trying to keep the distance between us but he’s making it hard.

My runs are now
our
runs, every day when I get off work he would somehow manage to find me. The only chance I didn’t have of seeing him was on Sundays when I tucked myself in the apartment all day. I don’t even sit out on the balcony anymore because I feel like he’s watching me.

Knox is still trying to convince me to go to dinner with him but at least now he’s coming up with more creative ways. He’s left notes on napkins, coffee cups, straw wrappers and he even tried to win me over with delivering chocolate covered strawberries one afternoon.

Why? Why is he messing with me? I know he’s harmless but doesn’t he have anything else to do? Why can’t he just leave me alone? He can have any girl, why me?

After work one afternoon I stand in the kitchen making myself a sandwich when I hear the front door open, “Hey Summer!” I yell over my shoulder.

She doesn’t respond.

I look over my shoulder to see what’s going on. Her face is tear stained and her eyes are all red and puffy. “Summer, what’s the matter?”

She takes a deep breath, “I just got…fired.” She whispers.

Shit!

Summer landed a job as a Marketing Assistant for a well-known fashion magazine here in New York within the first week we moved here. This job was a step towards her dream job.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask sympathetically.

She stares off into space, “No.” She gets up and walks into her bedroom.

I give her a few minutes to settle down before I head in, “When you’re ready to talk I’m here. Don’t worry about the bills until you get back on your feet, I have us covered.”

She kicks off her heels and sighs loudly, “Thanks Jas.”

I smile, “Of course.” I walk over to the only window in her bedroom and pull the blinds up. I glimpse across towards Knox’s apartment. It’s becoming a habit now. I don’t see him which means maybe he’s already out running without me.

“Why do you do that?” Summer asks.

I pull the blinds down again, “Do what?”

“Stare over at his balcony. I know you want nothing to do with him yet I find you doing little things all the time just to get a peek at what’s going on over there.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I think this heat is getting to you.” I say, deflecting her scrutiny.

“Which is exactly why we need to get out of the city Jas, please come with us?” She pleads.

I’m already regretting these thoughts running in my head. I know this isn’t going to end well for me but Summer is my best friend and I can tell she needs this break and she won’t go if I don’t because she’ll feel bad about leaving me behind. She’s already done so much for me when we were growing up and I feel like this is some kind of very small payback.

Sighing loudly I give in. “Fine.”

She bounces on her bed, landing on her stomach, “What?”

I glare at her, “You heard me, but…don’t force me to hang out with Knox. I want to soak up the rays on the beach. I’m looking a little pasty these days.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me to sit on her bed. “This is going to be amazing! Thank you, and I promise to be your buffer with Knox. I doubt you’ll even be seeing him, Rex said he runs a few clubs down there so I’m sure he’ll be busy.”

“I just want to go and have a good time.”

Summer picks at a piece of lint on her pants, “Remember that asshole boss of mine, Dave? The one who kept trying to get me to go on a date with him?”

“Yeah.”

Tears fill Summer’s eyes, “He went to HR and filed a harassment complaint about me. I was called into the big boss’ office this morning and they said they had to let me go. I tried to explain that they had the story backwards but he didn’t care. I’ve only been there for a few months and Dave has been there for years. Of course they are going to believe him.”

I reach over and grab Summer’s hand, “I’m sorry Summer. Things will work out, you’ll find something else.”

Summer lets go of my hand and wipes her tears away. “I know. It just sucks because I loved that job.”

Summer and I lie on our backs staring at the ceiling when my phone beeps. I lean towards her and grab my phone out of my back pocket. There is a text from a number I don’t recognize.

Unknown:
Don’t think you’ve gotten out of our run today.

Groaning, I drop it on the bed next to me.

“Everything ok?” Summer asks.

“Yup.”

“Liar.”

“Yup.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

We lay there for a little while before my phone beeps again. Summer looks over at me and a sly smile splays across her lips.

Annoyed, I ask her, “What?”

“Knox?”

Groaning, “Yes, how did he get my number? I know you didn’t do it and I’ve threatened Rex’s balls so I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t do it either.”

She sits up and crosses her legs, “You know he’s just messing with you right?”

“You could have fooled me. I think he’s stalking me.” I joke around.

“Jasmine, you know I adore you and I think you’re beautiful and amazing…”

I cut her off, “Stop buttering me up.”

She chuckles, “He can have
an
y girl he wants.”

I raise my eyebrows, trying to figure out where she is going with this. “Exactly, he’s pretty fucking hot. So my point is, why me? Why doesn’t he chase after someone who will give him the time of day?”

I watch her try to come up with an answer that would satisfy me. “You’re a challenge. Guys like Knox love a challenge.”

A challenge.

I don’t want to be anyone’s challenge.