Actually, maybe I will stay.
I clear my throat once again, hoping that maybe she heard this time, then I slowly strut up to the machine on Bailey’s left side.
She catches me from the corner of her eye.
I flash her a smug look and wink.
The color drains from her face. She abruptly stops her jog and aggressively yanks the earbuds out of her ears. “Seriously?”
I rest my water bottle down in the small cup holder at the front of the treadmill. “Bailey,” I say, giving her a quick nod. Removing the AirPods from my pocket, I slowly place them in each ear.
“I’m done anyway. Don’t worry, you can have the gym all to yourself,” she snaps.
A fire sparks within me, knowing how much I get under her skin, and I revel in it. I tilt my head to the side and plaster a smirk on my face, making sure she’s aware of how much I’m loving her irritation right now.
“Bailey, it’s fine. I don’t mind if you stay.”
She draws her head back, rapidly blinking. “You don’t mind ifIstay?” she repeats in a condescending tone. “I lived here first. I’m staying, and I’ll allowyouto stay, Mason.”
I laugh.She’s always up for a fight.
“Look, if we’re going to be living in the same building, we might as well try to get along, right? I like to work out and apparently you do too.” I let my eyes scan the length of her. She notices and visibly shutters.Yes. I do affect her.“So, let’s just work on getting our own cardio in like normal people who are just keeping to themselves.”
Her eyes lower, and she pulls her lips to one side of her mouth, contemplating my proposition. “Fine,” she answers before picking up her pace again.
I begin walking as I scroll through my playlist. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bailey start to run at a faster speed. Her arms swinging back and forth at her sides, I can hear the faint sounds of her panting. I squeeze my eyes shut.
Maybe I can’t do this.
I quickly hit shuffle on my phone, trying to distract my dirty thoughts. Nineties alternative rock begins to blast through my ears. I add some incline and begin running at a similar pace as hers.
WhileEagle Eye Cherryplays as background music, I think about what she’s listening to. I bet Bailey’s a ‘90s girl. ProbablyAlanis Morissetteor maybe she’s an early 2000s emo—nah, definitely not into punk. Although, I wouldn’t put it past her to likeDashboard Confessional.
Alright, back to running.
Adrenaline is coursing through my veins as I pick up speed. After only a few minutes, I catch Bailey’s shoulders rapidly slicing through the air. She has significantly increased her speed, almost matching mine.
Oh, she wants to play.
I quickly escalate one more time while my eyes begin to get blurry from my pace. Arms swinging at my sides, I am at my full speed.
My chest rapidly moves up and down, trying to keep up with my labored breathing.
Bailey maintains a deadlock with me.
Sweat mists my forehead and the back of my neck. Unconsciously, my eyes come over my shoulder to the right, falling into her line of sight. The stray hairs from her ponytail are getting stuck to the sticky skin around her face.
She doesn’t break eye contact with me, continuing to run at this intense rate. Little does she know, I could do this a lot longer than she can, and it only takes another minute or two for her to figure it out.
Her arm darts out, and her fingers quickly adjust the machine, and she begins to slow.
Her breathing is heavy. Her large almond-shaped eyes shift away from me once she gets to a walking pace.
I slow as well, feeling confident that I have won this standoff but continue to run for a few more seconds, rubbing it in her face that I’m still going. Then I see her take a step off the side of the treadmill and onto the rubber mat of the gym floor. I quickly hit the red button, abruptly halting the machine. My legs almost give out, causing me to lose my balance when they’re forced to stop so suddenly.
I jerk my arm out, wrapping my fingers around the smooth skin of her forearm. My palm is met with the feelings of both moistness and warmth. The sensation sends a shockwave through my fingers, up my arm, and through the rest of my body. I blink a couple times to clear my foggy vision.
“Bailey?” Her name falls out of my mouth like a breathy explosion.
