“Lizzy,” he warns me in a firm tone.
I laugh, then amend my statement. “I love you too, Bash.”
“Much better,” he says through kisses. “Now, what’s on the calendar for today?”
“It’s my second-to-last day of PTO. I go back to the zoo the day after tomorrow. I’m planning on just relaxing.” The thought of anything laborious rolls my stomach.
“How do you feel about going back?” he asks softly, concern lacing his words.
“It’s going to be weird. Even though Nik was only with me a couple of weeks, it was nice having a friend there with me.I’ll miss him,” I confess, finally able to speak of him without tearing up.
“You’re doing really well. It’s okay to be sad as long as you don’t let it consume you.”
I swallow hard, then promise him, “I won’t.”
When I nod, he starts picking up dirty dishes and washes them in the sink. I eye him, somehow finding the domestic act of washing dishes attractive when he does it. I slink over to him and wrap an arm around his waist.
“This is entirely selfish,” he tells me in a teasing tone.
I jab a finger into his side, causing him to jump. “Hoping if you help, you’ll be entitled to a muffin?”
He brightens at the suggestion, as though it’s plausible. We both know he’s going to get his fair share. “No, but that’s a good idea.”
“Then what’s your motivation?”
“I have a new game for us to try. The quicker the kitchen is cleaned, the sooner we can play.” He’s like a child on their birthday excited to use their new presents. But the competitive streak in me has me cleaning just as quickly as he is.
“You’re on.”
We spend the rest of the afternoon battling each other, caught up in our game of intellect. It’s the perfect way to get out of my head, and he knows it. He planned it perfectly. Just like he does for everything with me. My perfect man.
Chapter 47
Lizzy
“Come on, angel. We’re almost there.” Bash’s encouragement hasn’t ceased this entire race.
It’s something I didn’t realize I longed for until now, when I have it. Every race I’ve run before this has been on my own. No one by my side. Only relying on the cheers from strangers to get me to the finish line.
But this is my first marathon, and I have my loving boyfriend by my side, matching me stride for stride. Even when I’ve had to slow down or walk, he does the same, never making me feel bad about it.
Katerina and Dom ran the half marathon. They texted us a couple of hours ago that they finished which was cool of them. In the picture they sent, he looks more exhausted than she did. I wanted to laugh but can’t because I’m in the same condition as Dom was or maybe even worse.
They say mile eighteen is the hardest, and that may be the case, but mile twenty-four is unbearable. We’re so close that I can hear the cheering from others ahead, but my legs are cramping. My thighs are chafing and probably bleeding withall the cream having been sweated off. My toes are numb, and I know at least two toenails are no longer attached.
But I’ve never felt stronger.
With each heavy footfall pounding the pavement, I’m reinvigorated. With each pull of air into my frigid lungs, I’m made whole. The adrenaline and endorphins bring me to a high I’ve never felt before.
“Do you see that?” Bash’s winded voice brings me back to reality.
He’s pointing ahead at the pink, inflatable arch in the distance. The finish line. I’ve never wanted something so badly. Picking up my feet, I quicken my pace, ready to cross that line.
“Come on. Let’s do this,” I tell him excitedly.
He matches my strides once more, even pushing me a little harder. This is the fastest we’ve run all race, having saved the last of our energy for this moment. I want to leave it all on the course.
Spectators cheer from the sidelines holding signs I can’t make out at this pace. Their excitement only spurs me forward. I can’t make sense of them until I hear what I swear is my name. Then Bash’s.
