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“Hey!” A man reached out and touched her arm.
“Ah!” She jumped and turned to face whoever had approached.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Evan held his palms up.
Kayla threw a hand over her racing heart and attempted to catch her breath. “You scared me half to death,” she fussed.
Evan dropped his hands and looked her over. “I’m sorry. Seriously, I had no idea I would scare you.”
Calming down now, she took her headphones off to talk to him. “It’s okay. I was just lost in my thoughts, I guess.”
“Noted. I thought I would join you for a run this morning. Jake was going to run, but he slept in this morning and I don’t want to wait until later to go.”
Kayla bit back a sigh. This wasn’t what she had in mind for today. “Sure. I’m headed for a long one, though, so feel free to bail at any time.”
“I think I can handle it.”
Kayla nodded and put her headphones back on. They’d see if he could handle it. Hopefully, he’d fall out and leave her to her thoughts, which were now guaranteed to be only on him.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, just not right now. She adjusted her headphones and turned the volume down a bit so she could better hear him if he spoke. Headphones worked best for her to run in. She’d tried the ones that just go in your ear, but they either hurt or would fall out.
Evan was one of few people who didn’t tease her about her choice there. It wasn’t ever mean from anyone, but it got old. She knew she was the exception to everyone else’s preferences.
He ran beside her, keeping pace with her without faltering, trying now and then to talk. Kayla kept her answers short without being rude.
“Damn, Kayla, how long are you planning to run today?” Evan huffed out.
She checked her watch to see how far she’d gone. Four miles—she’d push for an even five. “Another mile to go. You can fall out any time.” It wasn’t like she’d invited him.
Evan randomly ran with her on the weekends. He’d just show up and join her route, and she’d never cared until today. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and it was hard to focus now that he was there.
“Not a chance. You’re stuck with me,” Evan joked. “Breakfast after. My treat.”
Kayla nodded and tried, again, to focus on her run. She navigated people as she went past them and took in the green scenery around the paved path, looking anywhere but at Evan.
By the last mile, her mood had improved enough to agree to breakfast. It wasn’t like Evan knew he was interrupting the solitude she had wanted when any other time she would have greeted him excited that he wanted to join her.
She stopped and stretched near a bench by the exit of the park. “Where did you want to go?”
Evan huffed and attempted some stretching. “You weren’t kidding about a long one.”
“I did warn you,” she offered him a small smile.
“That you did,” he mumbled. “How about the coffee place?”
“Because there’s only one?” she joked. There were a million coffee places in the city, but she could guess which one he wanted to go to.
“You know which one.”
“Do you?” she teased back. Finished stretching, she took a seat on the bench.
Evan fell onto the bench next to her. “I know where it is,” he offered.
“It’s called Deja Brew.” She shook her head. It was a fun name, one she really liked and couldn’t have forgotten if she wanted to.
Evan nodded. “That one.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” She stood and then stuck her hand out to pull Evan up. “The walk will do your muscles some good.”
