Adding a Dose of Wind to a Whirlwind
It had been a week and a half since he’d seen Catherine and the delay was making him cranky. Braedon was used to quick-paced, whirlwind sorts of romances and his romance with Catherine was off to a snail of a start. He’d sent her quite a few text messages since he’d last seen her, but her response hadn’t changed. Always too busy. Annoying.
He looked at the clock in his car and noted the time: 4:30 a.m. Time for a run in Catherine’s neighborhood. He climbed out of his car, which was parked in the parking lot of a gas station down the road from Catherine’s house, and stretched. His body felt achy, which was nothing new. The body of a man in his forties was much different than the body he’d relished in his youth. Yet he still looked good. Really good. He flexed his arm muscles and enjoyed the view. Eye candy.
Walking towards the sidewalk, he reflected on the last time he’d seen her. They’d spent their first night together and it was magical. She was beautiful, rich, and thin, which was everything he’d ever wanted. But she was also playing hard to get, which was more annoying to him than anything else. He wasn’t used to a challenge and didn’t feel he had the time to deal with one now. Women had always fawned over him, while Catherine was too busy for him.
Jogging down the road, he soon entered her neighborhood. He positioned himself by a tree just down the road from her driveway and waited. And watched. He stared at her front door and itched to see it open. Hopefully she was back from her business trip. He didn’t know for sure. Her text messages offered few clues.
About fifteen minutes later, the door opened. Catherine stepped out in what appeared to be a bright neon green jump suit. She ran down the driveway and turned down the walkway heading away from him.
“Perfect,” Braedon thought. “I can follow her from behind.” He jogged slowly behind her and searched for an opportunity in which he could bump into her in the least of obvious ways. Of course he didn’t want her to think he was stalking her. Far from it. He was merely injecting a bit of wind into what was supposed to be a whirlwind of a relationship.
She turned down a road and headed south and he followed her, maintaining a distance just far enough to be sure that she couldn’t hear his footsteps. He couldn’t hear hers. She moved ahead of him and passed by a couple of side roads before turning down the third. He turned down the first side road and sprinted to the next cross road. Then he turned right in an effort to catch up to her.
Success.
“Catherine, Wow. Fancy seeing you here,” he said with a puff of breath as he stopped in the walkway in front of her.
“Well, hello Braedon. Nice to see you. What brings you out here in this early morning hour?” She started jogging in place.
“Just thought I’d catch a jog. I don’t live far from here you know. I’m just east of Bay-to-Bay.
“Oh. That’s convenient.”
“Would you be comfortable with the idea of jogging together?” He asked.
“Sure, why not? So, how have you been?” She said as started jogging again. “C’mon, I gotta keep moving.” He jogged quickly to catch up to her and stay by her side.
“Good. Things have been slow at work so I’ve been able to catch up on some old business and finish a few projects around the house this past week. How about you?”
“Busier than ever. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch. Maybe we can see each other again for dinner soon.”
“I’d like that. How about Friday?”
“No, I can’t do Friday. Corporate dinner.”
“Saturday,” Braedon asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.
“Boy, I wish. Saturday is booked too. Maybe the following weekend.”
“How about a night during the week?”
“I can’t promise that. Things have been too busy at the office to plan a dinner.”
“Lunch?”
“Sure, maybe lunch.”
“When?”
“Braedon, I’m sorry. I don’t have my calendar on me and will need to check it. I’ll let you know. I’ll text you.”
“Okay, Catherine. I understand. I’d just like to move this relationship along. Seems like we’re lagging and that’s not my style.”
“Your style?”
“Well, you know.”
“Sure,” Catherine responded. “Well, I better head back home. Nice to see you again.” She turned around and headed back towards her house.
“Hmm. I hope I didn’t seem desperate,” he thought as he started feeling a bit regretful for going jogging at all.