Spell Protected (ON HOLD)

Chapter 4

So that’s how things went for the next week. I would wake up, run, and come back home just like I’d done for the past two years, all without seeing him.

I had given up any thoughts about him and was finally able to run without distractions. That is until I saw him walking out of his house one morning wearing shorts and a muscle shirt. And by the way he was stretching I was sure he was getting ready to run.

I had passed his house and I could hear his footsteps behind me getting closer and closer. Not knowing what to do, I picked my speed up. But his footsteps kept getting closer until finally he passed me.

Relieved, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and began to slow down. I wasn’t going to risk being too close to him or he might get the wrong idea.

So for the next ten minutes I kept him about fifty feet ahead of me, never getting too close.

We were coming up to my half-way mark and I knew once I reached it I’d be safe. There would be no way he’d turn around at the same exact spot I did. He’d keep on running and I’d be running the opposite way. Perfect.

Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way. They like to screw with you to get some laughs out of it.

Exactly on my half-way mark he stopped, waited a couple seconds, and then turned around facing me. Completely stunned, I stopped. How the hell is it that he stopped at the exact same spot my half-way mark is at? You have got to be kidding me.

“Don’t look so freaked out. I’ve seen you get to this point and then turn around, so I figured this was your end-of-the-line place.” He spoke as if knowing my half-way mark was completely normal. Nope, nothing stalkerish about it at all.

“And before you ask, I was driving by one day when I saw you get to this point and then turn around.” He had now begun walking towards me, stopping when he stood directly in front of me. “Look, I wanted to apologize for the other day. It’s just when I saw you, you reminded me a lot of someone I used to know.”

“So you decided you’d give me a I-wanna-kill-you look? I take it you don’t like this ‘someone’? I’m sorry; you don’t have to answer that. That’s you’re business,” As curious as I was I did respect people’s privacy so I wasn’t going to push him into telling me.

“No, it’s okay. And no, it’s definitely not someone I like. ” As he said this, his face went hard as if remembering things from the past.

Was that just my imagination or did his eyes get darker all of a sudden? And as quick as it had appeared it disappeared.

Extending his arm out he said, “Ian.”

Reaching out to grab his, I responded with, “Sam,” before letting go of his hand. An awkward pause passed between us before I finally spoke up. “So what brings you jogging at this hour?”

“You,” Ian said matter-of-factly.

“Me? You woke up at this horrible hour just to see me?” I couldn’t help the redness seeping into my cheeks.

“As weird as that sounds, yes. I didn’t want you to hate me for that look I gave you that first day. So I decided I’d track you down and apologize.” As he said this he ran a hand through his hair, slightly making it messy. And Oh how it worked on him. I had to resist the urge to run my hand through it as well.

This guy. How could he have such an effect on me when I didn’t even know him? I kept asking myself this question over and over but with no answer.

I wasn’t going to show him I was intimidated by his lean muscles and drool over him like I know a million girls were gonna do once school started. Which reminded me…