Page 86 of Obsession

“What’s going to happen to the photos? I don’t want to turn up in …”

“Absolutely not,” he interrupted me, “they will only be used for the project and will not be published anywhere. I promise I’ll ask your permission if anyone asks.”

Goosebumps spread across my skin; I didn’t want to put my failed career attempt in the spotlight.

“Okay, it’s a deal then.”

He sighed, though he didn’t seem relieved.

“Thank you, Kath, you’re fantastic. And I’m sorry.”

I frowned; there was pain in his tone.

“For what?”

“For everything.”

He didn’t go into any more detail, but I understood what he was alluding to.

He then ended our conversation, and I sat back down on the bed and looked at my legs. I was wearing pajama shorts and tensed my muscles again.

I was so uninterested in my image, but I didn’t want his project to fail because of me. I knew what a real dancer should look like, especially a contemporary dancer, and I didn’t look like one anymore.

In a rush of adrenaline, I took off my pajamas, put on a tracksuit, shoved my headphones in my ears and went downstairs.

My dad was still standing in the kitchen with a plate in front of him, his nose buried in his phone.

“The omelet is…”

“I’m going for a run, I’ll eat afterwards. When do we have to be downtown for the preparations?”

“Any time, they’re there all day. I can wait for you.”

He seemed very pleased that I was active again, and I preferred not to tell him why. After drinking some water, I walked out of the house.

Without thinking about it, I chose a completely inappropriate playlist. I had no idea what commands my idiot brain was sending to my fingers, but it wasn’t the right time to listen to 2Scratch. I paused and mumbled to myself as I selected a playlist by Chase Atlantic, but their songs didn’t take me far from the demon’s vibe.Swimwas making a mockery of me with every line.

Until last week, I had loved this song. Now I began to imagine Harris’ deep, sultry voice whispering the lyrics to me.

I hadn’t warmed up before my run, and that was a bad idea, but I wanted to see what I was still capable of. I used to be able to run seven miles without stopping, and fast, but I also had a different body. Now I was panting after half a mile and my biggest fear was getting lost.

A few days ago, I was thinking about how Harris and Adam would get along, but it didn’t matter anymore. Harris had moved on from what had happened between us, and it was pretty clear he wanted nothing more to do with me.

I gritted my teeth and picked up the pace, running as fast as my feet could carry me and pouring my frustration into it.

Why the hell did that bother me so much? The fact that he was basically ignoring me after… what? Two days? It was true that I felt things during those days that I never felt in my eighteen years of life, but that didn’t mean I should have expected anything from him.

We had shared a kiss and a few touches. Judging by his reputation, he’d probably forgotten all about me by now, and I was the idiot who obsessively thought about him, whose body heated from top to bottom when I felt his eyes on me.

I started to pant and paused to catch my breath. Or rather because I felt like a fish out of water. I leaned down and rested my palms on my knees as my heart pounded hard in my chest. I could feel it roaring in my ears as my untrained muscles protested against the sudden surge of adrenaline.

Furious at the state I had gotten myself into, I started running again before I caught my breath. There was a park nearby, but I had no idea where, and I didn’t feel like stopping and using the GPS to find it, so I ran around the neighborhood. I was glad there weren’t many people on the sidewalk, and I didn’t have to worry about bumping into anyone.

I wasn’t paying attention to the route because my thoughts were constantly revolving around Harris, the photo shoot, and drugs. I had my mind full, which is why I didn’t notice that I’d ended up in the middle of the road.

My instincts were working because I was on the crosswalk, but the music in my ears blocked out the outside noise and I saw the approaching car a little too late.

Almost screaming, I jumped back at the last second as the car passed me.

---