Page 19 of See You at the Finish Line

We trudge back the way he came and make our way to the correct path. I was closer than I thought, but I don’t know if I would’ve found it without Adam. I send a prayer up to heaven, thanking the race gods for sending him to me. And apologizing for all the cursing and vows of never running again.

“How much time do we have left?” I ask, breaking the comfortable silence as Adam helps me up and over some large rocks. The rain stopped a while ago but the ground is still slick. He glances at his watch.

“We have about forty-five minutes. But we’re pretty close—we’ve got time. I was taking it slow on my wayhere so I wouldn’t miss you.”

“Will you get in trouble?”

“I don’t think so. Lucy said she wouldn’t tell anyone if I was back on time.”

“Lucy?” Is that a tiny little seed of jealousy I feel? It can’t be, I don’t know this man. Stupid race messing with my feelings.

Maybe he can see the ridiculous emotion on my face because he adds, “She’s the volunteer whose clipboard I snatched to erase my name from the checked-in list. And the one who said she’d give me two hours to get you.” A small smile plays at the corner of his lips.

The desert opens, rewarding us with the sight of the aid station ahead. Now that’s a gift I know any runner would love to receive. We pick up our pace, incentivized by the allure of fresh clothes, food, and shade. I would cry if it wouldn’t use up too much of my energy and hydration.

“What’s that smile for?” I ask as we approach.

He shrugs. “It’s for you.”

Is this man real? Like actually for real in real life? I mean, what a line. I pinch him.

“Ow!” He grabs the back of his arm and shoots me a dirty look, though that small smile is still there. “What was that for?”

“Just checking to make sure you’re real and I haven’t suffered brain damage or hit the point in the race where I start hallucinating.”

Our breathing picks up as we race against the clock to get back in time. The sun reaches its hottest point, the air thick with humidity, but we push through. I do not want to be the reason he gets disqualified.

“Did you hit your head?” he asks.

“No, why?”

“You said you’re worried about suffering brain damage.”

“That was a joke, Adam.”

“Okay, good. In that case ...” He pinches my arm.

“Ow!”

“Serves you right. First, if I was a figment of your imagination, the trick is to have someone else pinch you, not pinch the potential hallucination. And second, we’re nowhere near the point of delirium in this race yet.”

“Smartass.” I nudge him with my elbow and his smile grows.

We finally make it to the check-in point and call out our bib numbers.

“145!” I exclaim, rushing through.

“128,” Adam says, right on my heels. A cute blond woman comes over and starts fussing over Adam.

“Cutting it kinda close there. You only had fifteen minutes left!” she says as he leans over to brace his hands on his knees. I move closer, placing a hand on his back and patting him awkwardly. He whips his head towards me, that smile back on his mouth. Damn, I have to stop noticing his mouth. I turn my attention back to Lucy.

“Thank you for letting him come after me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t found me,” I say earnestly. Realizing this is probably too much touching for people who just met, I remove my hand from Adam’s back as he stands up.

Damn, the adrenaline of this race really is getting to me. I don’t normally go around touching people. When I step back, Adamdoesn’t let me go far. He leans into me, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

“You would’ve found your way.” I look up to find him staring at me with complete sincerity.

“Then why did you come back?” I say, brow raised.

---