Page 23 of The Rescue

Fuck, he’s cut.

A jolt of heat runs between my legs, and I bite down on my lip to control my impulses. What I would give to unwrap that towel from around his waist, and see what’s underneath. I bet I wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Sorry, I dinna mean to scare you. What are you doing up so early?” He runs a large hand through his wet blonde hair.

“I was going for a run before I started work for the day.”

I mean, it was hours before I had to start work, but I needed to let off some steam and a run is just what I needed. We stand there, both of us not knowing what to do or say next.

“I mean, I’m going to have run a hundred miles if you keep feeding me the way you do.” I joke in a self-deprecating way to break the awkward silence.

He steps in close to me, and I stop breathing.

“You’re allowed to enjoy food,mo beag. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of balance. Don’t put yourself down like that,” he bites his bottom lip.

I let out a shaky breath, because this man is something else. I try to keep my eyes from wandering over his godly body. He’s towering over, but in a good way. The rush from his sudden directness has me feeling weak at the knees.

“I-I’ve got to go, I’ll see you when I get back,” I stutter. I rush out the door before he can say bye to me.

The words ring loud in my head, I didn’t think he noticed my comments about my weight. I might seem confident to others, but I’ve always had low-self esteem when it comes to my body. Being from the south, I had the southern women in my family telling me you always need to look your best. My mama or meemaw were always on some low-carb diet or juicing fad.

The diet culture that my female elders projected onto me has unfortunately rubbed off on me. There’s always that self consciousness niggling away at me deep down. I’m trying to break old habits, and it’s taken me a long time to accept that it’s okay, not be perfect and put together all the time. That’s why I wear the short denim shorts, and heavier make up because it truly makes me happy.

I step out into the cold, crisp Scottish morning, and take in a deep breath. I start to run, away from the past, and away from the thoughts about what Rabbie just said. I start gaining some speed and momentum as I make my way through the town. It’s quiet at this time of morning, and I don’t see anyone as I make my way down the street towards the beach. The cold wind on my face is refreshing, and I push myself to run faster. My lungs are burning, and my legs are starting to ache. I stop when I get to the beach, and sit down on the sand to rest. With my frustration slightly suppressed, I have a moment to take it all in.

For a small town, it sure is surrounded by beautiful countryside. The beach is miles long, and stretches as far as the eye can see. Rolling green hills surround the rest of the town, making it look tiny. Castle Bogha’s ruins stand at the very top of the highest hill, people say it’s haunted if you believe in that folklore shit. If I didn’t like small towns, I’d go as far as to say it would be a nice place to live.

I can’t wait to get back to Boston, if I stay in places like this for too long it can feel suffocating. But Rabbie has been a good distraction from the mundane small town life. It would be a loteasier if he was fuck boy, then that way we could both have some fun before I go back to Boston. God, did I just run into him whilst he was practically naked?

I must’ve been sitting there for a while thinking about Rabbie, when Dylan startles me.

“How long have you been sitting here? I was shouting your name as I was walking towards you.”

“Not long,” I smiled up at her.

Dylan has a sceptical look on her face. I jump up and brush the sand from my leggings.

“Do you want to run or walk?” I hope she wants to walk.

I was pretty tired already from the first run, although it was a short run I haven’t exercised much since I left Boston, and the sleepless nights are finally catching up to me.

“We can walk, you look pretty tired. Are you doing okay?” Dylan looks at me with a slightly concerned face.

This is the reason why I love this girl so much, she knows me to a tee. Although she worries too much, she knows if I want to talk about something, I will. I don’t want to talk about what Rabbie just said to me, and I definitely don’t want to talk about my mama.

“Yeah I’m fine. Let’s walk.”

We start to walk along the beach, and I’m secretly grateful that we’re not running.

“So how was your first night at Rabbie’s?” Dylan asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

I know she wants all the details, but there’s nothing to tell.

“Yeah, it was nice. We had dinner and then went to bed,” I shrug.

“And what do you think of Edie?” She smirks.

Dylan knows I hate cats. But, I wasn’t going to give up my chance of staying at Rabbie’s because of a damn cat.

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