Page 24 of Walking Red Flag

Me:

I have the most embarrassing story to tell you about the man that’s making my cabinets and me. Are we still on for our long run tomorrow?

Not everyone is going to think you’re amazing, gorgeous and magical. They’re wrong, though. Dickheads.

—Milena’s secret thoughts

MILENA

Me:

Hey, I’m running like two minutes late. I forgot where I put my shoes. Don’t start without me!

No response.

I didn’t waste time after sending the text.

Instead, I hurried out the door and to my car, heading to the front entrance of the lake where Hazel and I usually started our long run.

She hadn’t answered my text yesterday, but honestly, I hadn’t expected her to after I’d seen her social media story.

I’d happened to be stalking some random woman on Instagram and Facebook and had seen her story about being out with some girls from her office.

One of those girls was my girl. My best friend.

Hazel had been doing that a lot lately.

In fact, it’d been so long since we’d done anything more than run together that I was starting to get a complex.

Not to mention, any time I texted her, she either replied hours later, or didn’t reply at all.

I didn’t like the sick feeling it was leaving in my stomach, either.

Like our friendship was slipping through my fingers, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d lose it.

Feeling desperate now, I pulled out my phone when I got to a stoplight and texted again.

Me:

You know what’s always there for you? Carbs. They never let you down.

Still no response.

I stared at my phone, wondering what my best friend was doing.

On the way past Hazel’s place, I looked for her car in her driveway but I didn’t see it anywhere in the vicinity.

That was how we’d become such good friends.

We kept seeing each other on the trail that ran around the lake, and one day four years ago, we’d decided that since we were already running, we’d run together.

From there, a fast and easy friendship had formed.

I loved Hazel with all my heart and counted her as my very best friend.

Yet, as I waited for a solid thirty minutes for her with no response, I began to think maybe I wasn’t that to her anymore.

Stomach a little uneasy at the thought of Hazel not wanting to be around me anymore, I threw my running vest on over my shoulders and began loading it up with my running gels and electrolyte water.

---