Page 21 of Between Us

My dad chuckles easily. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Is that her chart?”

Adrian nods and hands it to my dad. He takes it, walking away as he begins reading the notes.

Instead of following, Adrian hesitates. I don’t move toward the chair a couple feet away, choosing to watch him back. When my fingers start tapping again, I bend my arm and hide the movement, rather than even attempting to stop it.

His expression is observant where I’m sure mine is confused. When I’m about to break the silence, he reluctantly asks, “You okay?”

Oh.

He definitely overheard part of our conversation then. “Yeah, I will be.”

I can tell he wants to push the subject, but he just motions his head in understanding and starts to turn toward the back. It’s on the tip of my tongue to stop him, to carry on our conversation a little bit longer. Even if the actual words are beyond me.

Chapter Ten

Adrian

Walkingoutofthegym’s locker room after my workout, I’m not paying attention as I slip my earbuds back in and click back into the podcast I was listening to. I’ve only recently started to get into them, since I don’t have as much time for TV and need something other than music to break up the silence at times.

Right as I’m about to slide my phone into my pocket, a shorter, lithe body bumps into my side and something clatters on the ground.

“Oh, fuck,” she murmurs, I think. I can’t hear her properly with my earbuds in. I’m still gathering my bearings when she steps back, and I pull out one of the earpieces. “Sorry.” It’s quiet, but this time I recognize the soft, raspy voice before I process the dark, messy bun that’s become familiar over the last few weeks.

“Do you think we’ll ever stop running into each other like this?” I tease. At the sound of my voice, her head snaps up, and she stares at me in surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t put it all together yet either.

“Adrian?” she gasps like I’m an alien, bending down to get her phone and water bottle. “What are you doing here?”

Letting my eyes do a quick once over—hoping I’m discreet but probably not. Knowing she mostly only uses the gym for the pool, I assume she also finished her workout, based on the outfit.

I take in her long, toned legs in the short tennis skirt. Underneath her unzipped ASU hoodie, she’s wearing a cropped tank top that leaves just a sliver of smooth, fair skin along her waist.

Yeah, she definitely has the body of a swimmer.

The only time I’ve seen Blake out of her scrubs was that first night at the grocery store, and truthfully, I didn’t even pay that much attention. I was too focused on the striking gray of her eyes and the soft blush that often makes an appearance.

She looks good in anything, I’d guess, but seeing her like this is different. Better, because it’s justBlakeand how she exists in the world. I’ve thought about what she might dress like, and I never really considered skirts. It adds a layer of quiet softness to her overall demeanor, which is similar to her personality.

I can’t help my cheeky grin as I say, “The same as most other people—working out.”

“Oh, right… duh.” She looks away and grimaces at herself. “I just meant I haven’t seen you atthisgym.”

Eyeing her, I notice she’s doing that nervous tick where she taps her thumb against each of her fingers. It starts with her index finger to her pinky and repeats.

Over the last month, I’ve only seen her do it a few times. Usually on the days she’s extra quiet and aloof, rather than her normally reserved yet sarcastic personality. So it’s clear those were bad days for her, though I don’t know what the reason behind them was.

I have a feeling this one has to do with the woman Lela and her cat. I haven’t met them yet, but Blake’s seemed down since I overheard her talking to Dr. Miller last week.

I know this client has a special place in Blake’s heart, but from what I’ve seen, shecaresa lot. Probably too much, which is why she’s always trying to make it seem like she’s cold and uninterested.

“It depends,” I shrug and slip my hands in the pockets of my sweats. “I like it better than the campus gym, but that’s more convenient sometimes.”

“Makes sense,” she nods still avoiding eye contact, but I don’t miss the sadness subtly etched into her features.

“You were leaving, right?” I ask, a thought suddenly brewing.

“Yeah, I am.” She starts to move around me. I take a step to the side, giving her more room to walk down the hallway, while I fall into sync with her. She gives me a curious glance but doesn’t say anything.

“Do you have plans tonight?”

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