Page 45 of In the Long Run
‘You shouldn’t be.If he’s got half a clue, he’ll know he’s punching well above his weight with you.’
Another knock rumbles down the hall.‘Genny?’Brand calls through the door.
‘Now can I answer the door?Tell Brand right where to fuck off to?’
‘No.’I shake my head.‘I don’t want to deal with him right now.He’ll leave soon.He must’ve snuck into the building with someone else.’
‘Might be time to report him for stalking, Gen.’
I sigh.‘They won’t do anything.He’s Brand Bolton.’
‘Fancy a morning of bad TV on the couch?’Caleb asks, after a full minute has passed and it’s clear the last knock won’t be followed by another.
‘Nah.’I pat his arm.‘I want to get started on this stuff for the Annas.Show them how much of an asset I could be.This could be the big break I’ve been waiting for.’
And that’s what I do for the rest of the week.I meet with them for coffee to nut out exactly what they’re after, and offer to research different membership platforms, come up with a cost comparison and write a report with my recommendations.It’s extra work, but it keeps me busy.
It gives me the perspective that I need.
But I still dream of Knox each night.
18
KNOX
The week passes at a glacial pace.Each day feels longer than the one before, which gives me plenty of time to replay how badly I fucked things up with Gen.You’d think that as someone who’s spent a lot of their life feeling unwanted, I’d know how to make sure no one else ever feels that way.
Instead, I’d frozen.Become a human-shaped block of ice with a heartbeat and an overactive mind caught in the corridor of indecision.Stuck between what I wanted so badly and what I was too scared to admit.
I’ve been kicking myself all week, hoping she’ll reply to my texts or answer her door, but it’s not Gen’s responsibility to make me feel better about my mistake.That’s on me.
My text message asking if she’d like to walk over to run club together has gone unanswered, and I linger outside the front of the building for as long as I can without risking being late.A heavy fog hangs between the trees, making everything bleak and grey and mimicking my mood.Gen brings so much colour to my life – with her bright smile, her gentle laugh, the adorable innuendoes she always blames me for.The week without her has been miserable.
I trudge down the path towards the beach, trailing my hand over the rough trunks of the Norfolk pines that stand like sentinels.My breath appears in front of me and cold seeps into mybones.My thoughts are the only thing keeping me company on the fifteen-minute walk.
I can tell immediately that something’s different.A wariness hangs around the group, and my gut says it’s not because we’re going up to twenty-eight kilometres in distance today.
‘Hey.We have a problem,’ Gen says, not standing as close to me as she used to.Her tone is hushed, serious.Two other things I’d like to change today.
‘What’s up?’
‘There’s a reporter here.Anneke recognised him from a sports influencer thing she and her sisters did last year.Maybe he’s a runner, but …’
‘Why is that a problem?Isn’t this what we wanted?’
Gen pulls a pair of gloves out of the side pocket of her running tights and starts putting them on.‘Only if he’s going to say good things.’
‘Do you think he won’t?Which one is he?’I ask.
‘The guy in the red running jacket with the orange beanie.Over by the playground.He’s been asking people questions.’
I step closer to Gen, savouring the familiar orange blossom of her shampoo, even if this isn’t the conversation I want to be having with her.‘Questions like what?’
‘How long they’ve been running.What their opinion is on the new hook-up culture run clubs are becoming known for.If it’s ruining them.He’s not exactly subtle.Do you remember Pete?’
I nod.Pete’s run a marathon every year for the last twenty-five years.He’s also been quite vocal about how run clubs are supposed to be about running.
‘I caught the tail end of what sounded like a rant from him as I arrived.He said that if everything doesn’t calm down, he’s going to start his own run club.A lot of people were nodding.We might’ve pushed this too far.’
