Page 18 of Knot So Fast
There's something about my mysterious gaming friend that makes me feel safe, even when we're separated by hundreds of miles and layers of digital anonymity. Something that makes me want to know more about the man behind the username, even though I know it's probably better that we keep our distance.
After all, the last time I let myself care about someone, it ended with me in a hospital bed with no memory of how I got there.
But some risks are worth taking.
Even if I can't remember why.
BLIND AS A BAT
~AUREN~
The morning airis crisp against my skin as Luke and I make our final lap around the running track, both of us pushing harder as we near the finish line.
Sweat drips down the sides of my face, mixing with the cool air to create a refreshing contrast that makes me feel more alive than I have in days.
"You may have that perfect slim build," Luke pants from just ahead of me, his longer stride giving him a slight advantage, "but I've got the higher endurance, princess. Just wait until we hit mile five."
I laugh breathlessly, staying right at his tail like a persistent shadow.
"Keep telling yourself that, pretty boy. We'll see who's still standing at the end."
The familiar burn in my lungs feels good—clean and honest in a way that virtual racing can never replicate. There's something about pushing my body to its physical limits that quiets the noise in my head, makes the world feel manageableagain. No virtual crashes, no phantom smells of burning flesh, just the simple rhythm of feet hitting pavement and heart pumping blood.
We're approaching the final stretch now, the makeshift finish line Luke drew in chalk still visible on the asphalt despite yesterday's light rain. This is where I always make my move, where that competitive fire that got me into so much trouble in my racing days flares back to life.
Without warning, I increase my speed dramatically, my legs finding that extra gear that I've been holding in reserve. Luke curses behind me as I surge past him, my ponytail whipping in the wind as I begin an all-out sprint toward the finish.
"Fucking hell, Auren!" I hear him picking up his pace, trying to catch up, but I'm already pulling away. "Where did that come from?"
I don't answer because I can't spare the breath, but inside I'm grinning like a maniac.
This is what I live for—that moment when skill and determination triumph over raw physical advantages. When being smaller and supposedly weaker doesn't matter because you want it more than anyone else.
I cross the makeshift finish line with arms raised in victory, letting out a squeal of delight as I fight to slow my feet from their sprint pace. My legs feel like jelly, but it's the good kind of exhaustion that comes from pushing yourself to the absolute limit.
Finally coming to a stop, I'm completely out of breath as I put my hands on my knees and start giggling like an evil maniac. The sound echoes across the empty track, wild and unhinged in a way that probably should concern me.
Luke crosses the line a few seconds later, immediately bending over to catch his breath. "Jesus Christ, Auren," he gasps between heavy breaths. "You're the perfect package in every way,but that laugh has got to go. You sound like a serial killer who just found her next victim."
"Shut the fuck up," I wheeze, still giggling despite trying to look offended. "My laugh is delightful and you know it."
"That sailor mouth of yours needs to go too," he adds with a grin, straightening up now that he's caught his breath. "What would your mother say if she could hear you talking like that?"
I arch an eyebrow at him, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "You wouldn't say that if we were in bed together."
Luke groans dramatically, throwing his head back toward the sky. "Don't even start with that. I already know you're a dominant psycho in bed, so please spare me the details."
I gasp in mock horror, clutching my chest like he's just delivered a mortal wound. "How the hell do you know that? I've never told you anything about my sex life!"
"Oh, remember that time you got shit-faced drunk?" Luke says with an evil grin that tells me I'm about to be thoroughly embarrassed. "Your love toy boy of a playboy dropped you home, but neither of you knew I was back from deployment because you thought I was still enlisted overseas."
My face starts turning red as the memory comes flooding back in horrifying detail.
"You practically fucked everywhere in the apartment except my room," he continues mercilessly. "Which, thankfully, you had enough saving grace not to defile, because there aren't enough Lysol wipes in the world to get rid of that sex smell from my limited edition collectibles."
I'm red as a tomato within seconds, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "First of all, I didn't even know you were home! Second, even drunk off my ass, I knew you'd fucking murder me if I got even a speck of dust on your precious collector editions!"
Luke rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "They're called Labubus, thank you very much. Show some respect."
