Page 42 of Your Pace or Mine
“Darius, hi!” Chi waved when they spotted him.
Mark looked pointedly down at his watch, but Darius ignored him, offering no apology as he unlocked the gate and led them inside. Jamie brushed up against him, earning a raised eyebrow from Adam that they both acknowledged with a short nod before Jamie wound his fingers through Darius’s. And that was it, confirmation. Then it was time to train.
Claire bounced on her heels as Darius talked through the workout. They were finally going to give the much-anticipated Fartlek a go. Darius may or may not have said the name of the workout an extra few times just to watch Jamie have to repeatedly stifle his immature giggles.
As they went through their leg swings and stretches, Darius briefly outlined his recommendations for how they should manage the final few weeks of training before tapering.
Quietly, he added to Jamie, “How are you feeling today? Were you okay with taping your knee up on your own?”
“Yeah, I think I got it, looks okay, right?”
Darius glanced down at Jamie’s knee. The bright blue tape criss-crossed over his leg in the pattern Sebastien had demonstrated the day before.
“Looks good,” he agreed. “You should still take it easy, though, okay?”
The last thing Darius wanted was for Jamie’s injury to get worse. He understood now, what it would mean for Jamie’s career.
“Don’t worry about me, babe,” Jamie replied, placing a hand softly on Darius’s arm.
“Seriously, Jamie. I’m going to pick up the pace and get everyone going on the speed play, but you should keep a steady state for this session.”
Jamie looked disappointed, but he nodded his acquiescence as Darius waved everyone forward, starting their first interval.
They looped around the track, Darius setting the pace and the group following. Chat was sparse with the challenge of the speed training, and Darius kept his eyes trained on Jamie, whether watching carefully for any sign of pain or just in admiration, he couldn’t say.
After forty-five minutes, Darius brought the exercise to a close, leading the group in a stretch as Jamie completed his final lap. He joined them, face flushed from the chill and exertion and was greeted enthusiastically by Chi, Claire, and Adam. Even Mark offered him a slap on the back.
The cold was even more biting as they stood chatting, but they all seemed reluctant to disperse even after they’d donned their jackets and picked up their bags. There was talk of coffee, but Darius didn’t want to intrude. It was only when Claire explicitly asked if he’d join them that he realised they considered him part of this group now, too.
“I’ve got to pack up,” Darius replied. “I could meet you there?”
Claire nodded and agreed to text him the location when they found a spot.
“I’ll help you,” Jamie announced.
“I’m fine, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Jamie arched a brow at him.
Claire seemed to pick up on Jamie’s hint first. “Don’t rush on our account, boys.” She laughed as she ushered the others out the gate with whispers of giving Jamie and Darius some private time.
Suddenly, Darius was left alone with Jamie. They made quick work of gathering the coloured cones Darius had used as markers for the intervals and packed them away in Darius’s bag. As they walked together towards the exit, hands almost brushing, Darius felt acutely aware of every movement, of how if he shifted just a little to the left, he’d be touching Jamie.
“So,” Jamie started. “I had some ideas for getting our relationship out there.”
“Oh, of course.”
“I was thinking, if you’re up for it, we start small. Little hints worked with these guys, right?”
Darius found himself nodding along.
“And then, well, I did some research, and Anders is really involved with LGBTQ+ charities. So I thought, maybe, the centre I’m fundraising for would probably love the publicity, if that’s okay?”
“That sounds good.” It did. Nothing felt too daunting about any of those things.
Jamie shifted. “We should also probably talk about, erm, limits.”
“What do you mean?”
