Page 48 of Your Pace or Mine
Jax
And I told you the ballerina was into you.
Darius
He’s not a ballerina. He specialises in contemporary and hip hop.
Jax
Ohh, sorry, thought you’d at least tell me when you started seeing someone, though.
Even through text, Darius thought it seemed like Jax was vaguely hurt. He hadn’t intended to hurt his friend, obviously, but everything since selection day had happened so quickly, and they’d barely seen each other. Jackson was training full-time with Anders, and it felt like the gulf between them was growing now that they didn’t see each other daily.
Darius
It’s complicated.
Jax
Can we hang out this week? You can tell me all about how complicated it is.
Darius
Of course. We’ll catch up. Gotta go though, meeting Jamie for a run.
Jax
Oooh, is that what they’re calling it these days?
Darius
Fuck off, Jax.
Darius had been beyond pleased when Jamie had asked him to join him for an afternoon run, alone. Though he blamed Jackson for the treacherous little hope that it really was a euphemism.
He was early enough to meet Jamie that he had time to take it slow. He paused on the bridge, looking back over the city, lost in thought for a moment. Darius loved London, loved how easy it was to disappear into a crowd, but it was lonely sometimes. Today, though, that anonymity was welcome. The weight of everything was starting to hit him. He’d come out, publicly.
It was on record now.
He’d really done it, and nothing bad had happened. At least, he didn’t think it had. He probably needed to listen to the voicemail his agent had left before he made that assumption. Cringing slightly, he played the message and let out a massive sigh of relief. Just a gentle congratulations and news of his shoe sponsor wanting to get some photos for social media.
Jamie had been right, Darius did feel lighter now. Whether this worked with Anders or not, it was out there, and he wouldn’t have to worry about hiding his relationships in the future. Though the idea of a relationship in the future with anyone other than Jamie felt wrong.
He looked East down the river as he continued his walk, looking towards where he knew Jamie lived. He thought of how unlikely their meeting had been, and how lucky he was to have had him burst into his life and upend it so completely.
Jamie met him in Battersea Park, in his running kit, ready for a workout. They’d agreed to run East, seven miles to Victoria Park. It turned out to be the most fun Darius’d had running in years.There was something exhilarating about it—about being side by side, about Jamie’s determination to keep up despite Darius’s light teasing.
They finished with a few loops around the park to round out the distance, and Jamie groaned dramatically when Darius suggested they go again, but there was a light in his eyes that made Darius’s chest ache in the best way.
Running with Jamie was different from anything Darius had experienced before. He’d thought he loved the sport already, the feeling of the pavement beneath his feet, the crowds, and the accolades. None of that mattered anymore. The Olympics had always been the ultimate goal, but now, seeing the way Jamie’s eyes lit up when he laughed, Darius felt like he could dedicate his whole life to seeing that sparkle and be completely content.
“What’s next then?” Jamie’s hesitant question startled Darius from his moment of introspection. He looked at him, ruffled and sweaty but smiling.
“Grab a cuppa?”
“I know the perfect place,” Jamie replied. “If you don’t mind slumming it with your working-class boyfriend in Mile End.”
Darius laughed. That sounded pretty perfect to him. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”
