Owen

Running

It was family dinner night. Or well it was supposed to be. But as usual dad was late. We'd actually gone to a restaurant, something I couldn't remember the last time we did. Pre injury for sure.

The table was eerily quiet, Jase sneaking glances at Brandy and Brandy acting like she didn't notice. Both them not saying a word.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked.

Jase rolled his eyes, his mouth opening before Brandy shot him a glance.

"Nothing is going on." She said.

I laughed. "Yeah because I believe that."

Jase was clenching his teeth together, I could see it in the way the muscles in his jaw bunched up. Brandy took a deep breath, equally as tense over something but hiding it better than Jase ever could. And the tension between them was so high I could actually see it.

"What's the matter trouble in paradise?" I asked Brandy, smirking.

Her brown eyes met mine, the smirk falling from my face as a million emotions swarmed in her eyes. I should have stopped while I was ahead.

"Shut up." Jase snapped.

But it was too late, Brandy threw the white linen napkin to the table, standing so abruptly her chair almost fell over backwards.

"Enjoy your dinner." She barked, storming past me.

I followed her with my gaze until I couldn't turn anymore, my head whipping back to Jase.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

He let out a sigh, running his hands through his dark hair. "Just shut up Owen."

He sounded defeated. I probably should have listened to him but the curiosity of it was killing me. Brandy never lost her cool. And she never got upset. I had said way worse things then tonight before without getting any sort of reaction out of her.

"What'd you screw up?" I pushed.

His brown eyes met mine and I thought for a second he might reach across the table and clean my clock. I hadn't had a good ass whooping from Jase in a while. They were rare growing up but they did happen.

He opened his mouth, once again like he was going to say something, before his eyes flicked to something behind me.

"Perfect." He muttered. "Dad's here. I'm going to find Brandy."

He left me at the table. My back to the door so I couldn't see anything. I grumbled under my breath, most of me believing my dad was here and he wasn't just being a dick but there's always that small hint of doubt. And if my dad wasn't here, I was stranded.

My doubts were put to rest as I felt my dads hand land on my shoulder, his wedding band catching some of the dim light in my restaurant.

"Hey bud. Did you order?"

I watched him slide into the chair across from where Jase had originally been.

"What's going on with them?" I asked, ignoring his question.

He opened a menu, flipping through the pages. "Oh just a little disagreement. I'm sure they'll work it out."

"Disagreement over what?"

He stiffened slightly when I asked the question, his hand pausing the page mid turn. His brown eyes met mine, dark and sad. It had something to do with my mom. I was sure of that without his verbal confirmation.

"If I could change it I would." His voice was low, his eyes drifting back to the pages of the menu.

"Change what?"

He sighed heavily, like the weight of the world had been crushing him.

"I'd tell her two kids was plenty." He answered. "We never should have kept trying. Especially after the first one."

"What does that have anything to do with Jase and Brandy though?"

I didn't understand.

He brought his eyes to mine, they were filled with tears threatening to spill over.

"Jase doesn't want kids."

———————

I woke up in the middle of the night to pain. Not that I had been sleeping great to begin with. I reached for my phone, yanking it from my charger as I brought the screen to my face. It was 4:26 in the morning. No sane person should be up right now.

I groaned, forcing myself to roll to my stomach. There was no way I was falling back asleep. The tingling sensation spreading through my body was annoying enough it'd keep me from a deep sleep but the random shocks of pain jetting down my limbs would prevent me from even dozing off here and there.

I lit my phone back up, unlocking the screen as I navigated to my text thread. I opened Mina's thread, our short little conversation the only thing there.

Me: you were right

Mina: when am I not?

There was no way she was up. But before I thought twice I sent her a text.

Me: hey

My heart started to pounded as the three little dots appeared. I had to be seeing things.

Mina: need something?

Yes. But she wouldn't like what it was.

Me: no. Just awake and bored.

Me: what are you doing awake?

Mina: I wake up at four to workout

I didn't know she worked out.

Me: what are you doing? Workout wise?

Mina: running

I missed running. I missed pushing my body harder just to see if I could beat my last personal best. I missed the feeling of my muscles burning, my lungs on fire as my entire body worked to propel myself farther, faster. I missed the way my mind was clear, focused only on running for that short period in time. I missed the runner's high after. I missed it all.

And just to remind me of how much I missed it, a jolt of pain ran through my hip and down my leg. I winced, my eyes screwing shut. I missed running, I missed soccer. I missed my life before.

Me: I miss running

I stared at my phone until my dad knocked on my door at 6:15. Mina never texted me back.