The Uncle

9 - Robert

Faster. Come on. My chest screamed at me, muscles in my legs contracting painfully as my feet pounded into the ground. I launched myself over a log, landing and recovering my pace quickly. My breaths were shallow, inhale and exhale almost tripping over one another. Further. Faster. I swerved left at the last second to dodge a surface tree root. A weight crashed into my right side, throwing me down onto the floor on my left. We rolled over one another into a dry river bed laughing. She ended up on top, panting hard. Her legs wrapped around my middle with her arms pinning mine in place. Our breaths mingling, our noses almost touching.

"I told you not to test me Robert," she whispered.

"I'll remember not to underestimate you again. Jamie."

She smiled before kissing my lips quickly. Off me again before I had time to react. She raised her eyebrows teasingly before pulling herself to her feet. She held out her hand to me and pulled me off the ground. Her fingers brushed quickly over my cheeks, a heat rising in hers. She dropped her gaze.

"You had dirt on your cheek," she said, still panting though slowly normalising, "Anyway! You should be ashamed. I caught up to you in only seven minutes on an injured foot. Call yourself a runner."

"You know the damn area," I laughed, "Come to Toronto and then we will see who has the edge."

"Well I didn't know where you went. You are just not as fast as you think you are!" She teased.

I pinned her against the nearest tree, smiling teasingly at her. She bite her lip as the tip of my nose ghosted over her neck, never quite touching but enough to make her hair stand on end, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

She ducked under my arm and took off through the trees. I smiled. The chase was on. Racing after her, the background became somewhat of a blur as my sole focus was catching up to Jamie. The red of her jacket acting as a beacon within the haze of greens and browns. She whipped her head around to see me, laughing, and she pushed herself further and faster. My blood rung in my ears as I forced my body to do more. Catch her. Go faster. She then got sloppy, her ankle slowing her turns where in she lost momentum. I smirked, or as best as I could while panting. She may be faster in straights but corners were my friend. Two more was just enough. We cleared into a large field and I gave one final push, reaching for her. We both crushed to the ground, somewhat less gracefully than her capture. I scrambled to her and turned her on her back. Seeing she was unhurt, instead giggling, I pinned her arms above her head as she had done to me.

"I'm your prisoner," she laughed. She bit her lip, controlling herself, "So what now?"

"You and that phrase."

I crashed my lips into hers, releasing her arms. She held onto my shoulders, pulling me closer to her. Any worry that she didn't want this disappeared in that moment. Her lips left mine, instead trailing down my neck, nipping at the skin and sinking her teeth just so to pull out a cry. The pain making my skin tender, each touch felt like fire. I could still feel her pounding heart, just out of rhythm with my own. She had started to unzip my top layer when we heard a cough. She stopped and looked. A mother and son stood staring at us, the mother clearly angry. It was a public park and I could see from her point of view how this would look.

"This is a public park!" She hissed, "There are children!"

We looked at each other and I tried my best to stifle my laughter. She wasn't doing to well to hide it either. Untangled from one another, we uttered an apology and walked away. Only when we were sure she was out of ear shot did we look at each other and release the laughter we had held back. Not far from the car, we walked rather than ran, especially considering Jamie was starting to favour her right foot over her left. I offered her my arm which she wordlessly but thankfully took.