Siren Call

Head In The Sand

I never understood why a person's mind clung so hard to things they wanted to forget. It's as if something lives in your brain, carving the details into your memory every time that you throw something away, whilst it lets you down on small things you need to remember, things like picking up a bottle of milk from the store, rearranging a dental appointment or charging a huge client dinner to the company card instead of my own. It's what I was going through since that night babysitting Everly with Kat, I haven't been able to forget a single detail of the time I spent with her. The time that I enjoyed being with her. The thought that I had that night, that I could have feelings for her, was something I didn't want to think about. I didn't want to face it, it was an alien thing to me, I didn't do feelings like that with women. They were usually on the verge of insanity in most cases, and when they weren't, they either weren't the right match for me, or couldn't handle my friendship with Roxy. It was crazy to think that I could find myself attracted to Kat of all people. I practically flew out of there when Roxy and Sean returned, hoping the distance and some peace and quiet, would clear my head. Safe to say that didn't help. Instead, I barely slept, unable to shake the thoughts from my thoroughly confused mind. Since then I'd tried to just forget the entire day, but no matter how much I tried to forget it, my brain threw it back at me like a boomerang.

By Friday I had tried all kinds of distractions, and none of them had worked. It was still early and I had time before I needed to be at work, so I grabbed my running gear, pulling on the black pants, a comfy black hoodie and my trainers, then going to the kitchen for a bottle of water. I took a few moments to stretch, then set the timer on my watch so that I knew when to head for work. Putting my earphones in, I pulled up my running playlist and left the house, taking off up the street at a good pace.

The air was cold against my face this early, and my breath was coming out in clouds of smoke from the temperature. My music volume was up loud, the fast beat of the track keeping my pace up as I took long, fast strides, getting nearer to the park up ahead. I loved running, it was something I did as often as I could. It made me feel free, and it was simple, basic, meaning that I could just take time out and keep going. No reps or weights or anything to keep track of, just me and the world. It was perfect for times where I wanted to lose all of the baggage of everyday life. I keps running forwards, occasionally catching the sweet scent of the flowers that were beginning to bloom for Spring. The sun was rising higher with each passing minute, the pale blue of the sky getting brighter, and the golden glow of sunlight shining over the park's green lawns. I was just running past the fountain that stood to the side of the path, when a force bashed into me from behind. It caught me by surprise, but with the momentum I had, I managed to steady myself, pulling my earphones out, I turned around, about ready to scold whoever was there. My anger disappearing as I saw a familiar face.

"Of course it's you." I panted, rolling my eyes.

"Nice footwork mate, thought I mighta had you there for a moment." Jamie smirked, slightly out of breath himself, leaning back with his hands on his hips.

The running gear he wore clung to his body, the long sleeved, dark grey t-shirt showed off every muscle in his strong arms and highlighted his abs, teamed with fitted black pants that were catching the right looks from a woman jogging nearby.

I laughed as I unzipped my hoodie pocket and took out my water, taking a few short sips, the cool liquid reawakening my parched mouth.

"Nah, not likely J."

He held out a hand and I tossed him the water, he caught it and took a mouthful then threw it back.

"Cheers."