The Rub Down by Gina Sheldon

We started as therapist/client, and then hit friendship level on Friday while hanging out at Caffe Vittoria. And by Sunday, my feelings were closer to romantic territory, even though I couldn’t act on them. So out of my comfort zone, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing.
    All my other relationships started in the romance category. Boy met girl, boy and girl liked each other, and then boy and girl had crazy sex. Done. There was no questioning of anything. Yet with Alexa, I questioned everything.
    It was seven forty-five when I arrived at the Frog Pond. As I approached the still frozen pond, I saw her using one of the frog statues to stretch. Her ear buds were in her ears, so she didn’t hear me approach. I took the opportunity to watch her. She really was gorgeous. One of her legs rested on top of the frog’s head. From my angle, I had a great view of her hot as hell ass. Black running leggings molded to her body like they were painted on. A simple, black running jacket, with the Nike Swoosh on the sleeve and reflective stripes along the back, hugged her torso. Watching her tight body in action excited me. Her long, blonde hair was in two braids, and a bright blue beanie sat on top of her head to keep the heat in and her ears warm.
    My ensemble was almost identical, except for my red beanie for my near bald head. We looked like twins.
    After I stared at her for a few moments, I decided to stop being a creeper and get this show on the road.
    “Morning,” I yelled to get her attention in an effort not to scare the crap out of her.
    She looked up and took her ear buds out, turning her head in my direction. “What are you doing here?” A look of complete confusion covered her face as she lowered her leg off the statue. Jeff apparently did not inform her of the switch.
    “Jeff had to head home to New York late last night for a family emergency, so he asked if I would stand in for him this morning,” I answered with a huge smile on my face, trying to set her mind at ease. I took a few steps toward her, wanting to go in for a friendly hug.
    “I hope everything is okay with Jeff’s family, but you don’t have to run with me. I could have just gone by myself and run with him later this week,” she said, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
    I wanted to pull that lip between my teeth and taste her. God, the simplest things she did took my breath away.
    “It’s no problem. He asked, and I wanted to. He sent me your route, and it’s pretty straight forward,” I said, trying my hardest not to stare at her perfectly shaped mouth. “However, besides checking out your gait, I’m more of a running partner than a trainer today.”
    “Sounds good. I need to finish stretching, and then I’ll be ready to go. Have you stretched yet?” She seemed nervous, which I hated. But she lifted her other leg onto the frog.
    “Yes, I stretched at my house since it is so close. Do you need help?” I asked, hoping she did so I could touch her. My hand itched to be on her body. Something about her drew me to her, and the desire to simply be in her presence was stronger than anything I had ever felt before. There was no instant bang when we touched, but more of a slow simmer through my body. I was getting greedy for that feeling.
    “Not right now, but I’ll probably need your help when we finish.”
    She gave me the sweetest smile I had ever seen. I stared at her mouth for a few seconds longer than I probably should, but her lips were distracting.
    “Do you use Spotify or iTunes when you run?” I asked, pointing to the iPhone wrapped around her bicep. I loved running to music, and I wanted this peek inside her head. Music was a way to look into someone’s soul to see what drove her, what made her tick.
    “I use Spotify. I have a few running playlists. Wanna follow me so we can run to the same tracks?” She stretched her arms over her head.
    “Sure, but if your music sucks, I’m making you listen to one of my playlists.”