It was Wednesday afternoon, and despite my lack of sleep, I was extremely peppy. I got to watch the Blackhawks shutout the Calgary Flames, and I was finally able to pound my fists against the glass. Even though the view might not be the best, I can now say that I had glass seats at an NHL game at least once in my lifetime. Not too bad for a Tuesday night. The buzz of electric energy came home with me and didn’t dissipate even after waking up.

I didn’t get to see Jonathan after the game due to our clashing schedules. He had press to entertain, and by the time he was ready to go grab some drinks, I was already in bed. He promised to make it up to me via text message around 1:30 a.m., but I didn’t read it until this morning. I sent him a chipper response around seven o’clock and then regretted it, hoping I didn’t wake him.

My good mood seemed to be obvious to Dr. Lance, Sam, and pretty much all of my patients. I’d like to think I was able to spread the feeling on to some clients who left with much brighter smiles than they came in with. Sam, however, was not having it. She seemed determined to stay in a moody funk the entire day, even after I tried bribing her with ice cream later.

“Sam, are you sure you’re okay,” I asked after lunch. I really didn’t like when my friends were feeling down, so I couldn’t help but ask her the same question I had given her earlier in the morning. Predictably, I received the same reply.

“Yeah, of course. I’m fine,” she said, a bit snappy, tossing her cell phone back into her purse. She had just finished aggressively typing a text before discarding the device without waiting for a response. Sam then groaned, closed her eyes, and ran her fingers through her long, auburn hair, clearly regretting her tone. “I’m sorry, Gi. I didn’t mean to bark at you like that. You don’t deserve it.”

“Uh-oh… that means that someone out there does deserve it, though. You know you can always talk to me, right? I’m a pretty good listener.” I leaned my forearms across the top counter of her desk, getting closer as I spoke more softly.

“Yeah, definitely… Thanks. I think that I want this bad mood to stay around for a while, to help me better utilize my anger later.” She didn’t bother to look at me as she responded. She appeared to be looking at the computer, but her eyes were unblinking and unfocused despite the screen popping with notifications from the patient list for this afternoon. I decided to let her be; if Sam needed help, she knew I was available.

“Sure thing, Sam. That ice cream offer still stands, by the way.” She looked over and smiled at me, opening her mouth to speak. Before she could respond, the bells on the door chimed and my first afternoon client had arrived.

---

Sam had decided we should get ice cream later in the week, and I was satisfied that she at least accepted my offer in some way. My energy was still super high, and I decided to go for a run, sans Napoleon for better maneuvering around pedestrians. I quickly changed out of my work clothes, making sure I’d be warm enough for the chilly “spring” weather without getting overheated from my run. I threw on a tank top, some running leggings, and a sweatshirt before pulling my hair up into a high ponytail. I grabbed some shades and laced up by shoes at a record-setting pace.

I strapped my iPod onto my arm and turned on my workout playlist full of up-beat and pump-up music, putting my ear buds in before leaving my apartment. I picked a song to start with before setting the playlist on repeat and shuffle. I didn’t plan a route, but rather just went wherever I felt the urge to go.

Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” started playing, and I couldn’t help but groove a little, bopping my head while striding out. I mouthed the words, changing my pace to the beat of the song, which I’m sure is bad form. However, we all know that when a girl wants to dance, there’s very little that can be done to stop it. Suddenly, I ran directly into a hard chest. Damn, now I have to pause my song. This better not throw off my groove.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” I said, pulling my right ear bud out of my ear while looking at my iPod to pause my song. The guy grasped my arms, causing me to give him my best “get your mitts off me, kid” look. My eyes met familiar whiskey colored ones, laughing down at me.

“Geez, Gianna, I was waving at you like crazy, but you must not have seen me. Distracted, eh?” It was the first time I’d heard a bit of his Canadian accent, and I instantly hitched my already labored breathing because of it.

“Yeah, it’s this song. It’s one of my all time favorites, and I get pretty into it,” I chuckled while giving him a shrug. “Definitely a girl thing. It’s probably because I haven’t gone dancing in forever. I used to go dancing every weekend.”

“What kind of dancing?” He looked hesitant. I let out a laugh at his expression. He faces big, burly men hurling their huge bodies towards him on a daily basis, but dancing is scary? Sheesh, men.

“Well, if you’re gonna stick with me, dancing is pretty much a requirement. I’ve basically done it all. Salsa, tap, ballroom, line dancing, jazz, ballet, belly dancing, you name it.” His eyes grew wide as my list continued.

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. If you ever need an audience, you know, especially for that belly dancing,” he poked his index finger into my stomach for emphasis, “you let me know.” I shook my head at him and removed my other ear bud.

“In generally, I usually need a partner, not an audience. You think you can step up to the challenge, Johnny Boy,” stressing the word to bring out his competitive nature. He looked like he was arguing the point in his head, tilting his head to the left with one eyebrow raised. I was sure he couldn’t resist taking me on. And I was right.

“Challenge? I’m always up for a challenge.” His sentence faded towards the end, almost like he realized what he was really getting into. I smirked and put my hands on my hips.

“Excellent! Then we’re going dancing for our next date. Any dancing you’d like, you pick. Just let me know what to wear ahead of time.” He gulped and reached one hand back to rub behind his neck. That was definitely his nervous habit, I decided.

“Alright. It’s a deal. But what are you up to right now?” I quirked up an eyebrow. Wasn’t it obvious what I was currently doing?

“Uhh… I’m kind of on a run, Jon. Or, I was…”

“Right, obviously, duh.” He hit the side of his head with the palm of his hand, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Care for a buddy?” He gestured towards himself, and I realized he was clad in basketball shorts, a hoodie, and his beanie hat. Oh, we were both out for a run, then.

“Well, I always need music when I run. So, if you don’t mind me not listening to you, then sure. I don’t keep a set pace either… My running style is pretty loosely defined.” He smiled and put his earphones in, gesturing me to do the same and start running. I obliged, and I restarted the Billy Joel tune in the hopes of getting back to that awesome mood. It worked, and I took off with a start, leaving Jonathan behind for a few seconds.

We ran around the city, and he kept pace with me by slowing down and speeding up to the beat of my songs, which he couldn’t hear. I was sure that it was confusing, but I was happy that he stayed with me despite it. I made a turn that I knew would lead towards his apartment because I was finally starting to get tired, and I figured I’d drop him off since his place was closer at this point.

Once outside of his building, I stopped, pushed my sunglasses up on my head, and pulled out my earphones. I clasped my hands together and put them on top of my head to help my breathing. Jon paced around me for a while, breathing heavily, before speaking up.

“That was pretty hard, not know what pace was next. But I liked it.” He gave me a lopsided grin and a wink. “Wanna come up for a bit? Get some water?” I definitely needed some water and a rest. I would probably sleep like the dead tonight.

“Yeah, water would be awesome.”

---

“So where was Napoleon today,” Jon asked as he handed me a cold water bottle from his refrigerator. I took it, quickly twisting off the cap before taking a slug, and leaned back against his kitchen countertop. He patiently waited for me to answer while taking a drink from his own water bottle.

“I left him at home so I could weave through people more easily. After literally running into you, I guess it probably wouldn’t have mattered much. I just knew I wanted to run without a set goal in mind, so I didn’t want over-work him.” I took another gulp and then mentally reminded myself to slow down on the water. Jonathan nodded at my explanation, taking up a similar stance to mine across from me against his stove.

“I don’t know about you, but I just couldn’t get rid of my excitement from last night’s game. That’s my reason for trying to run off some of the extra energy.” I shrugged, trying to keep our casual conversation afloat. He gave me such a genuine smile that my heart started fluttering in my chest. His eyes locked with mine before he spoke.

“I definitely get that. I mean, I’m obviously physically tired from the game, but I still have this… this excitement about it inside. It’s kind of like when your mind won’t shut off when you’re trying to go to sleep. It’s just right there, pulling you.” Jon’s voice was animated, full of the energy he was describing to me. He pushed off from his spot against the stove and stepped close to me, needing less than half of a stride to reach his destination. I had to look up to keep our eye contact.

“Did you know your eyes change colors? Sometimes they look dark blue, and other times they look emerald green. I can’t tell if it’s the light, or your mood, or just my imagination.” Jon’s velvety voice took on a lower register. “That’s kind of weird to say…” He brushed his fingers over my temple and cheekbone, moving stray strands of hair away from my eyes. I couldn’t respond to his flattering remark, only able to shake my head before clearing my throat. “Actually,” he said, leaning closer, “I think it’s because they are two different colors. Blue towards the outer edge and green inside…”

I was finally able to find my voice after clearing my throat a second time. “Yeah, you’re right. Most people don’t see it because…” my voice fell to a whisper as his face inched closer to mine. “Well, because they’re never this close.”

“I’m even more glad that I know it, then.” His light breath from speaking brushed over my lips, and I couldn’t help myself. I quickly pushed my lips against his, adding more force once I knew our teeth wouldn’t collide from my fast movements. Jon responded in kind, and grabbed my hips with both hands. I hadn’t kissed someone like this, with such want or disregard, since I was a teenager in the back seat of a car. Our bodies were pressed against each other for a short time before I found myself lifted from the floor and onto the countertop.

Jon didn’t have to reach his head down now that I was higher up, so I couldn’t blame him for putting my thinly covered butt on the chilly marble. I shivered involuntarily from the sudden cold, but I was sure Jon thought it was due to our marathon make-out session that was currently underway. He grabbed the backs of my bent knees, pulling me forward, and I was sitting flush against his lower abdominal muscles. My leggings were so thin that I thought I could feel those muscles clench. Dear God…

My hands slipped under his t-shirt and ran lightly over his sweaty chest and abs. He’s so solid, so very masculine. In those moments, I knew nothing; I probably couldn’t have even told you my own name. All I knew was that I needed to map out his body, to commit it to memory as if I’d never know it again. My fingers made their course over his muscles, and I flattened my palms for more contact.

I took my time matching both thumbs over that “V” cut, right above his shorts. Jon let out a hiss and caught my lower lip lightly between his teeth, almost as if it was a warning not to go any further. He had one hand still under my knee, and the other was grasping the back of my head, keeping our lips connected.

I couldn’t tell you how long we kissed, but it seemed like forever and no time at all, simultaneously. When we finally came up for breath, I had an ache between my thighs, and my vision was a little cloudy. What is this pull between us? How can we go from casual conversation to heavy petting within minutes?

Notes