Running was her release. She felt like she could do it forever and be perfectly happy, except when she remembered what had set her to running in the first place. She had left her old home years ago, but the thought of what had happened all those years ago never failed to upset her. So she ran. There was something about the sameness of it that calmed her.
Alex was nearing the end of her run, contemplating doing her route twice when she noticed a blue car sitting in her drive. Immediately recognizing the car, Alex thought the extended run was an even better idea. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now is a certain ex of hers, Erin. She never got the hint that her and Alex were most definitely over, and had been for almost a year. Deciding that it was probably best to get this over with, Alex slowed down and approached her house. As she made it to the front door, Erin came tearing around the corner of the house ranting about how she thought Alex was avoiding her and she was trying to find a way in. The longer this went on, the more of a creeper she turned into.
"What do you want Erin?"
"Same thing I've wanted for awhile. You. Or at least your friendship." She corrected when Alex opened mouth to protest about the "you" comment.
"We've tried friends before Erin. It works for a few weeks and then you decide to proclaim your love for me every ten minutes. Maybe you should accept that just friends is not possible for us." As soon as she made the last comment, she knew she was going to regret it. She gave her an opening to exploit.
Predictably the first words out of Erin's mouth was, "Well why can't we be more than friends? We made a really good couple, and then one day you just decided it was over. No warning, no nothing. Just bam, its over, now get out."
Thinking that she should have just kept running, Alex sighed, "Erin I explained to you why I broke up with you. Not to mention the fact that you are overly clingy, I have been making plans to leave Charlotte for awhile now, and the time is almost here for me to go. I'm leaving in two weeks, and I don't do long distance."
"I can go with you. Then we can be together." After a pause she realized something she had missed. "Wait where are you going? I thought you liked it here. You said North Carolina was a good change from where you used to be. Although you never told me where you used to live."
"I do like North Carolina, but I need another change. Well I guess it's more like a familiar change. A way to start over, but in a familiar place. I was just giving people there ample time to forget about me. I want to open another club. I think Phoenix could do well there. I've been trying to think of a good place to open my next club, and I thought my old home sounded like a good place."
"And yet you still haven't named your "old home" yet."
"That's because it is not relevant. You are not coming with me. That thing about starting over means leaving everything behind."
"But what if we need to get in touch? I do work as manager of your club here."
"You have my cell number. Besides, once the club is already up and running you will know where I am. But until then, I need to be left alone."
"I don't get you Alex Kelly. But whatever, I will let it go. For now."
As Erin left to get in her car, Alex was a little stunned. She had never won an argument with Erin so easy before. It generally took hours to convince her of something, especially when that something was how much Alex didn't want to be with her.
Glad to have that over with, Alex turned and unlocked her front door, fully intent on taking a nice long shower. She walked to the kitchen to get some water then made her way down the hall to her bedroom but paused in front of her office door. She opened the door, shower temporarily forgotten, and went to sit at her chair. She unlocked the only drawer that required a key and pulled out the picture lying on top and stared at it. She felt a single tear roll down her face before she replaced the picture and went off to her shower.