Jamie sat on his bike in place with his feet to the ground at the halfway mark of the course, scanning the crowd for anything suspicious (he was on duty, after all). But his eyes also wandered to the road every few seconds, looking out for Eddie.
Jamie smiled to himself as he thought of Eddie. She was tough as nails out on the job, and although he was surprised when he had learned that she signed up to run in the marathon, he never doubted her ability and that she could be just as tough out on a race course too.
He glanced at his watch and noted that if she was still on pace, he'd be seeing her in less than a minute. He got on his radio. "Hey Sarge, you got a twenty on Reynolds?"
The radio crackled with Renuzlli's answer. "Just hit mile twelve. Where's our girl?"
"Doin' great. Just hit the halfway mark," Jamie's eyes lit up as he caught a glimpse of her barreling down the street.
As she came into view, his heart swelled. She looked amazing. She had a smooth running form and moved with ease in quick, even strides. With her blonde ponytail swishing back and forth, sweat on her brow, and toned muscles in her arms, abs, and legs, she was so beautiful.
Of course this wasn't the first time he had thought so. With her hair down and her standing there in those tight jeans, and her flirty 'well how do I look now' question she threw at him the night of her anniversary party—he came so close to telling her. It broke his heart to break her heart, to see the disappointment in her eyes when he told her he wasn't going to the party.
He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. It was getting more difficult tampering down his feelings for her ever since that kiss. One of these days he was scared he wouldn't be able to hold back, and then what? He could screw up their friendship, their careers…he was so tired of not knowing how to handle it. He just wanted to be with her, but so much else was at stake.
He shook himself out of his thoughts and put his feet to the pedals of the bike and pulled out onto the street. Their eyes locked and she gave him a wry smile, waiting for him to say something funny as he rode next to her.
"Hey Girl, why don't we stay in tonight and snuggle while we watch 'Spirit of the Marathon' together?"
"Oh my God, Jamie, that was awful!"
"What, you're not the snuggle type?" He asked, suddenly flashing back to the time when he held her in his arms at night on her couch, comforting her during her time of distress until she fell asleep.
"No- see, you don't get it. He's supposed to be waiting for me at the finish line with a glass of WINE and a PUPPY," she answered in between breaths.
Her quick, witty answer brought him back to reality and made him smile. "Well does he know that? Maybe I should call him to let him know. I think I have his phone number."
"Oh, just give me my drink!" she smirked as she held out her hand.
"Wow, see, you ARE demanding. Ryan at the finish, wine, a puppy—your drink," he let her grasp the bottle but only so he could playfully take it away from her.
"Oh now come ON!" she cried out. "I am NOT demanding!" With her brow furrowed, she seemed to run even faster when she was angry, trying to grab the bottle from him.
He was full on laughing when he finally allowed her to take the bottle from his hand after a brief tug-of-war.
"So how ya feelin'?" he asked in all seriousness, changing the subject as she gulped down some liquid while she continued to run.
"Okay I guess. Getting a little mentally tired. I don't like knowing I'm only halfway there."
"Try not to think too far ahead. Stay in the moment. You're still on your pace, and Reynolds is still a mile behind you. You're doing great, Eddie! Next time I'll see you will be at the twenty marker, okay?"
"Okay…" She gave him back the bottle and tried to refocus on her mental game. She knew Jamie had to get back to security detail, but she wished he could have stayed next to her a little longer. She always seemed annoyed by it, but secretly she loved the way he teased her. And she loved teasing back. He was just so fun to be around.