Ok, so this is a lot shorter than the other chapters, but I have a feeling most of the remaining chapters will be about this length, too. Hope you enjoy!
She fell in step with the music, the Latin beat pounding loudly in her ears on her fifth lap around the long elliptical track. She concentrated on her breathing, keeping it even and steady, but after three more laps, she got distracted. Colonel Sheppard and his friend Ronon had arrived and were in the middle of the gym lifting weights. Sheppard lay on his back bench pressing a decent amount while Ronon spotted him. Emma observed for a split second then turned her gaze back ahead of her. It was already beginning to dawn on her that, despite its daunting size, this city was actually quite small. She felt like she was at her small high school again and could only imagine how efficiently the rumor mill worked around here.
After two more laps, she lost focus again. Ronon and Sheppard had moved around. Sheppard was jumping rope while Ronon was stationed at a back machine, facing away from the track. For a lingering moment, she unconsciously stared at the tensing sinew of his broad back and shoulder muscles through his shirt as he lifted the weight and completely forgot where she was and what she was doing, losing the rhythm of her breathing. She felt her chest flush even more as she continued to watch, getting closer to him as she ran faster. All of a sudden, she was in the air, jumping over something that had come into hard contact with her shins.
"Carajo! Shit!" she cursed loudly and without thinking as she leaped an accidental hurdle, barely managing to land on her feet. Yanking the earbuds out of her ears and rounding on her heel, she looked down and realized she had tripped over another woman who had been tying her shoe. "Oh my God, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, "I didn't see you there!" She got on her knees to make sure she was all right. She glanced up and noticed everyone staring at her. After she had turned back to the woman, she could still feel the eyes on her back. "I'm so sorry," she repeated.
"Don't worry about it," the young woman replied in a pristine British accent, "I shouldn't have stopped in the middle of the track," she smiled.
"Are you sure you're all right? Oh my God, I feel awful," she apologized, offering her a hand to help her up.
"I'm fine, really," the other woman responded, nodding as she regained her footing. She brushed her hands on the sides of her shorts.
"Ok," Emma uttered weakly, mortified. Oh my God, she thought to herself as she picked up her pace again, Ok act cool. Run two more laps then leave calmly. Everyone will forget about it. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see Ronon watching her so she fit her earphones back in and ran fast, figuring if she blocked out the world around her, maybe the phenomenon would work in reverse. She finished her three-mile run and quietly slipped out of the gym, hoping no one was still paying attention to her.
"So what do you think about her?" Sheppard asked Ronon as he picked up a few free weights for bicep curls.
"Who?" Ronon asked, sitting up from working out his abs and crossing his arms over his knees.
"Dr. Rogers," Sheppard answered, gesturing to her with his chin as she disappeared through the archway.
"She's nice. Pretty," he said shortly, wiping the back of his neck. Weak-kneed. Clumsy. He stood up and massaged his shoulder. Immature. "She's young," he stated in a low voice, his back to Sheppard.
"You know ten years ago, she would have been just my type," Sheppard ruminated, "I always liked girls with red hair…more the dark red brunette color, really. What is that, auburn?" he continued, more to himself.
"Ten years ago, she would have been fifteen," Ronon retorted, picking up his towel and ambling out of the gym to the sparring room.
Sheppard set down the free weights and joined him. "What, you do math now?" he asked bitterly.
"It happens," Ronon replied.
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