me. With the breeze on my face and the music in my ears and the endorphins pumping through my veins, the weight of everything I’d been feeling lifted, even just temporarily, and I felt like I was going to be okay.
We followed Church Street past St. Phillips Anglican Church and the Dock Street Theatre. We took a left on Broad, staying straight until we hit East Bay. We ran by the old tavern across from Rainbow Row, the one with the hatch in the floor that led down to the underground tunnels beneath the city, then carefully cut across South Adger's Wharf—the cobblestones were pretty to look at but had broken ankle written all over them—to the path that would lead up to Waterfront Park.
With only an occasional glance to make sure Steven hadn’t fallen too far behind, my mind mostly stayed on Alex. To his credit, he was obviously doing a lot to make me more comfortable. But there was still so much we weren’t saying to each other.
Except, something had happened the night before when he’d insisted that I sit down with my food instead of serving everyone else. He’d stayed true to his word and remained in the kitchen long enough to make sure all the guys had helped clean up, making it clear it was their responsibility, not mine. A couple of times throughout the night, I’d caught Alex looking at me, something in his eyes reminding me of when there was a we.
If I let myself forget how much he’d hurt me when he’d left New York, it was easy to remember how much I’d loved him before he left. And that felt dangerous. Treacherous. But also, a little thrilling. And that was the scariest realization of all.
I slowed to a stop in front of the massive pineapple fountain in the center of the park. In the spring or summer, I might have skipped Waterfront to avoid all the tourists. But in early-November, the place was nearly deserted. I glanced over my shoulder. Steven was a few paces back and he stopped as soon as he saw me, leaning over to prop his hands on his knees. Poor guy. We weren’t running that fast, but we’d maybe gone a little far without a break for someone who wasn’t in running shape.
I motioned to a bench to the right of the fountain and he hobbled over, dropping down beside me. “You okay?” I asked.
He nodded but didn’t speak, holding up a finger while he caught his breath. Finally, he managed a smile. “And to think, we still have to run back to the house.”
“We can take a break for a few minutes if you want,” I said.
He leaned forward, dropping his head between his knees. “Ugh. You might have to bring the car back for me.”
I laughed. “Come on. Sit up. Enjoy the view. You’ll be fine.”
It was a view. The morning sun was low on the horizon, reflecting off the still water of the bay. Seagulls flew overhead, black dots against a spread of fluffy clouds in the deep blue sky. I breathed in, letting the serene setting calm my nerves and whisper peace into my soul. The water always did that for me, the beach, especially. I’d already made the trip out to Sullivan’s Island multiple times since arriving home. Luckily, Isaac had been pretty easy about loaning me his car.
Steven sucked in another deep breath. “Okay. I think I’m maybe okay now.”
I chuckled. “You don’t run much, do you?”
“Not unless I’m running to the fridge for another drink, no.”
Just then, a group of cadets from the Citadel ran by, their breathing labored and heavy, their pace probably double what ours had been.
“It could be worse,” I said to Steven. “You could have been trying to keep up with those guys.”
Steven shook his head. “No joke.”
He stared at the cadets as they ran away, the silence stretching long between us.
But then Steven sat up, his posture stiffened, and he turned to me with obvious intention. “Is there something going on between you and Alex?” he blurted.
That . . . was not what I’d been expecting. “Um, what?”
“Sorry. I was just thinking I’d like to ask you to dinner. But I didn’t want to if something was going on between you two.”
Why would he think there was something going on between me and Alex? Had Alex said something? Done something? Or had I? Was I being too obvious? Staring at him too much? Was he