Shattered Rose (Winsor Series) - By T L Gray Page 0,3

heaviest one, of course. My legs were burning and screaming at me about having a second floor apartment. It seemed crazy that something like stairs could wind me so much when I ran at least three miles a day. I could almost hear Cara’s voice in my head, “Running is not strength training, and skinny doesn’t mean strong. You need to put some meat on your bones.” I couldn’t help it, though. I loved to run. It was my retreat. A place where I could clear my head and everything seemed to make sense. Often, I was my own worst enemy, analyzing and re-analyzing everything around me, but when I ran, I felt invincible.

Then the unthinkable happened as I daydreamed. I missed the first step sending me sprawling forward as the box slammed into the staircase. In my attempt to recover myself, my exposed shin slid across the concrete step making me wince in pain. I somehow got to my feet and watched as the box bounced down the stairs, hitting the ground with a thud.

“Hey there, need some help?” I heard footsteps approach me from behind. Cara must have seen the future because I turned, and two attractive men approached me in running shorts and very bare, muscular chests.

“I’m ok,” I assured them, turning my head away so they wouldn’t see me blushing. I was so awkward around guys. It was annoying.

The one with light brown hair and matching eyes grabbed the box easily off the ground while the other, the more attractive one of the two, eyed me appreciatively. He was the first one to notice I was now bleeding. “I think you may need to put something on that,” he noted walking up to me. “I’m Aaron. This here is Danny. You must be new here.” He said the words as if he knew every woman that lived in the building, but then again, he was looking at me as if he already knew me too…in the biblical sense.

Danny laughed as he adjusted the box in his arms. “Don’t mind my roommate; he has no manners. What apartment are you in?”

His words allowed me break the eye hold Aaron had on me as I turned to look up the stairs. “204. You really don’t have to. I can get it.”

“Nonsense,” he said as he navigated up the stairs. I followed behind him, trying not to fidget, as I felt Aaron’s eyes glaring into my backside. My shorts weren’t that short, but I still wondered how grotesque my legs looked from behind. With each step, I felt my insecurity get more and more extreme. I hated when anyone looked at my body.

I opened the door for them and Danny set down the box on top of the coffee table. He seemed to look around the apartment as if he was searching for someone. “Is your roommate home?” he asked nonchalantly.

“No, I actually haven’t met her yet. Do you know her?” I replied as I walked them back out to the hall.

Aaron snorted. “He wishes.”

Danny seemed to get embarrassed and hit his friend.

“Well, thanks for helping me.”

Danny seemed to hesitate and then shyly offered, “We’re in apartment 315. Y’all are welcome to come by tonight. We’re having some friends over.”

Aaron leaned his hand against the frame, looking from the top of my head down the length of my body. I didn’t know how it was possible to feel so violated without even a touch, but I did. “You should definitely come...um?” Then he raised his eyebrows as a way to ask my name.

I hugged myself, wishing I had something to cover my tank top. “Avery. I’ll think about it,” I said, hoping they would leave soon. I wasn’t going anywhere near that apartment.

He winked at me one more time before I saw Danny push him along while he rolled his eyes. “See you around, Avery,” Danny called as he waved.

I shut the door with a sigh, and then scolded myself again. I couldn’t be a recluse forever. New apartment…new me!

I took the box to my room and collapsed in the desk chair. What a mess. I had been in such a rush to move out of the dorm that my clothes were crammed into two suitcases. I had boxes full of junk that I had no idea what to do with, and my schoolbooks were somewhere underneath it all.

I sat there for a moment trying to conger up any excuse to procrastinate unpacking until I heard the front door