“It’s great that you have a dream.”
She didn’t know why he was modest. “You do too. I envy you for sticking with it.”
“I had a dream.”
“You still have a dream. You just had to rewrite it.”
“Did you always have this dream?” he asked.
“Not exactly. I didn’t have a dream until two years ago.” She had never spoken about her dreams or her life for the last eight years. But with Rob, she felt like she could tell him anything. “I had to grow up really fast. I didn’t have time for dreams or fun.”
He looked confused. She could tell he wanted to ask why. What caused her to focus on everyone else but herself? He just didn’t know how to say it. She appreciated his hesitation. Like her, he knew the devastation that came with losing something you love. He just didn’t know that was the case.
Before things got too intense or too revealing she decided to change the conversation.
“Do you think you will remember what you need to do when a headache shows up?”
He nodded. “Now that I’ve met you I don’t think it’s going to be such a problem anymore.”
He hugged her to his body, and she nestled into him. He fit perfectly against her. She felt safe, at home.
She was in trouble. How was she ever going to be able to leave when she knew that she was leaving behind the possibility for love?
She scolded herself. Her mind kept running away with this idea of love and happiness, but there was no point. There could be no ‘possibility’. She was leaving. Getting attached to someone wouldn’t save her. Especially not to someone who was going to need her to take care of them. How much time would she have to spend in the dark because the light bothered his head? How much time would she have to spend working out the tension in his head? She would not let herself get tied down again.
But they were only headaches. Before she jumped into the picture he took care of himself. But he credited her with providing a new super-cure and that made her involved in his healing process. That’s why she wanted to go to California in the first place. She could help people heal, but they were strangers. There was no attachment necessary. They showed up for their treatment, and then were on their way. But no matter how much she tried to tell herself to stay back, keep her distance, she wanted to dig deeper into his life.
“All this training you’re doing, do you have a race you’re striving for?”
“Yes. I do it just for fun, no pressure. I’m still a member of the Ontario Triathlon Association. Even after all this time it still stings. Staying in the loop helps.”
“When is your race?”
“Two months.” He exhaled against her. “The day we met–”
“The day you gave yourself a headache?”
“That’s the day. It was because I shed two minutes off my cycling time. If I can maintain that I have a real shot at coming in the top fifty.”
“I thought you said you do it for fun?”
“I do. But I have to have some kind of goal.”
“Like I said. You’re determined.” It was the same determination she saw in herself.
“So are you. How many people leave their life behind and start over to live their passion?”
“I may be following my passion but I lost a lot.” Too much information. This time she didn’t think she was going to be so lucky. She wouldn’t be able to dodge the question. He was for sure going to–
“What did you lose?”
She needed a distraction. Was there a better distraction than sex? And by the feel of his hard cock against her stomach she knew she wouldn’t be denied.
“Let’s not talk about our past.”
“You mean your past.”
She slid her hand under the covers, searching out his hard length. His moan of pleasure as she stroked his cock got her wet between the legs.