Ruin Me

64. Soothe me

I had never considered myself a morning person before I moved to Kings Bridge, I'd always preferred lazy mornings lying in and staying curled up under the covers sipping coffee. Possibly, because I'd usually ended staying up late anyway, either waiting for mom or with Jackson. But on Monday morning I woke up at 6 am before my alarm even had the chance to go off and had no problem rolling straight out of bed ready to start the day. I found myself going straight over to my chest of drawers and pulling out workout shorts and top. It was so automatic I didn't really process it, I just needed to run and it happened without me having to think about it.

I left the dormitories while they were all still in a hushed silence that would be broken soon by the cacophony of morning sounds; alarms going off, showers running, arguments and yells across the corridors. The same empty peacefulness was present outside too, the air was cool with a slight breeze to it and the sun was just starting to appear and bathed the ground in a warm orange that was breathtaking. It touched the tips of the trees around the borders of the grounds dusting them with gold shine.

I was just stretching my legs out when a level voice spoke out into the silence;

"Mind if I join?" He asked politely. I spun around to smile happily at Sawyer,

"I never mind," I told him, "you ready?"

"I was born ready," Sawyer started to jog at a steady pace allowing me to easily fall into step beside him as our arms swung in synchronisation and our legs bounced side by side. 

Sawyer didn't feel the need to make much conversation which I appreciated, not only because running and talking was hard but because I was enjoying just looking at the scenery and feeling the breeze on my face and letting my thoughts relax. It was nice to have company though and it forced me to keep up with the pace he set so by the time we reached Kings Bridge again  I was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and my legs felt like planks of wood.

"Wow," I wiped a layer of sweat off my forehead, I'm sure with my sweaty flushed face I must have looked disgusting but, honestly, I didn't care.

"Not up for another lap?" Sawyer teased, he'd barely even built up a sweat. I threw him a glare that made him let out a quiet chuckle.

"Absolutely not," I huffed pressing my hands onto my bent knees as I sucked in long breaths trying to get my heart rate down.

"Alright?" Sawyer checked. I nodded and straightened up, pointing my leg out in front of me in a hamstring stretch.

"Think I've got my breath back now," I stretched out the other leg. Sawyer was stretching out as well, he lifted his arms up over his head and I caught a glimpse of his toned stomach. I made myself glance away and hoped the redness on my cheeks could be put down to the run we'd just completed, "I definitely need a shower though."

"Definitely," Sawyer nodded pinching his nose with a playful grin, I elbowed him in the side as headed back towards the dorms. "Be careful you might get sweat on me," Sawyer laughed backing away from me with his hands up.

"Asshole," I reached out and pushed his chest lightly making him chuckle even more. I loved the sound of Sawyers laugh, he was typically the most serious of the Silent Boys but he had an amazing laugh that came straight from his stomach.

"Oi," Sawyer darted away from me, "you're going to ruin my top!"

"Shut up," I stuck my tongue out at him, he beamed back, his skin glowing with an early morning kind of happiness.