Fated Hearts

by Elliott, Kelly

  “Wait, what?” Annalise asked as she stared at the two strangers standing off to the side.

  “I’ll up to twenty,” Runner Guy said.

  Elliptical Girl turned and walked toward Annalise, gave her a good look-over, and then turned back to Runner Guy. “She looks like she’s in good shape.”

  Annalise grinned. “Thank you.”

  “I’m upping it to fifty.”

  I laughed when Annalise’s mouth dropped open. “So, this is what happens when people are stuck at hotels during a winter storm, huh?” I joked.

  “Done. Fifty it is. How’s this going to work?” Runner Dude asked in a serious voice.

  Annalise and I looked at each other, and she shrugged. “Rules?”

  “It’s simple: Get on the treadmill and run,” I explained.

  “No set speed or incline?”

  “Let’s keep it simple, princess. It’s all about endurance, and trust me when I say I’m like the Energizer Bunny. In all aspects.”

  She rolled her eyes as Elliptical Girl said, “Oh, my.”

  Annalise shot me a dirty look. “Fine. Be prepared to get your ass beat.”

  “Ha!” I mused, taking my place on the treadmill next to her. “You have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into.”

  With a smug expression, she started to jog. “Maybe now would be the right time to inform you I went to state three years in a row in high school for cross-country. Oh, and I ran cross-country on scholarship in college.”

  I was positive my jaw hit the treadmill. How I didn’t fall and launch off the damn thing like Elliptical Girl’s friend earlier, I will never know.

  I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You little liar. You’re trying to get into my head.”

  She winked at me. She actually fucking winked at me. My dick instantly went hard.

  Then she said, “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  The door to the hotel gym opened and Runner Dude, whose name was Dylan, walked in. “How’s it going, Mary?”

  Mary, also known as Elliptical Girl, smiled as she looked at me. “He’s wearing down, I can tell.”

  “I…am…not…,” I gasped.

  Dylan shook his head. “Dude, she’s hardly busting a sweat. She’s kicking your ass. Not only has she gone farther, she’s running faster than you. Move, man!”

  “You get up here if you think it’s so easy, Dylan! I’m trying! She’s a fucking machine!” I retorted.

  Mary fist-pumped from her place on the floor where she was watching some stupid YouTube video. “Yeah, she is! Keep going, Annalise!”

  Annalise smiled and pulled out her earbud. “What was that?”

  Mary gave her a thumbs-up. “Keep going, girl. You’re kicking his ass!”

  Pulling her eyes from Mary’s reflection in the mirror, Annalise turned to me, maintaining her pace on the treadmill. “Oh dear, Roger. You look a little red in the face. You okay?”

  “How…are you…talking so…normal?” I gasped for air between each breath.

  With a shrug, she replied, “State champ, three years running.”

  “Don’t give up, Roger!” Dylan chanted from the other side of me.

  A pain shot through my right leg. “Muscle. Cramp!”

  “No!” Dylan cried out at the same time Mary yelled, “Yes! Yes! Yes! He’s going down!”

  If I didn’t stop soon, my fate was going to be the same as the girl who had fallen on the treadmill earlier. And I would be damned if I let Annalise see that happen.

  I hit stop while Dylan cried like a baby next to me.

  “You can pay me at dinner tonight, Dylan.” Mary walked up to Annalise, who was still running, and high-fived her. “Thanks, Annalise. See you at dinner.”

  When I stepped off the treadmill, my legs felt like jelly. Dylan had to grab hold of me so I didn’t fall to the ground.

  “How long…were we running? Like, what…five? Six hours?” I asked.

  Dylan glanced at the clock on the wall and then back at me with a look of utter pity. “Almost two hours.”

  “That’s it!” I cried out as my hamstring went into a full-throttle cramp, and Dylan dropped me like a hot plate.

  “Roger!” Annalise shouted and got off the treadmill to come to my side.

  “Oh, my…God! Everything hurts! Can’t breathe…heart…attack!”

  Kneeling beside me, she rolled her eyes while she stretched my leg and said, “You need to get up.”

  “Can’t. Move.”

  “You need to get some water into you. Have you not been drinking any?”

  I opened my eyes and looked at her. She had been sweating after all, thank God. A weird sensation in my chest made my breath hitch as her eyes stared into mine. I was hit by the urge to kiss her, and I had to look away. How could a woman who just ran for two hours straight look so fucking beautiful?

  “I ran out,” I said, drawing in a deep breath while Annalise continued to stretch my leg.

  “Is the cramp gone?”

  “It is, but I feel like the second I go to stand, it’ll come back again.”

  Mary rushed back into the gym. “Here! I bought some water and Gatorade. That should help.”

  Annalise took both drinks. “Thank you, Mary.”

  I nearly drank the whole damn bottle of Gatorade after Annalise handed it to me. Her eyes went wide, and I knew she was trying to hold back a smile.

  “Take deep breaths in your nose for three seconds, then let them out for four,” she instructed.

  I did as she said, feeling better as the seconds passed by.

  “The cramp is gone.” I looked up at Dylan. “Sorry you lost, dude.”

  He glanced at Mary and smiled. “I’m not. I got myself a pretty girl for our double date tonight.”

  Frowning, I looked at Annalise. “You’re going on a date tonight?”

  She laughed. “No, Mary and Dylan invited us to eat with them tonight. You said yes.”

  “You can’t ask me questions when I’m in an exercise-induced state of confusion!” I argued.

  Her smile instantly fell, and she shrugged casually. “It’s okay, you don’t have to go. Mary’s friend Lynn will be there, as well, so it wasn’t a date on our part if that was what you were worried about.”

  “It is on ours,” Mary giggled as she and Dylan headed for the door. “It’s been fun. See you later, Annalise!”

  Annalise gave them a smile, and I was struck again by how pretty she was.

  “See ya around, Roger!” Dylan tossed over his shoulder as if we had been the best of friends forever.

  When Annalise turned back to me, her smile once again faded away. “Do you need help getting up?”

  “No,” I snapped, instantly feeling like a dick when I saw the hurt look in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’m just tired.”

  “It was a good run. You should run marathons if you don’t already.”

  I stood and shot her a weary expression. “Annalise, does it appear to you that I’m a runner? The longest I’ve ever run was three miles once, and I thought I was going to die.”

  Her smile was back, and I liked knowing I had put it there.

  “Well, it was fun,” she said. “I like a little bit of competition.”

  A thrill of excitement rushed through me. “Is that right?”

  She reached for a towel and wrapped it around her neck. “Did you want to take a shower first?”

  Being in that hotel room while knowing she was naked was not a good idea. “I’m going to do some more weights, maybe some stretching. You go on up and take your time.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “And just so you know, the front desk has my name down in case any rooms open up. I’m going to swing by and see if they have any rollaway beds.”

  “Yeah, they, um, they told me they would give one of us a call should something come open, and I asked about the rollaways. They don’t have any.”

  We both turned and looked out the window at the far end of th
e gym. The snow was coming down fast and hard.

  Annalise sighed and said, “I have a feeling we won’t be flying out tomorrow if this keeps up.”

  “Well, let’s hope it stops soon.”

  When she turned and met my gaze, something passed between us. I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it was.

  “Let’s hope,” she whispered before she grabbed her phone off the treadmill and headed toward the exit. “I’ll see you in a few.”

  “Yeah, see ya.”

  The moment Annalise left the gym, I reached for my own phone that was in the cup holder of the treadmill. I pulled up Truitt’s name and pressed Call.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” Truitt asked.

  “Things could be better. The hotel double-booked my room.”

  “What do you mean?”

  With a frustrated groan, I ran my fingers through my hair. “I mean at two in the morning, I woke up to a half-naked girl in my room. The hotel booked her in my room by mistake.”

  “Holy shit!” Truitt said, laughing. “Tell me she was pretty, at least.”

  I glanced back at the door Annalise had just walked through. “Yeah, she’s pretty alright. And a pain in the ass.”

  “Okay, why do I feel like there’s more to this story?”

  “Because there is. They don’t have any open rooms—no hotels around the airport do because of all the stranded travelers. So, we’re sharing the room.”

  The line was silent for a moment. “You’re sharing a hotel room with a stranger?”

  “Yep. A gorgeous, hot-as-hell, stubborn-woman-who-likes-competitions stranger.”

  “Do I even want to know what you’ve already challenged her to?”

  “It was just some running. The little minx didn’t tell me she’d won state in cross-country in high school and went to college on a track scholarship until after we’d made the bet.”

  Truitt laughed. “I like this girl. Where’s she from?”

  “No clue.”

  “What does she do for a living?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  With a grunt, he asked, “Do you at least know her last name?”

  “Yes, I know her last name. That’s about all I know of her, and all I care to know.”

  “Well, it looks like Chicago is getting pounded with snow, and it’s forecasted to last well into tomorrow, so you might want to get to know her a little better if y’all are gonna be bunking. I can’t wait to tell Ryan.”

  I rolled my eyes and went over to the workout bench. Ryan was one of our best friends and happened to be the brother of Truitt’s wife, Saryn.

  “Get a good kick out of it now while I’m not there.”

  “Are you sleeping on the sofa?”

  “Hell, no! It’s like a love seat. We slept in the same bed. It’s a king.”

  “Wait. You’re sleeping with a pretty—”

  “Gorgeous. And hot. Did I mention she has a fucking amazing body?”

  Truitt chuckled. “You mentioned something along those lines. Anyway, you’re sharing a bed with her?”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking. She made a pillow barrier between us. Although,” I said with a grin, “I did wake up this morning spooning her. Not sure how in the hell that happened.”

  Truitt busted out laughing. “Holy hell. You’re gonna have blue balls by the time you get back home.”

  I laughed. “Probably. Anyway, this couple invited us out to eat with them tonight. I think I might have hurt Annalise’s feelings by turning them down.”

  “Why did you turn them down?”

  Scoffing, I replied, “I don’t want her to think it’s a date.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Roger. You’re stuck in a hotel room with her. You’re never going to see her again. Why would she think it was a date?”

  I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “I don’t know. The other couple is clearly fixin’ to hook up. They met in the gym while Annalise and I were trying to see who could outrun the other.”

  “That’s kind of cool.”

  “What? That the other couple met like that?”

  “Yeah, it’s cool.”

  “If you say so.”

  I heard him sigh. “Just go to dinner. What harm is it gonna do? If you’re stuck in Chicago, you might as well deal with it and have a good time.”

  “I guess. Anyway, I’ll let you go.”

  “Roger…you know it’s okay to be attracted to someone in more than a physical way. It’s been how many years since—?”

  “Don’t. Don’t say her name, Truitt.”

  The silence over the phone was deafening.

  “That has nothing to do with this,” I continued.

  “Right. Well, hopefully, a miracle will happen, and the storm will move out, and you’ll be on your way back to Texas tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. Hopefully. Kiss the kids for me.”

  “I will. Talk to you later.”

  Hitting End, I stood and took in a few deep breaths. I would take the long way back up to our room and hope that it gave Annalise enough time to shower and change.

  “God help me,” I whispered as I headed out of the gym.

  Annalise

  IT HAD BEEN an hour since I’d left the gym. Surely Roger couldn’t still be working out? I glanced at the clock and sighed.

  I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but when Roger declined dinner, it made my heart drop with disappointment, and that had both surprised me and made me a bit angry. Not that he’d declined the dinner but the fact that his refusal hurt.

  Grabbing my purse and the hotel key, I decided to head down to the sports bar in the lobby to see about an early lunch.

  When I walked in, I noticed all the TVs had different sports games playing. High tables were spread throughout the room, with a large bar running along the back, and more TVs mounted above all the glasses and liquor.

  I decided to sit at the bar since it was just me. I drew closer but paused when I saw Roger. He was already sitting there, and next to him was a young woman. She smiled and placed her hand on his arm as she laughed. I pulled my gaze from the point of contact and cleared my throat, walking toward the opposite end of the bar. Roger hadn’t seen me, of course; he was too busy flirting with the young blonde to even notice me walk by.

  When I sat down, the good-looking, younger bartender walked up and grinned. “What can I get you?”

  “I was wondering if I could order some lunch?”

  “Of course. Let me grab you a menu. Can I start you off with a glass of wine?”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “Give me your favorite local craft beer.”

  He winked and said, “You got it.”

  I took a glance at where Roger was seated. The young woman let out another laugh at something he said, and I found myself rolling my eyes as I turned away.

  “Here’s the menu and your beer.”

  With a smile, I took the menu from the bartender. “Thank you so much. So, is this pretty normal? This snowstorm?”

  He glanced over the bar toward the large windows and doors at the front of the hotel. “I mean, we get storms, but this one is shutting down the entire city. I’m stuck here. Can’t even get home.”

  “That’s awful,” I commiserated.

  He laughed. “I’m going to guess you’re stuck here as well?”

  I nodded. “Yes. And forced to bunk with a stranger because they double-booked the room.”

  His eyes went wide. “Wow. That’s no good. They can’t find you a room anywhere?”

  Again, I shook my head. “Nope. But it’s okay, he’s pretty nice.”

  “It’s a guy? You’re staying in a hotel room with a guy you’ve never met?”

  I shrugged. “It beats sleeping in the airport.”

  He nodded. “I guess so. There are a few of us bunking in a suite. Not the best situation, but it could be worse. We could lose power.”

  “Don’t say that!” I warned, and he laughed.

  “I’ll let yo
u look at the menu. Be right back.”

  I liked the bartender’s smile, and I watched him as he walked toward the other end of the bar. The sound of a woman’s laughter pulled me from my thoughts, and I glanced over to find Roger looking at me. The young woman on his left was attempting to get his attention again, but his focus was purely on me. I smiled and held up my beer before I quickly focused on the menu.

  Something about the way he looked at me started a shiver up my back, making my body shudder.

  After deciding on what I wanted, I put the menu down and looked up at the baseball game on the TV.

  “Know what you want?” the bartender asked as he appeared in front of me.

  “Yes. The grilled chicken salad and a baked potato, loaded, please.”

  He nodded and started to walk away but then stopped and faced me. “Listen, there’s a nightclub on the top floor of the hotel. A few of us are going later. You’re more than welcome to come with me, or all of us—I mean, if you’d like to.”

  I smiled and took him in. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-three if that. Cute as hell with what looked like an amazing body. “I’m pretty sure I’m at least ten years older than you,” I stated as I picked up my beer and took a sip.

  With a shrug, he replied, “That doesn’t make you any less beautiful.”

  I could feel the heat of someone’s eyes on me and turned to see Roger staring once again.

  I dug my teeth into my lip and turned back to the bartender. What would a little harmless dancing do for one evening? I might as well have a bit of fun while I was stuck in Chicago.

  “I’ll meet you there. What time?”

  A wide smile appeared on his face. “Eleven, at the front of the club?”

  “Eleven it is,” I said with a soft laugh.

  He reached over the bar and extended his hand. “The name is Roby, by the way.”

  I shook his hand and replied, “Annalise. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Same.” With a wink, he said, “Let me go get your order in.”

  I watched Roby walk over and enter my order.

  “A little young for you, isn’t he?”

  Jumping at the sound of Roger’s voice near my ear, I turned and shot him a dirty look. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt your gawking.”