Page 98 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“Did you come over here just to make fun of me?” I asked, glaring at him.

He grinned. “That’s not why I came over, but it’s a nice bonus. Believe it or not, I want to make sure you’re okay.” Drew looked at me for a long moment. “Which you’re obviously not. Fuck this pity party. Get some fucking shoes on.”

“What?” I asked, wondering if I had misheard him.

“We’re going for a run,” he said. “No more feeling sorry for yourself and drinking. You need to get your shit together if you want your girl back.”

I stared at him. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly. Up. Now.”

“I’m drunk.”

He laughed. “And whose fault is that? You need to get that shit out of your system so you can think straight. You are a mess right now.”

“I don’t care.”

“Oh, so you don’t care about losing Victoria?” he asked. “Because that’s what I’m hearing right now. And if that’s the case, you’re being a total drama queen with all this moping.”

“I hate you,” I muttered.

He reached out a hand. I took it and allowed him to pull me to my feet. I was a little buzzed but not actually drunk.

He grinned. “There you go. Upright and everything.”

I wanted to argue, but it was easier to move on autopilot and just do what he said. I went to my room, changed into running clothes, and laced up my shoes. Maybe he was right and this was what I needed. To sweat out all the booze and misery.

We started at a moderate pace, but Drew quickly increased it. By the time we hit the second mile, I was breathing hard. Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes. My lungs burned.

“Good,” Drew said. “Get it out. All that poison.”

“Fuck you,” I managed between breaths.

I stank. I could smell the scent of liquor seeping from my pores. My body felt like it was going to melt. I was going to puke.

“I can’t,” I gasped.

“You will,” Drew said. “Keep going.”

“I’m going to throw up.”

“Keep your eye on the prize,” Drew said as we turned a corner without slowing. “Tomorrow night. The charity show. Victoria will be there. Will you?”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I was too focused on not dying.

“You’ll talk to her,” Drew continued. “Tell her the truth. That you love her.”

“I don’t love her,” I said reflexively.

“Yes, you do,” he said with a smile. “You’re just too much of a pussy to admit it to yourself. So fight for her.”

Was he right? Love didn’t happen this quickly, did it?

We ran in silence for a while, not by choice but because I couldn’t speak. Every ounce of energy was focused on not puking old scotch on my sneakers. My legs felt like jelly. My heart hammered in my chest. But the exhaustion burned away the indecision. It shut down the noise and my mind cleared.

I couldn’t let her go. The thought of saying goodbye to her made me feel like I was suffocating. She was mine. I was hers. I had to make her see that.

I increased my pace, surprising Drew. He matched me, a grin spreading across his face.