Out of My Element Read Online Free PDF Page B

eating. Shrugging, I went back to basking in the sweet heaven that was
stuffed between two buns on my plate.

Chapter 7
     
    Chelsea
    I glanced at my watch again. 5:15.
He was late. I finished stretching and stood up, swinging my arms back and
forth. The more I’d gotten to know him, the more I saw a different side of him.
I was honestly enjoying the time we spent together, and it was nice to see that
my impression on him from the wedding was wrong. Well, to an extent anyway. He
was someone I could see myself spending time with, but I wasn’t planning on
throwing myself at him again.
    I took a large cleansing breath and
set off, running at a steady pace, enjoying the crisp morning air against my
face.
    “Chelsea, wait!” I turned around to
see a frazzled Nick running my way. “I’m sorry. My alarm didn’t go off,” he
panted.
    I couldn’t help but feel elated
that he had, indeed, shown up. “Did you stretch, Nick?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    “Go ahead, I’ll wait for you.” I
smiled at his relief and looked off toward the river while I waited
    “Okay, I’m ready. Don’t kill me,”
he joked as we set off along the trail.
    “I figure we will go four miles
today and then six tomorrow.”
    “Six? Shit, Chelsea, I almost died
after five,” he scoffed.
    “Good grief, you didn’t almost die,
Nick. Stop being a drama queen. Just focus on your breathing. Breathe in for a
three count and out for a three count.” I smiled as I continued to watch him
concentrate. He didn’t give himself enough credit. He was in much better shape
than most people. You had to be to run up and down the soccer field for an
entire game.
    Our run flew by, and Nick almost
couldn’t believe we had gone four miles.
    “That wasn’t too bad,” he said as
he swung his arms back and forth.
    We helped each other stretch and
walked to the coffee shop again. I insisted on paying this time, while Nick
grabbed us a table by the window.
    “I have a soccer game this evening,
if you can make it.” He took a drink of his water as he looked at me with a
hopeful expression.
    “I’d love to watch you play.” I
grinned. It would be fun to see him in action, playing the game that seemed to
evoke such a passionate response in him.
    “Great! If I get a ride from one of
the guys, would you want to go for a bite to eat after the game, and then drop
me at my place?” He finished his water and replaced the cap. I watched as he
rolled it nervously between his hands, waiting for my answer. He was so unsure
of himself sometimes, almost like a little boy needing approval.
    “Sounds perfect. If you win your
game, I’ll buy dinner; but if you lose, dinner is on you, baby.” I
winked.
    He hesitated. “Wait, why would I
buy if I lose? Isn’t that like adding insult to injury? Shit, Chelsea, why
don’t you just kick me while I’m down?” He did his best to look wounded.
    “Maybe, but I don’t want to spend a
perfectly good evening watching you play a half-assed game of soccer. If you
lose, you will have to make it up to me with dinner,” I teased.
    “You are a cruel woman, Chelsea.”
He shook his head in mock disgust as he lightly kicked my foot under the table.
    “Well, don’t lose and it won’t even
be an issue.” I giggled.
    “I’ll do my best,” he said as we
stood to leave. “So I’ll see you later then?”
    “I wouldn’t miss it, my friend!” I
gave him a quick hug and walked back to my car.
    ***
    Nick was incredible on the field.
He aggressively went after the ball and always seemed to be in the right place
at the right time.
    He was truly a sight to behold as
he moved around the field. The muscles in his legs bulged as he ran, stopped
and pivoted around the other players. He was so focused, and I could feel the
passion and love of the game through him.
    I sprung out of my seat, cheering
as he took possession of the ball, dribbling it down the field as he passed it
back and forth between his teammates. He lined himself up