STARTER:Â @gabriela-bourbonâ
Running had been a part of her routine for almost eighteen months now, progressing from being out of breath one mile in, to running twenty a week; it wasnât easy, but she broke every rule in the female book and turned her headphones all the way up, going off the path and trusting in Pike to alert her to anything, or anyone that meant harm. Her four-year-old German Shepherd looked more intimidating than he was, but beneath the mound of fur and muscle, Pike was won over by a simple head scratch and chicken, of course.
This was their first run back since she had returned from Greece, a vacation where she ate too much and did too little. She needed it, they needed it â A true break from the grief and intensity that had been the past six months, the first vacation they had been on in years. With Pike by her side, she made progress to the tenth kilometre around the lake, a beautiful distraction from the crippling jet lag that spurred her on to move faster. She turned the music up louder, running to victory, running to kick start her week, faster, louder, quicker â âKahretsin ⌠fuckâ Keeling over to catch her breath and nurse the stitch that shot up her side, Alara looked around for Pike who was growling towards a woman.
From the moment her breath caught up, Aly struggled to see who it was and pulled her headphones out to rush toward her dog. âPike, hey itâs okayââ She whispered, reassuring him that he could stand down. âShh, itâs okay. Sheâs not doing anything, itâs okay.â With a loving rub slowly up and down his neck, Pikeâs ears flopped downwards again and the growling dog, âGood boy, seeâ Good boy, itâs okayâŚâ
Once pike was settled, she reached into the pouch strapped around her waist and pulled out a water bottle and dog bag. Pouring some out for him, Alara looked up to the woman and squinted her eyes, the sun blocking her view for a few more seconds. âIâm sorry, did he scare you?â She winced as the stitch refused to fade and then, the woman came into view. âI was mugged when he was a puppââ But her voice trailed off and Pike laid down, Aly standing up again to take a long, deep breath in. âHiâŚâ She was breathless, face-to-face with the woman that had dated Colt while they werenât together.
Its been days now that she has been arguing back and forth with her parents on the phone. One day it is her father and another day his her mother. Both of them trying to convince her back to Mexico to take things over, or the learn their ways of business. And Gabriela is just holding her ground telling them she has literally no interest. Both agree that they regret sending her off to United States to get an education, and saying that she is trying to be American and achieve the whole American dream when she has it back at home. What they fail to realize that this is now her home. Not that Mexico City isnât her home, it was just her past. She had made her friends here, became family to the horses she had. Her happiness was here despite everything was going to shit. 30 years old, no husband and no children? Her cousins were well already married with plenty of children by her age. And her parents made it seem like that wasnât her common goal. Of course it was. If she can just craft a man and make him her husband just sounded like a fantasy. And Gabriela was a realist. The real problem is, she was just so picky. But her choice in men in the past really shows her standards and taste and it was red flags all over.Â
She was yelling over the phone, marching down the dirt path not even caring if people around her can hear her, let alone understand her with the speed of Spanish she was speaking. Surely people know the handful of swear words in Spanish, it was obvious that it wasnât a pleasant conversation. Upon her walk, she had bumped into a woman and her dog, and when the dog began to bark at her and go towards her, Gabriela immediately panicked from being startled and dropped her phone. Though, never having a dog before, she wouldnât say she wasnât a dog person. When she collected herself, she bent down to pick up her phone and watched as the woman controlled her dog. Gabriela looked up at the woman in front of her, and immediately was stuck were she stood. She definitely knew this woman, but it was the first time to actually see her in person. The very woman that Colt has been head over heels for, desperately in love but kept fucking up. The woman that had his heart entirely and hers had to break because of her. She said hello back but it was in Spanish, and quickly corrected herself. âI think I scared your dog due to my very loud phone conversation.â
Well, he definitely has a type. She thought to herself. Or is his type influenced by her? Kill her with kindness, she also thought. So, the dark-haired woman forced a friendly smile. âI suspected that we would eventually bump into each other eventually. Given how small towns work. Iâm Gabriela.âÂ
