- Luca
I had caught her.
The treadmill kept spinning like it wanted blood, the belt still moving even after Aria’s foot slipped.
Her body pitched forward, arms flailing, breath torn out of her lungs in a sharp, broken gasp.
My reflexes beat my thoughts.
One second, I was crossing the gym, the next, my hands were locked around her waist, dragging her back against my chest as the machine screeched to a stop.
Her pulse slammed under my palms. Like she’d been running from something that wasn’t the treadmill at all.
“Aria—”
“Let go.”
She peeled my hands off her like they burned, stepping away before I could even say her name again.
Her ponytail was matted to the back of her neck, and her shirt was soaked with sweat. She wouldn't even look my way.
“I’m fine,” s
