Uncorked

    He jogged in place at the traffic light, waiting for the cars to come to a stop. This was normal. He was patient, most of the time. Running this same route had become a daily routine since moving to Maryland. He picked up his pace crossing the street. He wasn't sure if this was a nervous morning habit to keep him from dwelling on his problems or if he truly enjoyed the morning runs. Either way, he was getting his runners high in before he started the real work at the office. A short woman stared up at his tall six-foot frame as he listened to the music emitting from his earbuds. Crossing Pennsylvania Ave NW onto 12 th St NW passing the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to his left. His goal was to run past the Smithsonian Museum, sloping down the path to the Washington Monument. The same route every day, for the last year.     He ran his hand across his face, whipping the sweat on his shorts. The climate of Maryland was very different than what he used to in Louisiana. At times he found himself missing his home state. If anything, he truly missed the encompassing heat Louisiana brought him throughout the day. Unfortunately, being here always felt like sweater weather to him, the sweat cooling on his back, even in this August's so-called "heat." August was only beginning, but Matthew R. Larsen absolutely hated the cold and was quick to complain once he felt a chill set into his bones. Matt moved to Maryland about a year ago and he still hasn’t acclimated to the temperature changes of his new home yet.     He passed a Starbucks with a morning rush line coming out the door, watching as a woman on her phone almost walked into a bike courier. Living here felt foreign to him, he felt out of place, and it didn't really feel like home. He wasn't sure if it ever was. However, his job required him to work here so he could be called in whenever he was needed. He was often brought in to do grunt work since he was still considered a rookie with the bureau, and his regular partner was away on an undercover mission. He was grounded until further notice. Worst case scenario, he would be assigned a new partner to get back into the field before he got rusty. There were only so many practice routines one man could go through over and over again before the training exercises patterns became monotonous.     For Matt, getting a new partner wasn’t exactly appealing. He followed his best friend to Maryland, who suggested the job in the first place. They grew up together in Louisiana. His partner's father was stationed there with the Air Force. Though after seven great years together he moved away when his father was reassigned. They ended up moving quite frequently and he wasn't sure at the time if he would ever see him again. They wrote each other letters and called often to keep in touch. Even when he followed his father's footsteps, into the military, he still reached out to Matt when he could. He still had those letters boxed up today. Even at times when it became difficult to contact each other, they both managed to never fall out of touch.     A vibration in his pocket knocked him out of his stride, he felt his phone ring and he stared down seeing the light flashing through the fabric of his gray joggers, slowing down. It was her again. She called him when she needed to talk or complain about something. And lately, she was calling a lot. Sometimes he felt like their arrangement was becoming more like a relationship, which he wasn't really a fan of. It was starting to become a nuisance for him, considering their history. He pulled the phone out of his pocket trying not to snag the cord of his earbuds on the way.     slowed his run since he was no longer looking forward, keeping an eye out for pedestrians crossing his path. He swiped his thumb across the phone, rejecting the call and letting it go to voice-mail before he pocketed it again. He sped up, taking even breaths as he followed the path, bobbing slightly to the music. He was now on Constitution Ave NW heading into The Ellipse. He nodded to the jogger passing. He figured he would make this run a little longer since he kept getting calls. Calls that kept him off his pace, as he kept on rejecting them. Of course, he could have used a treadmill at the office but it felt so superficial. He took a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the smell of the trees and the scent he had yet to identify, that just made him think of Maryland and his time here. Running out in the open felt real, more challenging to him, and he would take it any day over a machine that dictates the speed he runs at. There is also the plus side, the sight of trees and flowers was more soothing for him than watching men sweat in the gym trying to ‘outman’ each other. At times he felt like he could taste the testosterone radiating off of their bodies as they worked out in the gym.     A man joined him on his right. He already had a decent sheen to his face as he ran, he must have entered the Ellipse from just behind him. Matt could see the other man's mouth moving from the corner of his eyes but he didn't really care to pull out his earbuds to listen. Matt was in a zone and no one was going to pull him out of it this time. He sped up slightly, breathing harder. He was sick of interruptions. He was hoping that eventually, Trevor, his only real friend in the bureau since his partner left, would realize that he should just shut up and run in silence next to him. He was probably just whining that his latest lay didn’t call him back. For a man, he gushed harder than any woman Matt had ever known. It was no hidden secret that Trevor was a sensitive soul. He was a good man but he could talk your ear off.   A hard tug pulled him out of his reprieve.     “Matt! Dude! I'm trying to talk to ya here! First, you ditch me at the light a few blocks back and I had to bust my ass to catch up to you again. You said you would listen to me. Is there something you need to talk about? You seem lost in your head today. If there is, I'm here man, just talk away. I swear you would be less on edge if you just opened up to somebody.”     “Naw, I was just really enjoying my run and I liked that song." He said in his New Orleans English drawl. He yanked his earbuds back, tucking them into his pocket, "Go on." He gestured to the other man with a smirk.     “You gonna do a brotha’ like that huh?” Trevor was just an inch over six feet tall and had a very deep complexion. There's no denying the fact that he was a very attractive man. He could walk into any bar and grab any woman he wanted. Hell, he made Matt want to question his own sexuality some days. Sometimes, Matt wished he had as much charisma as Trevor. It would make catching women easier that’s for sure. Maybe if he had a bit more of that he would believe he was worth more than just her. That he deserved someone better than her.     "You need to stop falling in love with these 'perfect' women, bro. A 10 isn't always the best. It’s not worth it. Just stay single, it's easier, trust me.” Matt shook his head with a flat look, rounding the first half of the Ellipse with Trevor running in sync next to him.     "I'm not falling in love, you have that wrong, man. Just, she said she had an amazing night. You think she would just text or somethin’. Why do we have to do all of the calling? That’s all I’m saying." He shrugged, catching up to Matt better.     “You just picked her up last night, give it a few days I’m sure she has a day job too.” Matt’s gaze drifted back down to his phone and hardened. He sighed as he pulled it out of his pocket again. She never stopped calling.          “Matt, just answer the phone man, every day you go through this, you should just answer her already. She followed you here to be with you, right? Sounds like marriage material to me, Larsen.”     “It’s complicated.” Matt rejected the call again.     "Why don't you just break it off with her if you don't want to be serious with her? She obviously wants you, bro."     “It’s complicated.” He put his phone back into his pocket and resumed his normal pace once again.     "What happened between you back home, that your heart is so closed off to this beautiful girl who is crazy about you?" Matt snorted at the comment, “I wouldn’t call her beautiful.”     “Now, you’re just being cruel. I’d definitely take her out on a date.”     "I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. One day I'll tell you, over beers, okay?"     “As long as you’re buyin’ I’m game. Make it a couple of shots too.” Trevor laughed finishing the Ellipse with Matt, heading towards George Washington's Monument.     The rest of their jog was in silence, except for the occasional exchanges of comments and questions. They finished their nine-mile run together, meeting back at the J.Edgar Hoover Building, the home of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where both Matt and Trevor worked. They headed to their lockers pulling towels out to dry their faces. The locker room was slightly busier than normal, with people removing sweaty gear and pulling out nice dress shirts. Everyone must have decided today was a good day to work out. He was increasingly relieved that he ran outside of the office. Not wanting to be surrounded by the constant chatter of coworkers. The only thing that interested him in the gym was the boxing ring. He did some boxing beginning back in his school days. He tossed his shirt into his gym bag. It brought back fond memories for him. It was the best way to work out aggression quickly. He was always short-tempered and fast to throw the first punch. After getting kicked out of middle school for multiple fights his father decided it was time to enroll him into some boxing classes. He was trying desperately to bring some discipline to his son, who was getting out of control. For Matt, they were fond memories of the time he and his father spent together.     Matt caught himself smiling as he remembered his father in the ring as he gave him lessons. He shut his locker door wiping the sweat off of the back of his neck, getting ready to hit the shower. He looked down at the bench as his phone started going off again. He picked up his phone and rejected the call once more deciding to throw her a text saying that he was at work, couldn’t talk, to stop calling him, and wasting his battery.     Matt could tell this was going to be another very…very long day.