Seeing as the original chapter 5 has been bugged -- all that remains of it is a single sentence -- I have decided to reupload it. Luckily, I managed to find it on a secondary hard drive. This is it in its entirety, and I hope you good readers enjoy it!
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Helena ran. Her strides were long, and small rocks and branches crunched beneath her soles with every step. The green shadow of the forest engulfed her, trees rushing past her on both sides of the path. Her breathing was loud and focused as her lungs worked like bellows to keep her going. She could feel sweat run down into her eyebrows and into her eyes. Helena raised her hand to wipe away the stinging sensation without slowing down. She focused on her breathing. In and out, inhale and exhale. The wind in her hair was warm. Helena ran as if all the demons of hell were after her, and she pushed herself to her limit and even beyond it. Only then, when her body was crying out for respite, did she slow down.
The forest was beautiful. Shafts of sunlight where seeping down through the lush canopies, forming bright patches on the ground beneath and formed bright patches on the ground. Birds were in the trees, singing and chirping to their hearts content. The air was permeated with the rich, earthy smell of damp soil and everything that lives and grows at the height of summer. Helena slowed her run down to a jog while catching her breath. Her heart was still pounding like crazy and she felt her pulse burn in her temples. She was sweating too, a fine layer of it already covering her body. In her defence it was not only due to her being a little out of shape. The air was warm and the sun, even if obscured by the trees, was hot. Even in the shade she could feel it warm her body. Still, the lack of regular workouts in the past month probably contributed to her getting tired quicker.
The combination of heat and sweat made her workout clothes cling closely to her body. Helena could not help but to notice how her grey tank top glued on to the shape of her bust and bra, accentuating their form while simultaneously leaving a good chunk of her neckline and upper back bare and glistening. The black shorts with the white stripes on either side were made from some synthetic material and thus did not stick, but she could not completely shake the impression that they were more form-fitting than usual, not to mention that they left such an indecent amount of her long legs and shapely - if she dared say so herself - thighs bare. It was strange - she had never considered her workout gear so revealing before. But after that morning a few days ago when she had laid on the ground, shorts at her knees and tank top pulled up to her throat, she had no choice but to view them in a new light. She had made sure to wash them thoroughly after that first encounter, but even though clean, it was impossible to forget how dirty they had been from forest soil. Or how permeated they had been with sweat and the head-spinning scents of fucking bodies.
Helena looked over her shoulder. The forest path behind her was deserted. It twisted and turned through the uneven forest terrain and made it hard to see very far, but she was sure there was no one close. When she had gone for her morning run (or late to early lunchtime run, considering how long she had slept) she had barely seen anyone else. Twenty minutes back she had passed someone walking their dog, but that was it. Out here only the birds kept her company. It suited her fine, really. She did not mind working out alone - it made it easier to focus. But that did not mean that she did not try to imagine what it would be like if she saw Him. When she came to a particularly sharp turn of the path or climbed a slope she could almost imagine that it was there he would appear. Tall. Dark. His muscular body squeezed into a formfitting tank top and shorts which would leave his arms and calves bare. His black skin would be glistening in the sunlight. Helena was not sure what she would do if she really did run into him, so perhaps it was for the best that that they did not meet out here on this lonely forest road. But she still thought about it.
She adopted a quicker pace again, trying to clear her head from unnecessary thoughts. Right now she had to focus on making the ten-kilometre run without getting lazy and slowing down to a walk. She had already been disregarding her workout routine this vacation, and she would be damned if she continued in the same fashion. Being lazy was all fun and games, but it would be anything but fun to try and get back into regular running and workout when she and her family returned to regular city life. Helena was not a training freak, but she did try to keep herself in good shape. She was definitively not ready to give up and become old yet, and to do that she had to stay active. Her brain proved yet again to be uncooperative and decided to flood itself with a series of lewd images. Helena was on her back, legs stretched wide, clinging on to dear life as Jack fucked her. She was on her side, one leg raised to allow him access from behind. Then she was on her knees, her entire body trembling as he mounted her from behind. Active sex is also a workout, and she had been busy. Helena cursed herself and kept running, hoping to tire herself out and thus take her mind out of the gutter.
It had been very, very late when Helena finally made her way home. She and Jack had parted as they left the forest, and when she snuck her way inside the cottage she had been exhausted. Somehow she had managed to quietly strip out of her sweat-soaked and sand-covered dress and hidden it under the bed, promising herself to personally wash it when she woke up. Taking a well-needed shower would have been too loud, but she had still rinsed herself off as well as she could, brushing the worst of the sand out of her hair and into the bathroom sink. Lars had slept like a log, and the moment Helena had joined him beneath the blankets she had turned into one as well. She should still have been exhausted come morning. Several nights of little sleep should have taken their rightful toll. She even overslept, having to be woken up as the others were preparing to have breakfast. And yet after having eaten and drunk a cup of coffee, she did not feel the exhaustion. The tiredness and soreness in her body were nowhere to be found. Instead she was coursing with energy and strength. When she had gone running she had picked one of the longer forest paths, expecting and hoping that it would provide a good, tiring challenge. But she handled it well, all things considered. She did not feel tired. She did not feel the need to stop and take a breather. She felt that she could keep running forever.
So she ran, gaining kilometre after kilometre. The path began at the road leading to the lake, and from there it led her in a wide bow around it before finally leading back to the cottage settlement. Soon enough Helena was treading familiar ground. The forest became sparser and lighter as she approached civilisation, and finally the trees parted completely, leaving her at the edge of the field. Beyond the tall, uncut grass she could see the first of the settlement streets. The sun, shining down through a cover of clouds, bathed it all in bright light, making the golden ball on top of one of the neighbours' flagpole burn brightly. The flag itself was limp, however, barely moving in the still air. Helena stopped, put her hands on her hips and took a couple of deep breaths, waiting for her pulse to return to normal. Filled with energy or not, it was still a good run. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and squinted as she scanned the street. It was quiet. A few cars stood parked at the cottage driveways or along the road itself, but she saw no people for the high hedges surrounding most of the houses. Before continuing Helena made sure to stretch, and her muscles responded with pleasant soreness. It would be great if she could make these types of runs a routine in her life. When she returned to the office and her share of housekeeping she would have less time over, but perhaps she could squeeze something into her schedule. Straightening herself and rolling her shoulders Helena headed across the field, the tall grass tickling her bare calves. Moving some loose strands of blonde hair from her face Helena looked up at the sky. It was not noon yet, but the day was promising to be hot.
As she crossed the street her eyes wandered along the sun-warmed asphalt up to house No 6. That one. The big dirt driveway was almost empty. A few days ago it had been full and several cars had been forced to stand along the roadside, but now it seemed that the majority of the party-goers had left and only two vehicles remained. Helena had almost walked out of sight of the driveway when she saw a familiar figure going towards it behind the yard fence. She stopped and looked. Jack walked up to the car parked closest to the street and opened it with his key. He was wearing sunshades, and when he looked up Helena was at first not sure if he had seen her. But then he too seemed to freeze. For a few seconds they wordlessly stared at each other. Helena's heart began beating faster again, now with worry. She quickly looked over shoulder, scanning up and down the street to make sure that there was no one to witness them. It was still empty. Jack too cast a few looks around and then began walking towards her. Helena did not move. This she had not been prepared for, and now her brain had decided to lock up on her. Thanks brain. Jack stopped a few steps away from her. He wore khaki shorts and a t-shirt, and the contrast between the white fabric and his ebony skin was as sharp as night and day. Helena's eyes slowly rose to his face. A ray of sunlight was dancing on top of his perfectly shaven head.
"Have you been out running?"
No greetings, no inquiries about how she was, nothing. Just a question, calmly spoken in that deep bass voice of his.
"Yeah." Helena realized that she was mumbling and quickly strengthened her voice. "I have."
"I really should have gone running too earlier." he said. "But I didn't get my ass in gear. My bad."
She gestured at the car key in his hand. "Where are you going?"
"Into town. There are a few things I need. I rather get them now than when I'm driving home."
