Stacia ran down the park path. She'd made two circuits of the park so far, and barely felt tired. What progress! When she'd started running a few months earlier, she'd had trouble making it once around.
When Stacia was in her zone, she often didn't notice other people. But it was hard to miss the footsteps behind her, especially when the owner of them caught up and ran beside her. A tall man with blonde hair and a perfect face marred only by a small scar beside his mouth. "Nice day for it," he said.
"It's always a nice day for running," Stacia replied.
"I know you think so. I see you here almost every day."
"You do?" Stacia glanced at him again from the corner of her eye. He was certainly attractive, the kind of man she ordinarily would have enjoyed attention from. But something about him tripped her radar. "What do you do, spy on me?"
"Something like that," the man replied, his grin making a joke of the statement. "I'm Roy, by the way."
"Stacia. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Mind if I run with you for a while? It's nice to have company."
Stacia did mind. Running for her was a solo pastime, something to get her away from other people. A moving meditation, in a way. That was why she came to the park right after work, when it was likely to be mostly empty. But she didn't want to be rude. "That's fine."
They ran along the path together. Roy seemed to recognize Stacia's desire for quiet; he didn't speak again until they completed the circuit. Stacia jogged to a nearby bench and put her leg up on the seat for her cool-down stretching. "That was invigorating," Roy said.