Secretly
Five
Julie looked over at the man sleeping next to her. Mike had come to visit after she’d been in Chicago for two weeks. She loved him. Or she thought she did.
But this whole long distance thing wasn’t working out for her. She knew that wasn’t a good enough reason to break up with him, which is why she didn’t say anything when she’d first moved here. But after being apart for two weeks, instead of missing Mike, she was just worried.
Worried that he wasn’t being honest. Plus, she’d snooped, even though she tried not to, and all the texts from Mike’s ex weren’t promising. If she brought it up, they would fight and get nowhere. And she knew that if she didn’t trust him fully, then this relationship wasn’t going to go anywhere.
She decided then and there that she would end things.
As soon as he woke up.
She glanced at the clock. It was only four thirty in the morning. He’d be out for another couple hours.
Not wanting to wait around, Julie decided to go for a run. She’d hadn’t had one since moving here, since she wasn’t familiar with the streets and the whole getting lost and raped thing.
She put on running shorts and an Under Armor tank top. She pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail and slipped out of her apartment. The crisp October air bit her cheeks and stung her eyes, but it felt good to be outside.
She ran, and was feeling strangely calm despite having decided to break up with Mike. Chicago was a new start, and she would not be bogged down by anything.
Except getting lost.
It was her worse nightmare. And she had nothing with her. She’d even abandoned her iPod, opting instead for the sounds of nature. If only those sounds could take her home.
She knew she was in Millennium Park. That much was clear. She’d been running for a good half hour, so she couldn’t be that far. Except all the streets sounded familiar, yet she didn’t recognize any of them.
She’d never been good with directions. In fact, she was terrible.
She was running around Cloud Gate and turning this way and that, trying to read the street signs.
She knew she should have slowed down, but she was panicking.
And then she slammed into a rock hard wall and was thrown backwards.
This was it, she thought. This is what it’s like to be attacked. It was so early, there wasn’t anyone else around except for the lone jogger, but they all knew where they were going.
She heard a grunt and then a thud as her assailant hit the ground.
“I am so sorry,” Julie cried, still remembering her manners and trying to get up and wincing from the pain in her elbows and knees. She’d skinned all four joints from the fall.
Fantastic.
The person she’d crashed into got up the same time she did, and she realized who it was.
“Are you okay?” It was Jonathan. Toes of something like that. Julie hadn’t talked to him or his friend
Patrick since the old fart disaster.
He seemed to remember this the same time she did and looked slightly flustered. When he noticed her bleeding joints, he cringed.
“I’m fine,” she replied, ignoring the stinging. “Are you okay?”
“I’m definitely better than you are,” he said, nodding to her knees, which were starting to bleed.
“Here, let me help.”
“I’m sorry.” She said, taking his arm as he led her to a bench. “I was trying to get home but I’m kind of lost.”
“You mean Trump International?” Jonathan asked, pointing at the massive structure not so far from where they were. “Right there?”
She looked exasperated. The last thing she needed was him mocking her. “Yes, I can see it. But I don’t know how to get there.”
He laughed at her stubbornness. “It’s fine, I was just headed there. I can lead the way.”
She agreed and got up, only to sit back down. The scrapes were really bleeding now, and the stinging had increased.
“We should clean you up, first. Here, I’m right over there.”
And before Julie knew what was happening, Jon had led her away from the park and they were heading towards another building. It was a large but modest brick building located on the opposite side of Trump International.
“Wait,” she interrupted before they entered, wary. “Don’t you live with Patrick?”
He shook his head. “Nope. This is me.”
But this whole long distance thing wasn’t working out for her. She knew that wasn’t a good enough reason to break up with him, which is why she didn’t say anything when she’d first moved here. But after being apart for two weeks, instead of missing Mike, she was just worried.
Worried that he wasn’t being honest. Plus, she’d snooped, even though she tried not to, and all the texts from Mike’s ex weren’t promising. If she brought it up, they would fight and get nowhere. And she knew that if she didn’t trust him fully, then this relationship wasn’t going to go anywhere.
She decided then and there that she would end things.
As soon as he woke up.
She glanced at the clock. It was only four thirty in the morning. He’d be out for another couple hours.
Not wanting to wait around, Julie decided to go for a run. She’d hadn’t had one since moving here, since she wasn’t familiar with the streets and the whole getting lost and raped thing.
She put on running shorts and an Under Armor tank top. She pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail and slipped out of her apartment. The crisp October air bit her cheeks and stung her eyes, but it felt good to be outside.
She ran, and was feeling strangely calm despite having decided to break up with Mike. Chicago was a new start, and she would not be bogged down by anything.
Except getting lost.
It was her worse nightmare. And she had nothing with her. She’d even abandoned her iPod, opting instead for the sounds of nature. If only those sounds could take her home.
She knew she was in Millennium Park. That much was clear. She’d been running for a good half hour, so she couldn’t be that far. Except all the streets sounded familiar, yet she didn’t recognize any of them.
She’d never been good with directions. In fact, she was terrible.
She was running around Cloud Gate and turning this way and that, trying to read the street signs.
She knew she should have slowed down, but she was panicking.
And then she slammed into a rock hard wall and was thrown backwards.
This was it, she thought. This is what it’s like to be attacked. It was so early, there wasn’t anyone else around except for the lone jogger, but they all knew where they were going.
She heard a grunt and then a thud as her assailant hit the ground.
“I am so sorry,” Julie cried, still remembering her manners and trying to get up and wincing from the pain in her elbows and knees. She’d skinned all four joints from the fall.
Fantastic.
The person she’d crashed into got up the same time she did, and she realized who it was.
“Are you okay?” It was Jonathan. Toes of something like that. Julie hadn’t talked to him or his friend
Patrick since the old fart disaster.
He seemed to remember this the same time she did and looked slightly flustered. When he noticed her bleeding joints, he cringed.
“I’m fine,” she replied, ignoring the stinging. “Are you okay?”
“I’m definitely better than you are,” he said, nodding to her knees, which were starting to bleed.
“Here, let me help.”
“I’m sorry.” She said, taking his arm as he led her to a bench. “I was trying to get home but I’m kind of lost.”
“You mean Trump International?” Jonathan asked, pointing at the massive structure not so far from where they were. “Right there?”
She looked exasperated. The last thing she needed was him mocking her. “Yes, I can see it. But I don’t know how to get there.”
He laughed at her stubbornness. “It’s fine, I was just headed there. I can lead the way.”
She agreed and got up, only to sit back down. The scrapes were really bleeding now, and the stinging had increased.
“We should clean you up, first. Here, I’m right over there.”
And before Julie knew what was happening, Jon had led her away from the park and they were heading towards another building. It was a large but modest brick building located on the opposite side of Trump International.
“Wait,” she interrupted before they entered, wary. “Don’t you live with Patrick?”
He shook his head. “Nope. This is me.”