The Running Partner

"I'm sorry." she said, and I begged for the chance to tell her it was okay. "I shouldn't have done that." There was a shakiness in her voice and I didn't have the experience or confidence to tell her she should have. That she was right to kiss me. That we both wanted this. "Adam, I'm not willing to give this up." She was talking about our friendship as much as it stung. "There's too much history. I need you to be my friend. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. I understand." It was all I could muster.

"I want to see you in a couple of days, as planned. This doesn't change anything for us." She had calmed down and the strength in her voice returned.

I agreed and promised her I would be there. We were drunk and it was an innocent mistake. We said our goodbyes and I walked slowly down the path towards the street in front of her house. Inside me I fought the temptation to turn around and kiss her again. Another part of me wondered if I should look back and catch her eye and maybe something would change. It felt like this was my only chance to show her how much she meant to me. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

But I just kept walking and once I was out of her vision I started to run. I didn't feel those earlier 13.1 miles for a second of the 25 minutes run home. My heart pounded and my lips tingled but nothing else felt a thing.

**

The next morning my place was freezing. I had completely forgotten my parents were away for the night and so the heating hadn't been on at all the previous day. I was too drunk to notice when I got back the night before. The hangover didn't sting too much thankfully, and some warm breakfast set me on the right path.

I didn't know what to do about the kiss. I barely said a word in the moments afterwards while she let me down gently, so was there any point in shooting her a text now? But she kissed me first. There was no question I wanted it a long time before her but over the months we became friends she started to want it as well and then she did it. She kissed me.

The honest truth was that she was probably just drunk, a little bit lonely and a little bit horny and despite all of that she still had the self-control to stop something that would be a terrible mistake. Perhaps she had saved our friendship and would a drunken fumble in bed have been worth losing that? I would rather be friends than a regret. I accepted defeat and took the day to compose myself. I had every intention of being there the next morning to train with her and I confirmed my attendance when she text me later than evening.

We met up in our usual spot on a frosty morning about 32 hours after our kiss. Having seen some ice on the pavements outside my window after waking I wondered if she might delay until the next day but the sun came out and started a slight melt that quenched that thought.

It didn't feel too awkward as I approached her. "It's a gloves kind of day." I said, holding up my hands to which she quickly did the same. That was an understatement. We were both wrapped up in full running tracksuits with the thicker winter socks, the previously mentioned gloves and woolly hats on top.

"I wanted to stay in bed." she muttered, and that came as a little bit of surprise. Usually she was good to go no matter the weather. So maybe she wasn't as ready to face me yet as she thought, but whatever it was she was here and we were handling it just fine. Today's plan was a very light jog anyway, a quick 5 kilometres as a reward for surviving the half marathon. Though it was taken at a talking pace we were mostly quiet as the harsh winds stung our faces and left my nose and cheeks numb.

When training came to a close she gave me a ride home and kept it to small talk in the car. Our next two sessions followed a similar pattern. Friendly, but quieter than usual. And then a week after the kiss she missed a session, messaging me last minute without much explanation. I worried if that was the start of the end but later in the evening she rearranged for the next day.

It was another cold one, but it wasn't a gloves day. When she saw me she smiled and there seemed to be a spring in her step. I had barely arrived on the scene when she held her phone up my way, showing me a picture on the screen, a huge happy grin on her face. I leaned forward, holding a hand over my eyes to block out the low winter sun and saw a little baby girl curled up in a ball. "Oh wow!" I exclaimed. "Congratulations."

"I know!" Her excitement was palpable. "She is so perfect and tiny. She was three weeks early but she is healthy." She had stopped showing me the picture and was staring at it herself now, eyes sparkling. "She just really wanted to meet me."

"That sounds about right." I said with a laugh. "At least I know why you cancelled now. I'm really happy for all of you. That's so amazing."

"It was a long day in the hospital but I was still keen to get out for a run. I'll go and visit later today. It will be a little while before they can bring her home so lots of back and forth." It was clear how happy she was, the joy so evident in her voice and it warmed my heart. We had made it a little awkward for ourselves but if this was proof of anything it was that I wouldn't give up this friendship for anything.

"You can take some time off if you want." I reminded her. There was no reason to exhaust herself when she had so much reason to be elsewhere.

"I'm not stopping so you're not either." she said. "Stop trying to find an excuse to rest. There is no rest!"

I laughed and joined her in some stretches. "If you say so, grandma."

She scowled at me, before falling into the happiest smile. "You're lucky that's literal."

We finished our stretches and got back on the grind and before long we were catching our breath by her car ready for the ride back to our respective homes. Once inside she continued with her grandchild onslaught. "She was almost 7 pounds which is great considering she came a little early. The labour was 8 hours, did I already say that? I was there when she was born. She is so perfect. Her name is Annie by the way, isn't that gorgeous? Ellie and Annie. I love it so much."

I couldn't stop smiling as she spoke. Her joy made me happy and it was great to see her beaming and unable to stop herself from going on and on through sheer glee. I watched her so intently that I didn't notice she failed to stop at the top of my road like usual. "Where are we going?" I asked when I finally cottoned on.

"We are going to my house and we are going to talk." she informed me, and it seemed serious.

"Okay." I said, looking at the road in front of me and feeling my stomach churn at the thought of it. I had started to believe this would never come and now felt entirely unprepared for it.

"Don't worry, we're just talking. You don't have to stress out." she carried on, and this time her tone felt more casual and it brought my back from my momentary feeling of dread.

"I'm not stressing." I lied, but there was an added tension to the rest of the drive. Once we made it back to the scene of our first kiss I felt some butterflies in my stomach because I'm an idiot and then I reentered the house I lost my virginity in for the first time in years. It was nice and warm when we got in. Lizzie had left the heating on during the run. She popped off her hat and pulled a bobble out of her hair which had been tied up underneath, letting it fall back down to her shoulders. She took off her jacket and then shoes too, so I followed her example. I didn't know how long I would be here but may as well make myself at home in a home that I once spent so much of my time in.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked and I gladly accepted a cold glass of water, following her to the kitchen. Very little seemed to have changed. "Hungry?" was the next question, but the answer was no for that one. She had on a 1/4 zip long sleeve running top that was form fitting and so flattering.

"Damn, this really is a bit weird." I said, taking in the sights as we walked into the front room and sat on couches perpendicular to each other. "It's all so familiar."

"I don't keep it as clean as I used to." she said, as if it mattered.

"That's not important, especially when you've got that baby wreaking havoc in a year. Or two years. When do they learn to walk?"

Lizzie snorted out a laugh. "It doesn't matter. Listen, we need to talk about last week. We kissed and we haven't really discussed it."

I nodded along and took the chance to speak when it came. "I know you've got a lot going on. We were drun-."

"No, no..." she jumped back in. "I lied before when I said we needed to talk. I want to tell you what's going on in my head and then you can make your mind up. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course." I answered. What more could I say to that?

"Okay, this is just going to be a barrage but hear me out. I do have genuine feelings for you and I don't regret the kiss one bit." My stomach dropped. I didn't know where it was leading but to think she actually liked me was unbelievable enough. "I'm not looking to date. When I said that last week I meant it. There are more than enough reasons why we can't date and you're well aware of that and I'm not suggesting that was even on my mind. I'm just making the point. Right?"

"Yes." I said. I was happy to agree with anything she said as long as it didn't stop her opening up to me.

"I really like you and love being friends and part of me is worried about risking that. I also get scared that your feelings might change. I'm not saying you would but imagine you fell for me and then I had to hurt you because I am not capable of that kind of love anymore." Little did she know I had fallen for her a long time ago, and it never impacted my ability to be her friend. But still I nodded. "I needed time to think because doing something stupid last week while we were drunk would have been a mistake."

She was so serious and so engaging. I couldn't take my eyes off her and my heart fluttered at the prospect of what she might be saying. "I was right about the baby. As soon as she was born everything I said about not needing a new relationship was proven correct. She is the fulfillment I need. I am going to be a mum and a grandma and I am going to be happy. But I realised that I can have all of that and I can also have fun."

She swallowed hard. I offered her my glass of water but she turned it down and after taking a sip of my own I placed it on the table in front of me. "I don't need love but I want to have fun. I want to have sex again and the only person I want to have sex with is you." My heart exploded as she spoke, and blood began pouring into my dick. "I don't want a heart to heart or anything like that. I just wanted to be honest and everything I thought about has brought me back here. I feel guilty in some ways and I know it's weird as well for so many reasons but I just want to have fun and I always have fun with you."

I had a lot I could say and I could easily pour out my heart to her about how I could be anything she wanted me to be. But she didn't want that. She just wanted me to be her fun and to help give her that release that she hasn't had in so long. I could be that occasional sexual punching bag for the woman of my dreams. "I'm not going to give you a heart to heart that you don't want. I can just say yes or agree and say I'm here when you need me. We can have fun."

Her smile was soft but it moved me all the same. "I can go at whatever pace you want." I continued, but by the time I finished she was on her feet. I found my way to mine as well. She didn't jump me and I didn't know whether to make a move of my own. After a moment of silence she just reached out her hand and I offered mine to her. She took it and turned away, leading me first out of the front room and then up the stairs. It was silent but for the creak of the stairs and my echoing heartbeat. We walked past Ellie's old room full of memories and into a bedroom I never stepped foot in a single time.

She finally let go of my hand, taking a few steps over to the bed and standing near the bottom edge of it. I followed and stood beside her. It was still so tense. She had made the first move a week before, kissing me. She had made the decision that sex was going to happen between the both of us. With those thoughts on my mind I finally decided to be a big boy and make a move of my own. I stepped into a kiss, finding her lips as welcoming as the week before. The kiss was fast and frantic and wet and unlike our last attempt, quickly full of tongue. Mine first and then hers joined. She tasted even better this time and her soft moans into the kiss sent me wild.

I wrapped my arms around her and moved quickly down to her arse, squeezing both cheeks as her hands found the side of my face. I had a good three or four inches on her despite the height difference not being massive but I could still feel her bouncing on her tiptoes to sink deeper into our kiss.

Taking my hands off her arse was a struggle but it needed to be done because she was now grappling for the bottom of shirt in an attempt to get it off me. She fumbled and I stretched my arms out for a while before she finally dragged it off me, returning her nails to my chest and tickling my skin gently. I went to the zip of her top first and then the hem, lifting it up and over her head, leaving her hair in a mess across her face. I laughed as I found a thermal layer underneath but that was quickly dealt with too. Finally some skin, her top half only covered by a black sports bra. In between stages of undress our lips would meet again, desperate for more.

She guided me to her neck, which I kissed and sucked on hungrily as her hand found its way to my pants, meeting my cock for the first time through my tracksuit pants. I kissed down her chest to the bra which remained on but only served as a barrier as I chomped away at her hardening right nipple.

Another kiss came next before she went to her own pants, pushing down at the hips. I helped her out, dropping to one knee to pull them down her legs and to my amusement finding another thermal layer of long johns beneath her running pants. "Jesus Christ." I said as I pulled them down, looking up at her as she bit her lower lip.

"Shut up." she giggled. "It was cold okay."

With both sets of pants kicked off her feet I stood back up and sunk into another kiss. So much more skin to explore and the soft but warm feeling of it against my hands sent me wild. I found her arse again, this time only in a pair of white knickers that offered no protection. I squeezed away as our tongues fought for superiority and a mixture of our spit ran down my chin and dripped onto my chest. I slowly turned us until her back was to the bed and sat her down on it. "Back up." I said. I wouldn't call it a command. She could take control at any second if she wanted, but for now she listened.

I finally saw to my own pants, pushing them and my boxers in one down my legs, my cock finally freed from the strain of pressing against them. I was rock hard through pure desire and for the first time I reminded myself that I hadn't had sex since sometime in spring 2019. The pressure was on and I wasn't convinced I would last too long inside her.

The view itself was enough to bust. I finally kicked off my pants, taking my cock in my hand and giving it a few gentle beats. I watched as she backed up on the mattress in front of me. Every inch of her was gorgeous. There was 50 years of experience packed into her and I was ravenous to explore every bit of that. She was in great shape, the running will do that to you. She was always slim for as long as I knew her but now her stomach was close to flat. She didn't have the body of a woman half her age, she looked her age and was so much sexier for that. There were wrinkles here and there and a few bruises on her knees and one on her thigh. There were a few pale stretch marks on her lower stomach and hips. Her body was more freckled than her face which was only covered ever so lightly.

I kneeled on the bed in front of her, edging myself up and towards her legs in a few wonky steps. I leaned down to kiss her left thigh for a moment as I wrapped fingers around her knickers at both hips, pulling them down and revealing her sex to me. Her pubes had clearly been touched up but were still there to be seen, and a lighter ginger than the hair on her head. She was clearly wet already which I tested with my fingers for a second. I ran my forefinger across her labia as my thumb gently inspected her opening, but I never let myself penetrate her. "Fuck." I said, completing my journey to my new position between her legs. I rested my bum on my heels and she scooted down a little, resting her thighs on top of mine.

"I haven't done this for a while." I said. "So forgive me if-"

"Me neither." she reminded me. "I don't care. We'll do it twice if we have to."

The weight off my shoulders when she said that was immense and it gave me the freedom to just enjoy myself and then try and impress a little more in round 2.

"Since Ellie?" she asked, a question I never expected to escape her lips.

"Yeah." I confirmed, gently holding both of her thighs in my hands and squeezing and stroking them. "She's my only one."

"Stewart was my only." Somehow I had never thought of that, despite knowing she had gotten pregnant at 18. "We are each other's second."

The most special sex of my life suddenly became even more important and I pushed forward off my knees to lie over and kiss her, my elbows either side of her head. I balanced my weight on one side to reach between our bodies, found my cock and held it against her opening. I broke the kiss, found her eyes and sunk myself inside her. Her mouth and eyes opened wide, before she finally let her head fall back into the bed and revelled in the moment, watching my every move intensely as I began to thrust the first few inches of my cock in and out of her.

As each second ticked by, I found myself sinking more of my cock inside until I was covered in her wetness and having no trouble at all burying myself to the balls and holding my dick inside her as we kissed for a moment. To my great surprise I lasted a while longer than anticipated and was able to find my rhythm a few times, speeding up and slowing down depends on what garnered the best reaction from her.

I loved watching her face contort and challenged myself to hold eye contact with her whenever she looked my way. She had an intensity I was praying to match and all she was doing was accepting me inside of her. She was so confident and sexy and it was my greatest privilege to provide her with any pleasure at all.

After another kiss I lifted myself back up and onto my knees to the same position I started in before entering her. Her right thigh stayed draped across my own but her left came into my grasp and I held it up against my chest and shoulder, using it for leverage as I fucked her harder and ground deeper inside her. I bit my lip in focus as I watched her body tense with each thrust.

She finally pushed me over the edge when she reached her own hands up to her still attached sports bra and pulled it up and over her breasts, leaving it on but freeing them to my visual pleasure. With her back flat on the bed they had pooled a little in her chest. They looked incredible, her nipples hard and protruding above a pale pink areola. They were smaller than Ellie's but looked just as inviting. With each thrust I watched them roll and bounce up and down and it was simply too much after my long spell of inactivity. I managed to pull my eyes away from them to meet Lizzie's when I finally reached my end, groaning harshly in orgasm.

"Oh fuck." I moaned, my voice breathy. Without permission to finish inside her and no time to ask I took my cock in my hand, pulling out and wanking myself off onto her pubes and lower stomach in a fit of orgasmic bliss. A few ropes of cum shot towards her belly button before the last drained out of me onto the soft ginger hair of her pussy.