Page 24 of Your Pace or Mine (Running for the Romance #1)
The article was out by the next morning.
As far as the usual speed of the news cycle, that wasn’t even particularly fast. Darius imagined the running channel that had shown up had needed to make a surprise pivot on their story at the last minute.
There was, in fact, mention of the charity itself and their struggle for funding in the article, as well as a lovely quote from Jade about what Darius and Jamie’s support meant to them.
It was exactly what he and Jamie had hoped for, but Darius still felt hollowed out.
Like the media had taken something precious and commodified it.
By that afternoon, it had been picked up by the tabloids with sensationalist headlines he knew to ignore, and he’d screened seven calls from his father and two from his agent.
The most surprising thing of all of it was how little he’d heard from Jackson, who typically loved to poke fun at Darius’s occasional tabloid appearances. That changed, though, as he was getting ready for his afternoon run with Jamie.
Jax
Mate!
Jax sent a link to one of the more salacious headlines that had come out about Darius and Jamie in the past few hours. Darius ignored it, unwilling to give them the clicks.
Jax
I can’t believe you finally did it.
Jax
And I told you the ballerina was into you.
Darius
He’s not a ballerina. He specialises in contemporary and hip hop.
Jax
Ohh, sorry, thought you’d at least tell me when you started seeing someone, though.
Even through text, Darius thought it seemed like Jax was vaguely hurt.
He hadn’t intended to hurt his friend, obviously, but everything since selection day had happened so quickly, and they’d barely seen each other.
Jackson was training full-time with Anders, and it felt like the gulf between them was growing now that they didn’t see each other daily.
Darius
It’s complicated.
Jax
Can we hang out this week? You can tell me all about how complicated it is.
Darius
Of course. We’ll catch up. Gotta go though, meeting Jamie for a run.
Jax
Oooh, is that what they’re calling it these days?
Darius
Fuck off, Jax.
Darius had been beyond pleased when Jamie had asked him to join him for an afternoon run, alone. Though he blamed Jackson for the treacherous little hope that it really was a euphemism.
He was early enough to meet Jamie that he had time to take it slow.
He paused on the bridge, looking back over the city, lost in thought for a moment.
Darius loved London, loved how easy it was to disappear into a crowd, but it was lonely sometimes.
Today, though, that anonymity was welcome.
The weight of everything was starting to hit him. He’d come out, publicly.
It was on record now.
He’d really done it, and nothing bad had happened.
At least, he didn’t think it had. He probably needed to listen to the voicemail his agent had left before he made that assumption.
Cringing slightly, he played the message and let out a massive sigh of relief.
Just a gentle congratulations and news of his shoe sponsor wanting to get some photos for social media.
Jamie had been right, Darius did feel lighter now. Whether this worked with Anders or not, it was out there, and he wouldn’t have to worry about hiding his relationships in the future. Though the idea of a relationship in the future with anyone other than Jamie felt wrong.
He looked East down the river as he continued his walk, looking towards where he knew Jamie lived. He thought of how unlikely their meeting had been, and how lucky he was to have had him burst into his life and upend it so completely.
Jamie met him in Battersea Park, in his running kit, ready for a workout.
They’d agreed to run East, seven miles to Victoria Park.
It turned out to be the most fun Darius’d had running in years.
There was something exhilarating about it—about being side by side, about Jamie’s determination to keep up despite Darius’s light teasing.
They finished with a few loops around the park to round out the distance, and Jamie groaned dramatically when Darius suggested they go again, but there was a light in his eyes that made Darius’s chest ache in the best way.
Running with Jamie was different from anything Darius had experienced before.
He’d thought he loved the sport already, the feeling of the pavement beneath his feet, the crowds, and the accolades.
None of that mattered anymore. The Olympics had always been the ultimate goal, but now, seeing the way Jamie’s eyes lit up when he laughed, Darius felt like he could dedicate his whole life to seeing that sparkle and be completely content.
“What’s next then?” Jamie’s hesitant question startled Darius from his moment of introspection. He looked at him, ruffled and sweaty but smiling.
“Grab a cuppa?”
“I know the perfect place,” Jamie replied. “If you don’t mind slumming it with your working-class boyfriend in Mile End.”
Darius laughed. That sounded pretty perfect to him. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”
They exited the tube station together, hands brushing as they climbed the stairs, separating momentarily at the barriers before the gravitational pull brought them back together again.
Darius looked around, his brow furrowed as he took in the rows of shops boasting signs in multiple languages and the people bustling down the street crossing every which direction over the road, as cars honked their horns fruitlessly at them.
“So… what’s the plan? Is your place near here? ”
Jamie nodded, glancing over at him. “Yeah. Just a few streets down.”
“Nice.” Darius wasn’t sure about the area so far, but he’d been in London long enough to know that everywhere had its hidden gems. “How long have you lived here?” Darius asked.
Jamie grimaced. “Around this area, since I moved to London… but this flat, just under a year, I’ve got a few months left on my contract, then I’m out,” he explained. “Our landlord is the worst.”
“Ah.” Darius wasn’t quite sure what to say. Lousy landlords weren’t exactly his area of expertise.
“I love the area, though,” Jamie offered. “Or some things about the area,” he qualified. “Well, there’s the tea shop I told you about.”
Darius was curious about the place. Jamie didn’t strike him as an afternoon tea at Claridge’s kind of person, so there must be something special about it.
“You okay with popping in?” Jamie asked.
Darius nodded. “Do they do food?”
Jamie laughed as though it was the most absurd question he’d ever heard. “God, yes, and we definitely deserve a slice of their homemade cake after that run. It’s to die for. Trust me, I’ve been going there for ages. It’s kind of my thing.”
“You sure you’re okay with taking me there?
” Darius asked. He was suddenly conscious that he might be intruding on something private that Jamie wanted to keep to himself.
Darius had to remind himself that this wasn’t a real relationship, but the more Jamie revealed to him, the harder it was to remember that.
Jamie laughed again, and the tension in Darius’s chest eased just a little. “I promise, you’re not interrupting my secret tea ceremony,” he smiled. “I think it’d be nice to share it with you.”
“Alright. Lead the way.”
They walked together down the road towards the tea shop.
It was a cosy space—small, tucked away between two other shops, with its windows fogged up from the warmth inside.
It didn’t seem like a place tourists would go, or one that would cater to the trendy crowd.
But somehow it was exactly the type of place Jamie belonged.
They stepped through the door, the scent of herbs and spices wafting over Darius as he entered. The bell on the door chimed softly, and Darius could practically see the tension in Jamie’s shoulders melt away.
“It seems… quiet,” Darius observed, glancing around as they stepped in.
Only two tables were occupied, a man was reading a novel in the corner, and two women were chatting quietly over a shared pot of tea.
The decor was warm, with mismatched chairs and tables and wooden shelves stacked with jars of loose-leaf tea.
The faint sound of a soft jazz track played in the background, adding to the calm atmosphere.
Jamie led Darius to a booth in the back corner. “My favourite spot,” he explained. It was small, tucked away, and the perfect place for a bit of privacy.
Jamie shuffled into the booth next to Darius. “So, this is it, my happy place. I’ve been coming here for years.”
Darius looked around again, taking in the details of the place with curiosity. “I can tell it’s your kind of place. Feels different from the usual spots. It’s full of life, but kind of low-key.”
Jamie looked taken aback at Darius’s assessment. But before he had time to say anything further, the owner came over. She introduced herself as Maria and had a clear fondness for Jamie that Darius loved to see. After a brief chat, she took their orders.
“I’ll take a Darjeeling and a slice of that mocha cake if you’ve got any left.”
“Two forks?” Maria asked, a hint of a smirk in her tone that Jamie seemed to ignore.
“God no, I’m not sharing the good stuff.” He turned to Darius. “If you want cake, order your own slice.”
Darius smiled and requested a flapjack and a cup of their yerba mate peppermint blend. Jamie kicked him under the table. “You’ll regret not getting the mocha cake.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. But I want to lean out a bit before my next training block.”
“Christ, I thought dancers were ridiculous about that shit. You’ve got to be kidding, right? You don’t have an ounce of fat on you.”