Chapter 3 - Gabriella

In every chapter, there are three stories: What's happening in the present, Archer's nostalgic story about a girl, and the actual story you catch glimpses of through the cracks.

[Link to Chapter 1 (Beginning of Book)]

[Link to Chapter 2 (Previous Chapter)]

“Can we slow down, Archer? Just a little!”

Jillian is breathless but trying to hide it. She hates showing weakness. I knew she was flagging three blocks ago, when her Hokas stopped gently tapping the ground and started bitch-slapping the pavement like it had personally offended her.

“Your call, yoga master,” I respond, barely breathing hard.

Jillian does a lot of yoga and wants to work on her cardio, so she started requesting running dates.

It’s Jillian, not Jill. Never Jill. She has made that abundantly clear. She moved here from San Diego, and in San Diego, women are a special breed: strong, independent, firmly in charge of their own destiny. Calling her Jill is a violation of her consent, which probably gets you named in you a strongly-worded internet petition in California.

I’d normally never put up with that crap, but Jillian does a lot of yoga, and it shows.