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His feet pounded on the paveot to the finish line There would be no family or friends there to watch him He showed up alone, and he left alone, the possibility of failure too hard to bear in front of an audience

The sun broke through the clouds on his last hundred reat This hat life was supposed to be like Even though he enjoyed the lack of pressure his hobby brought, deep down, he ot his blood boiling That, and Martina

Ten feet from the finish line he scanned the crowd He almost stumbled over his own feet when a familiar face came into view

He righted himself just as the announcer’s voice echoed over the sound syste the racers who’d crossed the finish line When he looked back the face was gone

He was hopeless Short of going to California and deet over the woman who stole his heart?

On the other side of the finish line he paced along the concrete, gearing down his body, taking long gulps of water There were a couple of familiar faces in the crowd of racers who’d crossed the finish line He received a few save a few fist bumps

The flurry of people around hiht to pick up his bike when he heard a fa alone?”

He looked froure out where the voice was co from He wasn’t even sure if he’d heard the voice It sounded an awful lot like…

“Martina?”

The crowd see, unable toto make their way out bumped him forward then to the side

“Hi” She looked the sa like forever

“What are you doing here?”

She fidgeted, tightening the belt on her black trench coat “I ca the race”

He was bu off behind hi her off to the side away from the crowds