“Well, you know.” His hands fidget at his sides and he kicks a pattern into the dirt with the toe of his sneaker. He’s nervous. I forget all my self-preservation and for a moment, I let myself dream that he’s nervous because of me. “You’re doing me such a huge favor by showing me around, I’m really at your mercy. I was hoping to keep up and maybe even impress you, but I failed at both.”

I feel so ridiculous for even allowing myself to hope it could’ve been for something more. Even though I know Jasper Williams, Author, and I have almost nothing in common and could never last, for a second, I wished it could be more.

“Well, to be fair.” I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice and only halfway succeed. “I’ve never seen someone throw up so much without alcohol being the cause. It was very impressive how fast you turned and ran so you could do it off the main trail.”

Poor guy. It hit him so fast and so hard. It was like watching a cartoon. First he went white as a ghost, then turned green, before he spun on his heels and darted behind a tree to let it all out.

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.” He pulls his lips into a straight, thin line.

“Better, definitely better,” I tell him. “Altitude is no joke and can get the best of anyone. This is why Olympians train here, and no offense to your CrossFit routine, but I don’t think it holds a candle to Olympic training.”

“You’re never going to let me live down the CrossFit comment, are you?” His tone is slightly annoyed, but the huge smile on his face lets on to the act.

I smile back at him before giving him the god’s-honest truth. “Literally never.”

Again, another reason why this could never have been anything more than the small exchange we’re having. Even if I could let the author thing go, I can never get behind CrossFit.

“That’s what I thought.” His rueful smile tugs on my heartstrings. It takes all my restraint not to launch myself at him, kiss it off his face, and possibly be arrested. “Should we head back down before I get hit with another spell?”

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Plus, it’s getting late, and even though the park will be open for a while longer, I cannot hit traffic in the Springs and in Denver. I don’t have the patience for that. “We can take the shuttle back to the ticket booth this time, let you get some more rest after the stairs.”