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The wind whipped colorful leaves through the air, and Amy Mitchell glanced up as she jogged along the wooded trail, watching them swirl around before landing on the path in front of her. Red maple leaves mixed in with shades of yellow and brown, covering part of the ground. In another week, the trees would be bare, leaving the landscape stark for the upcoming winter. But for now, at the peak of the season, she basked in fall’s perfection.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air, and looked up to the clear blue sky that was peeking through the branches. This time of year always energized her—the hot summer sun had given way to fall, the air was cool and crisp each morning.
And after a day of teaching rambunctious preschoolers?
Nothing was better than a solitary afternoon run on the trails.
Her mind drifted, lost in the rhythm of her movement. There was the art studio she dreamed of opening someday, if she could ever save up the funds. The pies she needed to bake this weekend for the school bake sale on Monday. The preschool classes she taught. The new artwork she would paint to adorn her bedroom walls.
And always in the back of her mind, drifting into her subconscious thoughts when she least wanted it, was her ex.
The guy who couldn’t settle down but got engaged to someone else right after Amy broke up with him. Although she’d known him forever, they’d dated only a few short months before she called it quits.
And the next thing she knew, bam, he was with another woman.
Engaged to someone else.
Occasionally she’d catch him glancing her way if they happened to run into each other when they were out, but she generally avoided him at all costs.
Tried to pretend it didn’t sting that he’d gotten over her so quickly.
That he’d found someone else while she was one hundred percent single.
She sighed, trying to clear him from her mind as she continued to jog through the forest. It was better for both of them if she moved on. Obviously he had.
Moved on. Moved on. Moved on.
Her feet pounded on the trail.
She’d meet someone else. Another man would come along and sweep her off her feet. Kiss her senseless.
But until then?
She pounded out her frustration, picking up her pace slightly as she jogged through the remaining stretch of path toward the parking lot. Perspiration beaded on her forehead, and she pushed herself harder, deciding to sprint back. Cranking up the music, she let the song that was blasting in her earbuds drown out any more thoughts.
There.
Pound. Pound. Pound.
Her feet hit the ground as she ran.
Cool autumn air filled her lungs.
It was like she hadn’t even been thinking of him at all.
