Chapter 350 Making My Whole Body Ache
"You think I'm like you? Staying up all night and still full of energy during the day," Ashley said.
Damian frowned, "If you can sleep well at night, why stay up?"
Ashley realized it was too late to take back her words. Insomnia was a sore spot for Damian, and she had just poked at it. Feeling a bit guilty for all the arrangements Damian had made to get Dorian back, she rubbed her nose and said, "I get more inspiration working at night."
"Really? Legal documents need creative interpretation?" Damian said.
"Coming up with different defense strategies at night. You think winning a case is just about reciting the law?" Ashley said.
When it came to her field of expertise, Ashley's attitude became much more assertive.
Damian didn't argue with her, "Staying up late makes you age faster."
Ashley laughed, "I don't think you look old."
Damian gently moved his right arm. Although the splint had been removed, steel pins and titanium plates supported it. The bones wouldn't break again, but it would take time for them to heal completely. He was eager to recover and used it frequently, causing occasional pain.
Ashley noticed his movement and slowed down, "Is your arm uncomfortable?"
"The external wound has healed, but the bones are still mending," Damian said.
Ashley grumbled, "Isn't Hayden an orthopedic specialist? Didn't he tell you how to take care of your arm? All his attention must be on tattling."
Damian turned his head away, a slight smile on his lips. When he looked back, his face was still cold, "Holding a grudge? Should I call him over so you can argue face-to-face?"
"Forget it." Ashley was worried about his arm and asked, "Can you run like this? Won't the impact make it hurt more?"
Damian let his arm hang down, trying not to use it, "It's fine. I don't need to swing my arms much."
Ashley wasn't sure if he was right, but if he was willing to endure it, so be it. "We've been walking for a while. Aren't we going to start running?"
"What's the rush? We need to warm up first," Damian said.
Ashley tied her long hair into a mid-ponytail, revealing her full forehead. Her small face was scrunched up, "Isn't walking a warm-up?"
Damian grabbed her slender arm and found a sloped spot nearby, "You know better than me?"
Ashley blew a puff of air, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Damian lifted his leg onto a stone wall, bending his upper body down to stretch his inner and outer thighs.
Imitating his movements, Ashley realized she had many physical issues.
For example, her flexibility was poor, not even half as good as Damian's.
Damian couldn't stand it and helped her stretch.
"Don't move, don't move, it hurts!" Ashley said.
"Bear with it a little," Damian said.
Damian pressed her thigh with one hand, not even using much force, and she was already crying out, "It hurts! It hurts!"
"Ashley, are your legs made of wood? Huh?" Damian said.
"Of course not! Would wood hurt?" Ashley said.
"True, even wood is softer than your legs. Just hold on; stretching will prevent muscle injuries," Damian said.
Ashley whimpered for several minutes before finally completing the warm-up and simple stretches under Damian's repeated helplessness. She eagerly started running.
After running less than 164 feet, Damian grabbed her arm, "Stop."
Ashley felt like banging her head against the stone wall, "What now?"
Damian squatted down, placing his hand on her knee, "Push against me."
Those words...
Ashley's ears turned red, and her nose tip flushed, "Why?"
Damian half-squatted, looking up at her rounded chin in the backlight, "Your knees splay out when you run. It's not proper form."
No one had ever pointed that out to her before.
Ashley pushed her knee forward, hitting his palm. Each time she pushed, he would completely envelop her knee with his large hand, transferring the warmth through her thin workout pants to her leg.
It was a standard correction move for a fitness coach, but she couldn't help but hold her breath and blush.
After several adjustments, they finally found the correct position.
Damian held her bent knee, making a gripping motion, "Repeat this a few times. Remember this feeling. Next time you lift your leg, do it at this angle. Muscle memory will help you remember it subconsciously, or you'll get injured over time."
Ashley suddenly thought of what Sean had said yesterday, "Meniscus?"
Damian smirked, "You know quite a bit."
"Well..." She swallowed half her words, "Basic knowledge."
Damian's morning runs usually started at 3 miles, with 6 miles being ideal. Dragging Ashley along, they had to stop three times after just 1.5 miles.
He hadn't even gotten into his stride, and Ashley was already bent over, hands on her knees, begging for mercy.
"Ashley, with your stamina, you won't be able to have a natural childbirth," Damian said.
Ashley retorted, "How do you know I can't have a natural childbirth?"
She sounded as if she had already given birth naturally, full of confidence and conviction.
Damian rubbed his forehead, "Okay, it's been two minutes. Can't you continue?"
Ashley wiped the sweat off her face, her cheeks flushed pink from the exertion, "How much longer do we have to run?"
Damian's gaze lingered on her moist lips for half a second, his throat tightening as he cursed inwardly, "One mile."
Ashley didn't notice at first, but during a break, she realized her phone could track the distance. She took it out and checked, "Mr. Hearst, we've already run almost 2 miles!"
Damian raised an eyebrow, "Close enough. Let's head back."
With his one-mile-at-a-time coaxing, Ashley ended up dragging herself through 3 miles.
Back at the hotel, Ashley felt sore all over. Even after drinking water, she felt dehydrated.
Damian, on the other hand, was unscathed. He showered, changed clothes, and was soon back in his usual suit and tie. He nudged the exhausted Ashley lying on the couch, "Don't you have work?"
Ashley felt like crying, "Thanks for the reminder."
After her shower, they went to the rooftop restaurant to eat. Ashley piled her tray high with food.
Damian cut his toast into small pieces, "Can you finish all that?"
Ashley stuffed a big piece of steak into her mouth, rolling her eyes, "None of your business."
Still holding a grudge from the morning run, she felt like kicking Damian whenever she saw him.
Damian picked up his milk glass, his lips curving into a smile.
Ashley dragged her sore body back to the law firm and ran into Harold, who was holding a cup of coffee.
Seeing her dejected look, Harold asked, "What's wrong?"
Ashley pouted, on the verge of tears, "I'm sore all over, especially my legs."
"What did you do to get so sore?" Harold asked.
Ashley gritted her teeth in anger, "It's all Damian's fault..."
Harold's grip on the cup tightened, deforming it. Brown coffee spilled over his hand. "You... you and Damian... last night..."
How intense was it to end up like this?
No, that was not the point!
This foolish woman actually fell for it.
Fuck!
"Not last night, this morning!" Ashley said.
"So you were at it all night..." Harold looked up at the ceiling, feeling both pity and frustration, "Get to your office. I don't want to see you walking like that!"
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