Chapter 16
“There you are. You ready to hike?” Aldridge asked.
“Is anyone ever really ready for a hike?” Squinting at the sun, I gave my body a stretch.
“We’ve been lazy, and my muscles are mad about it. I need to get some exercise in.”
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with me? I could stay behind, and you know, snack.”
“That’s not an activity.”
“You like uphill hikes to waterfalls, and I like finger foods. Both are restorative.”
“Did you drink your smoothie?” He reached for my Camelbak to confirm it was filled with water.
“Yes, dad.”
“When we get back we’ll have a big breakfast.”
“You’re lucky I already ruined my silk press.”
We headed off to hike to a waterfall Marisol claimed would take our breaths away.
After last night I kind of wanted to bury my head under the covers and hide out.
What was I thinking stripping naked in front of Aldridge and jumping into the pool?
It was so far out of character for me. While I was embarrassed, I couldn’t help but admit it was fun.
Doing something, I didn’t plan. I mean I’d planned the skinny dipping, but the beach antics were unscripted.
Anika was probably stalking my apartment, waiting for signs I’d return.
Once I did, she’d want a play-by-play and at least I had a story to tell.
It’s rough being the rule follower in a family that considers rules as loose suggestions and not tips to live by.
Jemini and Anika were similar in how they viewed life.
While I was drafting pros and cons lists, they were screaming FUCK IT while jumping from planes.
“Do you miss Missouri?” I huffed behind Aldridge.
He slowed so I could catch up. “Parts of it. I had friends and a routine I loved. But Missouri was never the endgame.”
“Is Vegas the endgame?”
His shoulder hunched. “Don’t know.”
The contents of my stomach sank like a stone.
Possibly losing Aldridge a second time was not something I’d considered.
But players get traded. Damnit, why’d I let myself get attached?
Was this destined to be our lives, wrong place, wrong time, for the next thirty years?
When Aldridge suggested we try our hand at friendship, I knew deep down inside we were both hoping for more.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I liked having him around and I liked who I was when we were together.
“It must’ve been hard leaving your friends?”
“Yeah, we all promised to visit and stay in touch, but you know how it is.”
“You should reach out and make it happen. People get busy but I’m sure they’d love to hear from you. Just like you can fly to Mexico, you could easily hop on a plane for a quick weekend in Kansas City.”
“Have you been since we visited our senior year?”
“No.” Kansas City was strictly off limits because Aldridge lived there.
Sure, the chances of running into him were slim but there was a chance, and I wasn’t strong enough to casually be confronted with the man I loved.
Used to love. Shit when I opened the door to that home a few weeks ago and he was on the other side, I was thrown for a loop.
Viola Davis ain’t got shit on me because I delivered a masterful performance of a chick who was unbothered when in fact I was crashing the fuck out internally.
“We should go.”
“We?”
“Yeah, I’d love for you to meet my friends.
” I don’t know if it was the elevation or the ease of his words, but pressure was building at my temples.
This is how it happens, a person just elbows their way into your heart, taking up space and rearranging things.
And when it’s over it’s damn near impossible to move on.
This was a mistake attempting to be friends. “Do you want to take a break?”
“What?”
“You’re sweating a lot.” He pointed at my face.
The air was humid, and my mind was racing.
We stopped at a clearing that looked out on to a crop of lush green trees.
I’d made a sincere attempt to move on from Aldridge, but he crept into my thoughts.
The memory of him so vivid it was impossible to ignore.
I compared men against him. And some of them were really great, like Marcus, but they weren’t Aldridge and in the end that caused me to second guess.
Taking a long gulp of water, I decided to implode my life.
“I have a friend, her name is Tamara and I think you’d really like her. ”
Aldridge wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Excuse me?”
“She’s really pretty, and fun, and you two would probably hit it off.”
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized my face. “Where’s this coming from?”
“Just thinking about what you said and want to help you make new friends. Plus, I owe you a blind date after Anika and Dante pulled the switcheroo on us.”
“Do you listen to the things you say before saying them?” His tone was pinched letting me know he was annoyed.
“Always.”
“I don’t need to be hooked up by my ex-girlfriend.”
The emphasis on the “EX” part threw me. “Just trying to help.”
“Don’t.”
“Fine, forget I ever mentioned it.” I stomped away in a huff.
“You’re an idiot,” he called after me.
Spinning around I asked, “What did you call me?”
“An idiot.”
“Excuse me for trying to help you get laid.”
“Why is everyone so concerned about who I’m fucking? If I wanted to have sex, I could’ve fucked you in the pool last night.”
“No, you couldn’t.” He could’ve if he’d applied the slightest effort instead of being a gentleman. He could fuck me right now on this dirt path if we wanted to.
Aldridge chuckled. Approaching, he stopped inches from me. “You’re a bad liar.”
I removed my sunglasses from my head, securing them over my eyes. “And you’re full of shit. How much longer?”
“Fifteen maybe twenty minutes.”
“I hate this.” I stomped and pouted like an unruly toddler.
“It’s worth it. Trust me.”
He was right, the waterfall was stunning.
The pain in my legs and my wet sticky skin took a back seat to the visual wonder before us.
The roar of the water drowned everything out, including my muddled thoughts.
The crystal-clear aquamarine color let you know you were in paradise.
Next to the water it was at least ten degrees cooler.
Aldridge stood with his hands on his hips admiring the view while holding back an I told you so. “We getting in?” he asked.
“Hell yeah we are.” We both stripped to our bathing suits and climbed in.
The water was cold but refreshing after our hike.
Aldridge floated on his back, Mexico agreed with him.
I felt silly bringing up Tamara, not because she wouldn’t be a good match for him, but if they met and hit it off she wouldn’t know a minute of peace because I’d constantly be looking for ways to steal my man back.
Aldridge with another woman was the last thing I wanted.
He motioned me forward and we swam to the massive falls. I held my breath as we passed underneath. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust but when they did I was treated to a cave, the water was still and clear allowing me to see all the way to the bottom.
“I like to think of the space between a waterfall as a pocket in time.” In this tiny alcove with the water thundering around us his theory seemed to hold true.
From here we were hidden from the world and its expectations.
“Here in this little sweet spot, we can be unapologetically who we are.
So, I have to ask. Who do you want to be in this moment?
“Fearless.” My eyes shamelessly landed on his full lips.
“Let me help you with that.”
I nodded, not one hundred percent sure what I was agreeing to.
His firm yet tentative touch was all the encouragement I needed.
Aldridge claimed my hand placing it over his chest and it rattled against my palm, the beats fast and erratic.
I found comfort in the knowledge his nervous system was off-kilter just like mine.
Bending to meet me, he dusted his lips across mine before devouring them whole.
Our kisses left me possessed as every memory we ever shared came flooding back.
The soft smile he’d offered on the first day of class.
A kind gesture to a stranger who was in way over her head.
His body drifting into mine when we shared a laugh as if we were trading secrets.
Aldi’s focused determination when he was inside me drawing out ever scream and spurring uncontrollable tremors.
It all rushed back to me, memories I’d banished to the recesses of my mind were now vivid and bold.
But more than that, it was the now. The way he tilted my head slightly like he wanted more, and the hitch in my breath just as my lips grazed his skin.
As I released a soft moan, I could feel his dick grow as if I’d uttered the magic words.
Aldridge’s hands cupped my ass squeezing tight.
His strong grip grounding me and making me feel safe.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and my hips worked to give him a preview of what could be possible if we pushed past our fear.
His lips took up residence in the softness of my skin.
My jaw, neck, and collarbone all receiving special attention.
Approaching voices pulled us from our all-consuming desire. Aldridge released me back to the rocky surface before plunging his head under the water. When he popped back up his eyes were clear and his tone even. “We should head back.”
“Okay?” I didn’t know if I’d make it back my legs were hollow and my pussy was a wet throbbing mess.
Passing back through the waterfall felt like a reset.
Whatever transpired in the dim alcove was washed away by the rush of water.
Aldridge helped me out and we dressed in silence.
Halfway back to the villa he turned and asked. “Are you okay?”
“No.”
“I didn’t plan for that to happen. I don’t know what I’m doing Nessa.”
“And you think I do?”
“I’m just trying not to make shit complicated.”
“It’s too late for that.”
“When I said I wanted us to work on our friendship I meant that.”
“So, did I.” I wanted to scream, “What are we doing?” Aldridge’s expression was unreadable, but it felt like regret.
If he thought kissing me was a mistake, then it was one that would never happen again.
“Let’s just get back to the villa. I’m tired, hungry, and ready to go home.
” I purposely brushed past him hoping he’d grab my arm, press me to his chest and smash his lips into mine.
None of that happened. The remainder of the trek back I lagged behind solely focused on not bursting into tears.