23. EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
SASHA
I t was a beautiful country and I was so lucky to be able to move out here permanently. Hell, even Alice, Reece, Leo and Hudson thought the same thing but decided to stay in the US.
From the magical Australian sunrises to the warm December evenings, somehow it made me feel like home. The golden and purple horizon amplified the feeling of freedom I’ve had for the past year. True freedom, where the shackles of my old life were left behind for good.
When I told Zeke I wanted to move to Australia, the furthest away from anyone, he said I was fucking mad at the same time he wanted to pack his bags. There was no way he’d stay behind. As for me, I learned pretty quickly that I loved the guy and couldn’t live without him.
Opening my heart to him hadn’t come easy but thinking he might die nearly killed me. I’d seen enough of death and it reeked the air. Australia was a chance at a fresh start.
As much as I loved working on the cruise, I decided to quit my job when everything went down.
Zeke and I were granted permanent residence and were able to move to Sydney. We were still able to travel the world if we wanted to but now had a beautiful place to call our own.
Zeke made his decision to follow me and was in touch with his military buddies for freelance investigation assignments in Australia.
The only thing I didn’t like about Australia was that it was so far from everything and the cost of living was straight up bullshit. But the pretty beaches and friendly people made up for some of it.
I started working at a travel agency in the city since I had a bit of experience. I did miss the boat life some days, as well as our old friends who we still kept in contact with. Maybe, just maybe I’d return to a cruise one day. For now, I wanted to keep my feet firmly on the ground with a small vacation here and there. But no matter where I went or how long I would be gone for, Zeke would always be one step behind.
“That’s still creepy.”
“What’s still creepy?” Zeke asked when he walked back into the lounge. He’d just gotten out of the shower after rebuilding the car engine.
“Oh, nothing. Just this show.” I pointed toward the TV but the only thing on was an m&m commercial.
“You think that’s creepy?”
“Mmhm.” I nodded stupidly. “Yep.”
“You’re fine with me stalking you,” he joked, “but drew the line at talking m&m’s.”
“Pretty much.” I nodded and smiled then noticed Zeke holding a large white envelope in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Your birthday is coming up and I wanted to surprise you.”
“Oh, a present.” I wriggled in my spot and clapped. “But my birthday is not for another two weeks. You know that, right?”
“Yes, I know.” He sat down next to me on the floor and handed me the envelope.
I cautiously tore the seal and pulled out the contents, which was a large gift card. The kind that was probably non-refundable. I was too stunned to speak for a moment. “Zeke, this is a skydiving experience.”
“Your therapist said to get over your fear of flying, and to get on a plane in an area other than where you had the crash and someone tried to hunt you down and kill you,” he said in one long breath.
“She didn’t say it like that,” I corrected him. “She said fear can stop us from doing the things we’ve always wanted to do. She never said to get back on a plane and skydive again.”
“Well, she should have.”
I tucked the card back in the envelope and placed it on the floor next to me. “She also said that you scare her a little.”
Zeke lifted his brows and showed the lines on his forehead. “Sounds like you need a new therapist.”
“Fine, I’ll go see yours.”
Zeke laughed. “Look, Sasha, what we went through in Brazil. That wasn’t the lifetime experience you should have gotten. I know this group and they are legit. It’ll be just us on the plane. You, me. The pilot and another instructor whom I’ve jumped with before.”
The authorities in Brazil had closed the investigation after our plane crash. Mike thankfully had been found and was okay, while the body of the pilot had been retrieved.
“Do I get to jump with you again?”
Zeke stretched his lips. “No, not this time.”
“Oh, what?” I whined. “I was hoping to sit on your lap this time.”
“You can sit on my lap anytime.” Zeke smiled. “In fact, you sat on my lap like an hour ago.”
“Yes, but it’s not the same,” I told him. “We weren’t jumping off a plane then.”
“I promise you will enjoy it for real this time.” Zeke tapped my knee. “But if you feel like you can’t go through it again, I definitely get it.” My lips twisted to the side and I thought about it. Zeke watched a smile form on my face and then one curved on his as well. “I take it as a yes.”
“It’s a no. I mean, maybe. I mean, yes.”
Zeke launched and threw his arms around me. I toppled back onto the carpet and laughed. “You just gotta remember that you’ve done this before and you can do it again.”
“I’d like to do you again,” I teased.
Zeke playfully rolled his eyes. “What have I turned you into?”
“You were right. You’ve corrupted me. Guys like you shouldn’t be corrupting innocent girls like myself.”
“You didn’t look so innocent last night when you swallowed my load.”
“Like I said.” I shrugged. “Corrupted. Now, where are we going skydiving?”
“To a beautiful place called Stuart Park in Wollongong.”
I t helped to know someone at the skydiving center in Wollongong, because we were able to get a small plane to ourselves.
Zeke apparently knew Kyle, one of the instructors, since Kyle had worked in the US close to where Zeke did some training jumps. The two had remained connected since.
Even though this was Zeke’s first time in Australia, I could tell he really loved it here. I’d never seen him smile so much.
We were right next to the beach. The salty smell and the fresh air, not to mention the gorgeous crystal blue waters had me hypnotized.
“So, Zeke told me what happened the last time you guys were on a skydiving plane,” Kyle said. “That’s pretty fucked up. I bet you shat your pants.”
“Almost.” I looked away from the view and turned to him. “I did throw up after though.”
Zeke wrapped his arm around my waist. “She’ll do great.”
“I suggested that Zeke do the tandem jump with you since you’d be more comfortable with him.”
My eyes lit up. Yes. “Thank you.”
It’s not like I didn’t trust the guy wasn’t experienced, but I hardly knew him.
“Zeke’s got a lot of jumps on his belt and if you keep at it then sooner or later you won’t need any of us.” Kyle nodded like a father who should be proud of his daughter. “You’ll be able to do the jump yourself. Pretty fucking awesome.”
Hell no.
“Zeke, you know the drill.” Kyle tapped him on the back. “Gotta wear your jumpsuit. Sasha, you’ll still need to watch the safety videos even though you’ve jumped once before. Listen to Zeke. He won’t steer you wrong.”
“Thanks, Kyle.”
“Get ready. We should be taking off in about fifteen minutes,” Kyle advised. “Gotta make sure the engine’s not faulty before we fly her.”
I whipped my head around to Zeke and he laughed. “Kyle’s joking.”
Ha. Ha. Ha. Such a funny fucker.
I loved Australia but I really needed to get used to their wicked sense of humor.
Kyle walked away and left Zeke and I together. After watching the training videos, Zeke put on his jumpsuit but I stayed comfortably in my thin yoga pants and black t-shirt. It was summertime and even though it was early morning, the sun glared and simmered my skin.
The humidity in Australia hits you differently and the sunscreen here has better protection. I could never use sunscreen from a different country in Australia because I’d just burn like overcooked bacon.
Once Zeke and I were suited and our harnesses were secured, we waited for Kyle to board us on the plane.
A familiar unsettling feeling shifted in my stomach. Those impending thoughts of the plane crashing were constant even though I’d avoided those dangerous TikTok videos.
Brazil’s adventure didn’t turn out the way I’d planned, but it was still part of my top three countries I’d visited. It was just stunning.
Zeke sensed the worrisome feelings in me and wrapped his arm around me. “I promise everything will be okay.”
The anticipation of it all was going to be worse than the jump itself, but I still had to ride through it. I still had to feel those emotions and fears if I was ever going to overcome them.
I trusted Zeke more than anyone. I knew he’d keep me safe if anything went wrong again, not that I expected it to.
Okay, maybe I expected it a little.
“You guys ready?” Kyle checked.
Zeke took a step back and turned to Kyle. “Ready.”
We were escorted to a small yellow plane with a black and white logo on the side that said Skydiving Australia.
It was much smaller than the one in Brazil and oddly enough provided me a sense of security.
We took a few steps up and boarded the plane. The inside was set up like the one that crashed, the only difference was the size.
The protective goggles were on my head, the harness secured on me and I remembered the procedures for exiting the plane and when landing. My brain was telling me not to do this and my heart was in agreement. Somewhere deep down underneath all of that fear, worry and doubt, there was another part of me that cheered me on, telling me I was brave enough. That was the voice I wanted to listen to no matter how fast my heart beat inside.
Kyle closed the door. The engine roared and the sound triggered my memories. Zeke held my hand and gave it a squeeze, knowing that this was the difficult part. We rolled down the runway and then lifted off on an incline. Since it was a smaller plane it was louder and I felt every bump deep in my bones.
“You okay there?” Zeke checked.
“I am.”
I wasn’t.
Zeke smiled like he could hear my inner thoughts. “We’ll be fine.”
“How are you not scared?” I questioned.
He had one simple answer, “Because I’m with you.”
Ugh. I loved that man.
It took about twenty minutes to reach thirteen thousand feet. Zeke’s hand on me, supporting me, made the plane arrive quicker. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. That meant we’d be jumping soon.
“Okay, guys. We’re nearly there,” Kyle said. Zeke took that cue as a timing to connect us together. Both he and Kyle gave it a once over which took another minute and a half. “You guys are good to go. Have fun.”
When Zeke sat down on the blue seat I automatically perched on his lap. Something like this should have been a turn on for me. Hell, I practically whined to Zeke about it. But sitting inside the plane with the incredible view in front of me, sucked out any dirty thoughts I would have had on a regular day, and replaced them with amazement and awe.
Again, I couldn’t make anything out except for the ocean and beach along with the patches of green.
“We’re gonna scoot down now,” Zeke said as he tried to prepare me for the jump. “Just gotta do one thing.”
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “I’m not ready. Okay. I am. No, wait. I’m not ready.”
“I’ve gotta put on my helmet,” Zeke said.
“Helmet?” I looked over my shoulder. “Why do you get a helmet and I don’t?”
“Tandem skydivers don’t wear them,” he explained. “Plus, mine’s got a little camera here. If you’re ever scared or doubt yourself, I want you to see the footage so you have the confidence to know you can do anything.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.”
“Alright,” Kyle said. “It’s time.”
“Cross your arms, baby.”
Yes, because I wouldn’t want them to break if I tried stopping myself by holding onto the sides of the plane. I quickly pulled down my goggles and prepared myself.
I had to admit, despite those familiar feelings there was something different about this time around. I wasn’t under duress. I wanted to do this jump. Sort of. I wanted to tick this off my bucket list. Sort of. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do anything. I wanted…
“Okay, we’re off.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” My screams probably damaged Zeke’s eardrums not to mention my own.
It was a shock to jump out but the sudden feeling of flying took over. I spread my arms and legs out like a starfish and felt the wind blow into my hollow mouth. The fear that had consumed me evaporated in the crisp air I was breezing through.
Freedom. That’s all I felt. No danger, no life threatening situation I found myself in. I was with Zeke and felt safe. That’s all that mattered.
We went through a few clouds and my face felt wet. Thank god my goggles protected my eyes otherwise they’d be burning right about now.
Once we were below the clouds the sky opened and it looked like we were in heaven. Nobody could paint a picture as beautiful as what I could see, and I couldn’t explain the thrill that moved inside my blood. I felt light, like the entire world was beneath my feet. I was going to be okay.
“You’re doing it, Sash.”
We were, and I couldn’t have done it without him.
At first I was too scared to look around but then my eyes couldn’t take in everything quick enough. From the blue ocean to the green patches, I was high above the world and felt like I was floating. I could do anything I wanted to after this.
Despite the previous exhaustion, the constant debilitating fear and worry, I’d become a stronger person than I was last year, and an even stronger person than who I was yesterday. And today, as we plummeted to the earth, the strength in me I didn’t know existed, soared as high as Zeke and I were.
Nothing and I mean nothing could top this feeling.
“How you doing, sweetheart?”
I could barely hear him but I understood what he said. “This is fucking incredible.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I yelled back.
“Marry me, Sasha.”
That I couldn’t quite hear. There was a plane that flew overhead and it drowned out his words.
“You’re allergic to cheese?” I turned my head slightly against the fierce wind. “Since when?”
Zeke smiled and leaned forward, then yelled right in my ear. “Marry me.”
Now that I heard.
I said before nothing could top that feeling of flying in the air. I was wrong. Completely wrong. This was the best feeling. “Yes!” I exclaimed back. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
I was glad my mom sent him my way. Tears clouded my goggles just at the thought of her. She wanted me to be happy and fall in love. She got her wish.
Zeke took something so devastating that happened to us, something horrid, and turned it into something beautiful. Now when I think of us skydiving together, I’ll be thinking of this moment.
“You’re gonna feel that same shift when I open the parachute.”
Lord help me, I swear to god if this thing breaks down. I cried tears of happiness when I felt my body yank up toward the sky again. The parachute opened and our speed reduced.
The wind whistled above but I could now hear Zeke talk clearly when we slowed down. “I love you, Sash.”
“I love you too.”
I clutched onto the line and watched everything around me. As we lowered down in the sky, I could see little things come to a better view. The grass appeared greener and fresher, and I even noticed the small white waves rolling into the beach.
“Get ready to land, sweetheart.”
Remembering the safest position, I stretched out my legs and braced myself and my butt to glide and bump over the field.
I felt my stomach sink but was immediately relieved when we landed safely onto the ground.
Zeke quickly fumbled with the cables and he couldn’t get us disconnected fast enough. Once we were free, I lunged in his arms and cried tears of happiness. “I can’t believe you proposed to me mid air.” With the adrenaline from the skydive and his proposal, it was difficult to stand.
“I wanted it to be special because you’re special.”
Zeke gently placed me down and I noticed someone on the left even more excited than I was. Ethan had the biggest grin on his face. “You’re here,” I yelled out.
Ethan winked and then handed something over to Zeke. It was a small black box. Zeke immediately spun around to face me and got down on one knee. My hands flung to my face and then I remembered I still had my goggles on. I quickly removed them and tossed them aside.
I thought maybe his proposal was part of his spontaneity, but he had actually planned this all along.
“You’re the best thing that has happened to me. For me, it was love at first fight. Knowing you has made me want to be a better man and I never knew what love was until I saw you. I’m the luckiest guy in the world to know you and I’ll be luckier if you said yes to being my wife. Will you marry me, Sasha?”
“Yes.” I nodded and Zeke held my hand when he lifted on his feet. He placed the gold ring on my finger and it fit perfectly. Just like the two of us.
Life was beautiful. I was happy. I was safe. I was in love and most of all I was free.
THE END