Chapter Sixteen #2
“Yeah. But it ran off.” Tyler frowned and a cloud of gloom descended on him. “Probably chasing my peccary.”
Tyler managed to get the harness detached and they dunked the material into the stream a few more times for good measure.
He slung her harness around one shoulder, and she tugged on her damp pants.
They went back to where they had discarded their helmets.
As he reached for his, her eyes traveled wistfully down his bicep to his strong forearm to his sexy wrist and those fingers that only minutes before gripped her hair against her scalp.
She sighed. Now, not only had the moment been broken, but she still smelled vaguely of pig urine.
As they traipsed, Lulu’s imagination revisited their interrupted game of tonsil-pickleball and wished fervently she hadn’t over-hydrated.
Honestly, all the tension was making her thoughts steamier than ever; she could hardly focus on walking.
Although he was steps away from her, she could sense the residue of where his fingers had skimmed her scalp, where his lips had grazed her neck.
Her body felt like a crime scene; shine an ultraviolet light on her and every spot he had touched would be visible.
Ahead of her, Tyler slowed and gestured to a spot off the path. Her eyes followed his pointing finger to where there was light visible through the trees. Curious, they moved toward it, drawn to a natural opening where the sparse trees revealed an expansive vista.
They halted, side by side, and Lulu’s breath hitched at the sight.
A view as far and long as the eye could see stretched out before them.
The jungle, thick and verdant, blanketed the valley.
And at the center of the landscape, the low, dark rain clouds had parted, forming a moving picture frame around its grand masterpiece.
There, in all her glory, was the whole of Arenal Volcano.
Through the cloud window, Arenal’s green form made a perfect pyramid against the blue backdrop.
The sun splashed against the angled sides of the volcano, highlighting the rivulets of black and gray scars left by year after year of lava flow.
To Lulu, the majesty of it felt unreal, like a picture in a storybook or a postcard from another world.
She turned to find Tyler beside her, his face opened with all the awe she was feeling. “Whoa,” he said.
“Yeah.” Her word came out a whisper of wonder.
His hand tentatively brushed against her hand, and she looped her pinkie through his. They stood, the view, his touch, and this amazing feeling so consuming she wished she could cut it out of space and time and store it away to visit over and over again.
Turning, Tyler squeezed her hand. “Did you hear that?”
She paused, listening, and there it was. A thunk behind them, high up near the treetops. Then another bumping noise. Then…laughter?
They exchanged a glance. Searching for the source of the sound, their heads flipped around. A squeal of metal trolley on cable was followed by another thump.
It took a moment to locate the zip-line platform, as camouflaged as it was amid the trees. Pacing back to the path, they spotted a metal ladder that met the earth beneath the zip deck.
Tyler tipped his head toward the rungs and gestured. “After you.”
“First of all, no.” And second of all, no. And lastly…no, also. For so many reasons. She vehemently did not want to zip.
“How ’bout we take a look and you can decide when you see it?”
“Tyler. I tried this already. If you want to go, that’s fine, but—”
“That’s not going to happen.” He held both hands out for hers and she took them.
His palms were warm and smooth, and his hold light but secure.
“Lu,” he said, that appealing husk in his voice giving her desire a light sanding.
“You told me that your fear was about the newness of an experience. About not being prepared and not knowing what to expect.” His brown eyes glinted.
“You’ve already done this. You know how it feels. So this time, you’re prepared.”
His words sunk in. It was true. The worst, the unknown, was over. She looked up at the cable and it was high, true, but the fear did not grip her. And she wondered, could she try again?
“If you don’t want to, I’ll walk down with you.”
She hedged. “I’ll look. But no promises.” And when he nodded, it occurred to her that alone, she would not have thought about giving it another try. But there was something about Tyler’s enthusiasm that encouraged her, supported her. His positivity amplified her own will to stretch herself.
Hand over hand, Lulu shimmied up the metal rungs, with Tyler following behind. There was not a sound from above; the zip liners must have taken off again. And when her head popped up at the platform, her expression widened in surprise.
Stools were pushed up against a bar where a giant water dispenser was stocked with non-conical cups. Hooray. And bathrooms! Hooray. Despite being minutes too late. A large viewing deck overlooked the canopy.
They drank thirstily. Then, together, they walked to the edge of the deck and their steps stilled at the changed view.
The clouds that had framed the volcano now danced across the base like unveiling sheets.
Only the cone of the volcano was visible above a layer of dark clouds.
The pointed, green triangle was hit by a shaft of light, and she watched, amazed, as a puff of gray smoke blew from the crater.
With the beauty around her and the intensity of her adrenaline, Tyler’s presence grounded her nerves and increased her optimism.
There were moments when his unbridled enthusiasm could be a lot, but right here, right now, she appreciated his energy so much.
She wanted to kiss him again. And from the way he was looking at her like she was a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting, he wanted to kiss her, too.
He leaned toward her, and she found her hands pulling his hips closer until their lips brushed in a soft kiss.
Pulling away, he tipped his head to the other side and kissed her again. And then once more.
The sound of the zip line whirring caught their attention, and in the distance, they spotted a guide’s bright red shirt moving toward them from the other end of the cable. With a whoosh and stomp, the guide came to a stop. Lulu glanced over. “Javier!” she exclaimed.
“Perfect timing. I’m just coming through with another group and I was about to radio you two to see where you were. The weather’s not bad yet, but just in case, we’re trying to move everyone off the mountain as quickly as we can.”
Lulu flicked her eyes to Tyler and her belly took a dive. The quickest way down was the zip, and if the storm was finally on its way, she didn’t want her tour group held up even longer. Her nerves clenched with indecision.
“Give me a sec,” Tyler said and pulled Javier into a conference. Lulu fidgeted while Javier nodded.
“Let me check,” the guide said. Javier unlocked a supply closet and emerged a moment later with a new harness. A bulky metal contraption dangled from his hand. “You’re in luck.”
Lulu narrowed her eyes, pointing to the new equipment. “What’s that?”
Instead of answering, he sized up Lulu. “How much do you weigh?”
Lulu opened her mouth. Closed it. Was some near stranger really asking her how much she weighed in front of the guy she’d been macking with not sixty seconds earlier?
“Never mind.” Javier shook his head. “I have a good sense for body weight. You’ll be fine.”
“Fine?” Lulu didn’t like the sound of that.
Tyler explained, “I thought you might be more comfortable if we could zip together. Javier found us a tandem trolley.”
“A tandem…trolley?” She glanced from one to the other, feeling the tandem pressure. “Is it safe?”
“We use it a lot. With lightweight people. Or with kids and guides.”
“And with adults?” Lulu did not mask her skepticism.
“I wouldn’t be offering this if it wasn’t safe,” Javier said, which didn’t exactly answer the question. A pitter-patter began to sound on the thatched platform roof. “Is that rain?” Lulu asked, concern lacing her voice. Javier’s attention was on the storm clouds.
“Just a little rain,” Javier said.
“Don’t you cancel when it rains?” she asked, not concealing her hope that the little droplets would get her out of this situation.
“Only in a lightning storm. I don’t want to pressure you but we’re good if you get going now.”
Lulu wanted to point out the irony in saying “I don’t want to pressure you” followed by “get going now.”
Javier looked to Tyler. “It’s more fun to zip in the rain. Between that and the heavier weight with two people, you’ll fly so much faster!”
Lulu’s eyes smoked as she stared the guide down, hoping to burn little holes in his shirt.
Tyler laced his fingers through hers. “I don’t think you’re helping,” he commented and turned to Lulu. “Whatever you want. You just say the word. We walk. Or we fly.”
She looked down at their fingers twined together and felt a rush of comfort pass between them. Lulu gave a decisive nod. “Alright. Let’s do it.”
Tyler and Javier beamed, matching bookends of relief.
Javier checked the new harnesses. Clipped onto the tandem trolley, they mounted the platform, Tyler close behind Lulu. She felt his arms reach to circle her waist.
“So, Tyler,” Javier said, holding their line at the platform. “You’re clipped into the harness. But you’ll wanna keep at least one hand on the trolley.” Tyler shifted. “Exactly. Like that,” Javier said. Still, she was glad one of Tyler’s steadying hands remained on her hip.
Holding on to their trolley to keep them from swooping along the cable, the guide said, “Okay! You can lift your legs now.”
As she did, her torso tipped back and Tyler’s body became her ready recliner.
She clung to her trolley, but Tyler’s nearness eased her anxiety.
Still suspended at the platform while Javier held their weight, she gazed out over the wide expanse.
The valley spread before them. Her eyes followed the cable to where it disappeared at the other end through an opening between the trees.
To the right, the crown of Arenal revealed her bright green splendor.
Around her, the rain and the dark clouds pressed closer.
Tyler tapped his thumb against her hipbone, reminding her of his proximity.
Javier said, “Three. Two…”
“I gotch-you,” Tyler murmured near her ear.
And Javier pushed them off without saying “one.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, but there was no dropping sensation, no tripping stomach. Secure and soothing, Tyler’s hand remained, the steady press of his fingers touching her waist, his I gotch-you echoing in her ear.
“Wow,” she heard Tyler breathe, his voice laced with wonder. “Lu. Do you see this?”
Fine rain sprayed her eyelids, but she squinted through her lashes, daring to peek at the scenery. With a push of courage, Lulu opened her eyes all the way.
Amazement unfolded before her. Behind the thin clouds, the crown of Arenal poked through.
The valley below was wide and alive and majestic, and from here it looked like a rolling quilt of greens and blues.
And in the distance, a moving splash of yellow.
A toucan. She spotted a toucan! I’m flying, too, she told it in her brain.
In a flash of whimsy, Lulu gripped the trolley tighter and tilted her head back.
The rain came heavier now and lashed against her, but the sensation sent a thrill through her, to be sailing through the air like the birds, whipped by the elements, and soaking in the dark and beautiful vista.
She could feel the smile building, unstoppably, across her cheeks.
Her hair, wet and still tangled with leaves, flew and smacked her neck below her helmet.
“You good?”
“I’m great!” Was she laughing? She was.
“Whooo!” Tyler shouted into the wind and rain. “I’m flying with Lulu Gardner!”
Ahead, a window opened up among the trees and she soared toward it and then right through.
Oh, it was magical to be flying through the air like this, above the valley in the rain and sharing this moment with Tyler Demming.
All of it. All of it was core-to-skin thrilling and then some.
Exhilarated, Lulu could hear a joyful whoop and realized it was her own voice shouting into the open air.
Pura vida! she thought. This. Is. It. Her whole being was living it.
“Brake!” she heard Tyler call over her laughter. Ahead she could make out the platform with a guide waving her arms to let Lulu know to spread her legs to slow her trajectory.
Her shoes touched the wooden platform, splashing water against her soaked pants. Behind her, she heard the thump of Tyler’s heavier landing. And still, Lulu was laughing like laughing was going out of business and she had to buy out the store.
The guide lifted her brow in a smile. “Fun?”
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh,” was all Lulu could manage to get out.
She swung toward Tyler and crushed him in an embrace, their hearts thumping together like a drumming party.
Panting with adrenaline, Tyler hugged her back.
And even though her veins pulsed with excitement, she felt a calm come over her with the security and surety of being contained within the circle of Tyler’s arms.
“You did it. You did it,” he repeated very quietly—just for her, his lips grazing her ear.
At last she let go, and Lulu stepped back to look behind her.
Her eyes traveled the length of the cable and she realized every bit of worry had been replaced by wonder.
What was I so afraid of? she asked herself.
I did that, she thought. Way to go, me. Lulu wished she could go back in time, start all over at the top, and enjoy the ride, knowing that it was all going to turn out fine.
But then again, that would have meant missing out on spending all afternoon with Tyler Demming, and that would have been a shame.