Chapter 26 #2
Wind plays with my hair. My heart beats faster than it ever has. A small river waits down below, with a little boat swaying nearby. It's the rest of the bungee jumping team, waiting to pick me up after I drop myself into oblivion.
It looks so much higher from up here. I bite my lip.
"Ready?" The guy behind me asks.
I glance at Leon on the shore. The distance doesn't prevent me from noticing his frown, or maybe I'm imagining it. He stands tall, with big arms crossed over his chest. He must be tense, because his shoulders pop. With a cool, short sleeve shirt, his tattooed arms stand out.
So much adrenaline courses through my veins, I'm afraid I'm about to dissociate.
"Ready," I say.
"Alright."
They start the count and I jump as soon as they shout the final number.
I fall. Time suspends. I scream. My brain breaks, and all I get are fragments of the experience.
The air on my face, my heart in my throat, and the sound of it all.
I have no idea how long this lasts, or whether the world will ever stop rushing around me, or when will the world right itself up again…
Eventually, I'm swaying head down, three quarters of the way between the bridge and the water. The bungee jumping team gets to work on their boat and they bring me down.
"Slow now," they say as they help me sit on the rubber dingy. "Blood is going to rush away from your head."
"I'm dizzy," I say.
And euphoric. Like I've conquered gravity itself.
"Does your husband have the pamphlet?" someone asks.
"Yeah, yeah," I say. "He's a big man."
I don't know why I add the last part, but I do, and I get the giggles.
"Responsible," I say between chortles. "And unfairly handsome."
The two staff people around me chuckle.
One of them smirks. "Temporary dizziness or a headache are normal, but they should be gone soon. You might forget what I'm saying right now, so remember the pamphlet."
"I mostly feel like I'm still flying," I say.
The boat makes its way to the shore, for a trip that shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.
Tremors start in my limbs and, through the haze, I tell myself this is all perfectly normal.
It's just my body trying to process the excess of adrenaline in my blood, my muscles, and my poor exhilarated brain.
As soon as I step onto the rocky ground, Bear jumps to action. He skips around the staff to find me and bring me close to his arms. I plaster myself on him.
He squeezes me tight. "You okay? Tell me you're okay."
"I'm okay. So okay. Bear— I soared. The world flew past me. My heart stopped. It was the best. Exactly what I imagined. A hundred thousand out of ten!"
"Your heart stopped? Fuck. Should I take you to a hospital?"
"What? No," I laugh. "I'm okay. Figure of speech. You know those?"
He creates enough distance between us that he can cradle my face.
I still want him close, so I fist my hands on his shirt to minimize any unnecessary gap.
Two or three buttons are undone on his shirt, and the material opens when I pull at it.
His chest tattoos peek at me. Those perfectly placed hairs over his thick pecs wink.
I could give him a raspberry kiss— blow a raspberry on him. Or even motorboat on his pecs—
Wait. What?
"I think I'm high," I say.
"Look at me." His tone is commanding.
Whatever chemistry has taken over my endocrine system makes me obedient for once.
He peers into my eyes. "Your pupils are okay. I think."
A staff member nods at us. "All these symptoms should go away soon. If you have any doubts, check the pamphlet. It says at what point things need medical attention but, as of now, everything seems to have gone without a hitch. Now we'll help with removing the harness, alright?"
Bear lets me go— reluctantly. The two-people team gets busy with the many buckles around my form. I'm still shaking, but I'm also grinning wide. I lean on Bear, with one grabby hand on his big bicep for balance. I'm jerked a bit as they work.
"Please be gentle with my wife." Leon's voice is firm, just like his body when he helps me stay on my two feet.
Me? I'm putty. My knees have weakened too, for some reason.
The two people soften their movements somewhat, but my jerking about was a natural byproduct of their task, and they keep at it. Just in case, one of them checks on me, and I reassure them with a gesture. This was just Bear and his protectiveness.
"I'm okay," I say for everyone's benefit. "I'm great, actually."
"Are you?" Leon runs gentle fingers over my hair, like a few tendrils need his help. "My God, Pen. The way you screamed. I can still hear it."
"I don't remember screaming." I giggle. "I feel so alive."
His fingers… I had noticed how thick they are, of course. But he had never run his fingertips around my ear quite this way, lower onto my neck like he's following the path of a river on a map. Maybe the flow in an artery? Regardless, it has me shivering.
A new form of touch between us, getting recorded in my cells.
"Glad you loved it," he says. "Me? I'll have nightmares about it."
"Aw, big guy." I step away from the harness. "Next time we sleep together, you can hold me close again."
The two people working with us start organizing things into containers, then guide us toward the van.
"You mean," he says, "you'll encroach on my half of the bed again. I won't be to blame if you end up all over me."
"Excuse you," I reply. "I'm telling you I'll let you bring me close. That way you'll know I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to do it."
"I see." Bear smirks, but takes my hand as we walk. "You're truly fearless, leaving it up to me."
I grin. "Have you ever seen me scared?"
He snorts. "Who knew that reaching terminal velocity off a bridge would get you so cocky?"
I laugh. "Hardly terminal velocity!"
But he laughs with me, kisses my temple, and holds my hand tight anyway.