Frisky Freefall – By Michelle Mars
FRISKY FREEFALL
CATCHING AIR AND FEELINGS
BY MICHELLE MARS
ARTEMIS
Some of my life choices have been spectacular, some affirming, some regrettable, while others were epic disasters—like my second boyfriend, third girlfriend, and first job.
Narcissistic, judgmental, demanding. You could apply those to any of the three, and you’d be right.
They kept me, Artemis Dimopoulos, avoiding relationships for a few years as I focused on the best job, helping to build Paxton Solutions into what it is today: an enviable startup in the Silicon Beach area.
Choosing to join the “Find Adventure” singles group firmly falls into the epic disaster category.
I blame my best friend and boss, Shane Paxton.
Watching him fall in love sure did an exponential number on my loneliness factor.
And, of course, the algorithm gods, who always seem to know what you think before you do, sent a singles ad my way at precisely the right/wrong moment.
As the saying goes, the devil works hard, but the algorithm works harder, and now I’m working harder than ever not to lose my ever-loving shit.
As the panic sent blood rushing to my head, I froze.
That was the absolute wrong thing to do when poised on the edge of a plane, doing a tandem jump, and needing to tell the pretty woman attached to my back that I’ve changed my whole perspective on life, but also the jump.
Who needs to leap from a perfectly good airplane?
The wild woman strapped to me falls into that category, and since I couldn’t utter the words that would stop what we were about to do, we jumped, hurtling ourselves toward Earth.
All I wanted was a freaking date. Some affection.
Maybe sex and a movie in random order. The wind was flapping my lips because, in my shock, I forgot to keep my mouth shut.
Thankfully, I remembered to spread my arms and legs like a starfish and arch my back.
The planet looked infinitely far away and also as though it was getting way too close, way too fast. Looking as though we were attempting to do a belly flop into the Pacific Ocean, down we went.
Like a lifeline tether to reality, a hand linked fingers with mine from behind and squeezed.
The support conveyed through that gesture brought me back into my body, and I almost passed out from the relief that I wasn’t tackling a planet on my own.
I nearly swooned again when I thought about whose hand it was.
Yael Farhi, the stunning and lively instructor who first reviewed all the rules with our group, turned out to be my tandem partner.
Warmth pooled in my stomach as I recalled meeting her for the first time before we all suited up.
She had taken my breath away before the jump, with her thick, dark-blonde and brown, floppy chin-length curls, slashing dark brows over striking hazel-brown eyes, and golden coppery skin tone on a body that was firm and muscular.
As alluring as her outside was, what really grabbed me was her intelligence.
It was clear from how she talked about all the technical details of skydiving.
I was your traditional sapiosexual who often falls for “competency porn” in my partners and book love interests.
Her deep dive into speech side quests about the science of air, her time as a lone soldier, parachute fun facts, and the wit with which she conveyed all the safety knowledge had me drooling.
If I wasn’t mistaken, she’d been checking me out as well.
At least, it sure seemed that way when she made extended eye contact while helping zip me into the vibrant red jumpsuit I had been assigned.
It was a conundrum because I had already been drooling over one of the other singles in the adventure dating group, Matias Silva-Espinosa, a gorgeous librarian living in The Valley.
His deep-brown, soulful eyes had me swooning the moment we met.
He was lean and soft-looking. Someone who could give really good hugs.
His dimpled smile lit up the room, and when he spoke, he sounded like velvety chocolate tastes, smooth and sultry.
When we’d first arrived at the center, he and I were already an hour into flirting.
The group had met for coffee before making our way over to the jump site, and Matias and I had caught each other’s vibe from go.
We’d hit it off so well that I’d already told him I was a trans woman, and it changed nothing.
We were still feeling each other even as my interest began to cast a wider net to include our instructor.
The question was, could I be lucky enough to find two people who were attracted to all of me in one day?
Interestingly, he seemed equally as taken by our instructor as I was upon seeing and hearing her.
I couldn’t be jealous because I understood completely.
There was some chance Yael was also interested in both of us because after she stared my heart into submission, she turned to zip him up as well, and they looked so incredibly arousing together.
They had me so hot and bothered that I was distracted from what else was happening shortly after, and I voluntarily kept pursuing the exciting adventure the group had planned.
It wasn’t until we reached fourteen thousand feet and got ready to jump that it hit me.
Sane people do everything they can to stay safely on a plane.
When Matias, who jumped first with his tandem partner, flew out of the plane, I think reality clashed with my lust-muddled brain, jolting me and my libido back into my body, poised in an open door, way too many feet above Mother Earth.
With protest or a prayer on my lips, the woman I wanted flung us after the man I wanted.
Falling for two people was never so literal. Fuck my life.
THE BEAUTY OF FALLING: YAEL
I had taught many people how to skydive during my time as an instructor, but I could never have predicted what happened that day.
How could my perfect woman and my perfect man show up simultaneously?
Life could be so cruel. Just the day before, I had been lamenting to my best friend, my Mom, about how ready I was to find someone and start a family.
Being a mom was the next adventure I wanted to tackle, and I preferred to do it with someone, or someones, with whom I could build a long-term relationship.
Into my life entered two people to whom I was instantly attracted, who appeared to have recently formed their own connection with each other.
Artemis was beautiful with her long brown curly hair that she caught up into a messy bun for our jump.
Her light brown eyes watched me with such open longing, her clothes were stylish, and her makeup was subtle and flawless.
I wanted to kiss her perfection away, leaving her lipstick smeared.
Matias was the picture of quiet handsomeness and a very clean-cut dresser.
His sweatpants and t-shirt looked pressed, and his hair was cut short and precise.
I wanted to leave some of Artemis’ lipstick on him to mess up his cleanliness.
I was so flabbergasted I was surprised I made it through my lesson at all, but I couldn’t help the word vomit that came along with it.
I’d never talked so much about my deep-dive interest in skydiving.
Sparks lit me up as I zipped them each in, and anticipation quickened my blood, heating me from within.
For the first time that I could remember, my suit felt too tight and uncomfortable.
I hadn’t anticipated the thrill I would feel simply from holding Artemis’s hand to comfort her through her nerves.
If I could have strapped Matias to my front as well, I would have.
I had to settle for seeing his excited face as he jumped and through freefall as he was just a little below us.
It was clear that the bold Artemis had come down with some concerns while the quiet Matias found a bold desire for excitement.
Would either of them be interested in pursuing something with me?
Both of them? I had no idea what they were or were not into, but I was open to a committed throuple.
But how do I broach such a subject with clients?
I was still holding Artemis’s hand, pondering my dilemma when it came time to pull the ripcord to release the ‘chute, and I couldn’t have been prouder that, despite her fears, she remembered to monitor our altimeter and release it at five thousand feet.
Brave girl. With the jolt, as the chute caught the air, I released her hands and held onto the toggles that allowed me to guide us down in the open field designated for our jumps.
Ahead of us, Matias was gliding along with his tandem partner.
They had a perfect landing, both lifting their feet in an “L” formation and coming to a gentle bump on the bum, absorbed mainly by my colleague.
The parachute trailed to the ground behind them in a colorful flow.
Beautiful. I loved skydiving so much. For me, the thrill was only a part of the enjoyment.
I honestly loved showing new people the beauty and grace of skydiving.
And , I hoped that Artemis would see it like Matias clearly had.
We both lifted our legs as we approached, and all seemed to be going well.
Unfortunately, right before touching down, the air shifted direction and caused our ‘chute to stall.
We suddenly dropped, and while I managed to recover from the stall, it meant our landing was still faster than desired.
I attempted to absorb the brunt of the force, but I was sure Artemis felt it, too.
I was so concerned that she would get upset and all her fears would return, but sprawled on top of me, all I heard was her beautiful laughter.