Nine
Kema
The next day, we had a few things on our agenda. Sierra told me she had scheduled an excursion, so I figured we were getting on a party boat or going horseback riding. Boy, was I wrong. And now I was going to have to kill her. “You said excursion.”
Sierra adjusted the strap on her helmet. “This is an excursion.”
“No. An excursion is getting on a cute little boat, drinking margaritas, and looking at dolphins. This is attempted murder with a waiver.”
She laughed. “Girl, stop being dramatic.”
“I just signed something saying if I die, it’s basically my fault.”
“Because it is.” I stared at my best friend. This bitch was crazy.
The wedding party had been driven almost an hour away from the resort for what Sierra called a fun adventure day. What she conveniently left out was that her definition of fun involved four-wheelers, mud, and jumping off the side of a fucking cliff.
Everybody looked excited. Even Tiana’s ass. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out if my travel insurance covered stupid decisions. Who would bury me if I died? I don’t have family. It’s just me. Lord, I’m finna die.
“You good?” I turned toward Ace. He walked over with his helmet tucked underneath his arm, looking good as fuck. If I was going to die at least his good dick ass would come with me. We could fuck on the other side.
“I was until Sierra decided we needed to risk our lives hours before her rehearsal dinner.”
Ace laughed, “Girl you ass ain't finna die.”
“You don’t know that.”
“We riding four-wheelers, Kema.”
“And we cliff jumping. I love how you didn’t include that.” He stared at me before busting out laughing. “It’s not funny.”
“You scared?”
“I am. Ace, I don’t have family. If I die who goin' to bury me?”
“Kema, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“How are you going to protect me?”
"Shit I’ll go to war with God to bring you back if something happened.”
I smiled and nodded. Call me crazy but I believed him. He smiled before stepping in front of me and adjusting the strap underneath my chin. “You got your helmet strapped so tight your cheeks poking out.”
My mouth dropped open. “Ace!”
“I fixed it baby… A nigga had to say something though.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed his hands away from my helmet. “You could’ve kept that to yourself.”
“I could’ve.” Ace grinned. “But where’s the fun in that?”
“Keep playing with me.”
“You like when I play with you.”
Before I could respond, one of the guides called everybody over to explain how to operate the four-wheelers.
I tried to listen, but somewhere between him explaining the brakes and warning us not to make sharp turns, my mind checked out.
There were entirely too many ways for this shit to go wrong.
“Everybody understand?” the guide asked.
Everyone nodded except me. Ace leaned closer. “You ain’t hear shit that man said, did you?”
“I heard him say we could flip over. That was the only part that mattered.”
He laughed and pulled me toward one of the four-wheelers. “I’m riding with you.”
“The guide said everybody gets their own.”
“Well, he doesn’t know me.”
“Kema, get on.”
“I don’t like the way you’re talking to me.”
“You want me to ask nicely?”
“Yes.”
He lowered his voice. “Baby, will you please get your scary ass on the four-wheeler?”
I stared at him because this nigga had a lot of nerve to call me scary. I mean he wasn’t wrong but still. “I hate you.”
“Nah, you don’t.”
Unfortunately, he was right. I climbed on and wrapped my hands around the handlebars. Ace showed me how to control the speed and where to place my feet. “What if I panic?”
“Let go of the throttle.”
“What if I forget?”
“I’m right behind you baby. I got you.”
Hearing him say he was behind me did something to me. I wasn’t sure why I felt like I could trust him to save me but I did. The guide took off first, and everybody followed. Ace waited until I started moving before pulling out beside me.
The first few minutes weren’t bad. I kept my speed low and focused on not running into a tree. Then the trail opened, and everybody sped up.
Mud flew everywhere. Sierra screamed while Stephen laughed beside her. Even Tiana’s ass took off like she had been riding four-wheelers her whole life. I pressed the throttle harder, and mine jerked forward. “Shit!”
“You got it!” Ace yelled.
“I don’t got shit!”
But a few minutes later, I stopped thinking about dying and started having fun.
I sped through puddles, laughing every time mud splashed behind me.
Ace pulled ahead. Oh, so this nigga wanted to race.
I went after him. When I caught up, he swerved through a puddle and sent muddy water flying directly at me. “Ace!”
He sped off laughing. I chased him down the trail and splashed him back the first chance I got. Ace wiped mud from his helmet and pointed at me. “You finna pay for that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Keep that same energy when we get back to the room.”
I wanted him to do something to me when we go back to the room so I egged him on. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
“Nah.” His eyes moved over me. “I don’t need you scared. Just prepared.”
The guide motioned for us to keep moving before I could respond.
We eventually stopped in an open area surrounded by trees.
My legs felt like jelly when I climbed off.
Ace removed his helmet and walked toward me.
Mud covered his shirt, arms, and part of his face, but somehow the nigga still looked good. “You had fun?” he asked.
“It was alright until you threw mud on me.”
“Hell you threw it right back. I thought you were having fun.” He wiped some mud from my cheek with his thumb. “You still look good.”
I hated how easily he could make me smile. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“Oh I know a nigga look good.”
I tittered, hitting his chest. “I was trying not to inflate your ego.”
“Too late. You already fucked me.”
I looked around to make sure nobody heard him. “Ace!” He laughed and handed me a bottle of water. “You have no home training.”
“You ain’t say that when—”
I covered his mouth. “Finish that sentence and I’m pushing you off the cliff.”
He pulled my hand away. “You wouldn’t do that. You like me too much.”
My smile slipped because he wasn’t wrong. Before I could respond, Sierra walked over looking entirely too happy. “See? I told you this would be fun.”
“I haven’t forgiven you.”
“You were screaming and laughing the whole time. I heard you.”
“I was briefly confused.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on. We still have to hike to the cliff.”
My happiness disappeared. “We still doing that?”
“That’s the whole reason we came.”
I looked at Ace. “Tell her I’m not going.”
“You’re going.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours.” He took my hand. “Come on, scary ass.”
“I’m not scared. I just don’t wanna die. This is called being responsible and making good decisions.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
The hike wasn’t long, but it felt like forever. The trees eventually opened to a clear blue swimming hole surrounded by rocks. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, the cliff beside it looked high as fuck.
The guides explained where to jump and warned us not to hesitate once we stepped forward. Sierra and Stephen went first, holding hands as they ran off the edge. Everyone cheered when they surfaced. A few more people followed, including Tiana and Markel. I turned to Ace. “We can climb down, right?”
“We could.”
I grabbed his hand tighter. “Good. Lets g—.”
“But we’re not.”
“Ace.” He removed his shirt and tossed it onto a rock. My eyes immediately dropped to his chest. Tattoos covered his arms and part of his torso. Sweat ran down his stomach and disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. I temporarily forgot about the cliff. “See something you like?” he asked.
“No. I’m trying to figure out if all those muscles will help you survive the fall.”
“You worried about me?”
“If something happens to you, who’s taking me back to the resort?”
“Mhm.”
“Don’t do that.”
He smiled and held out his hand. “Come jump with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Ace, I can’t. I’m scared of heights.”
“Then we don’t jump.” I glanced at him out the corner of my eye. “I’m not forcing you, Kema. We can walk down.”
Everyone was swimming beneath us. Then I noticed Markel watching me. Tiana noticed too. Fuck them.
“You’re holding my hand the entire time,” I told Ace.
“I got you.”
“Please don’t let go.”
“I won’t.”
We approached the edge together. The closer we got, the farther away the water looked. I stepped back. “Nope.”
“We don’t have to do it.”
“I want to.”
“You sure?”
“No.”
Ace laughed before placing his hands on my waist. “Don’t look down. Look at me.”
“What if I drown?”
“You know how to swim.”
“Nigga what if when I hit the water I forget?”
“In the three seconds it takes us to hit the water?”
“It could happen.”
“I’ll bring you back up.”
My heart beat against my chest as I held his hand. “On three?” he asked. I nodded. “One.” I tightened my grip. “Two.”
“Ace, wait—”
“Three.”
We ran and jumped. It was like time stood still cause for a few seconds there was nothing beneath my feet. I screamed and squeezed his hand until the water swallowed us. When I surfaced, Ace was beside me, still holding my hand. “You good?”
“I did it!”
“You did.”
“I can’t believe I did that.”
He pulled me closer. “I told you I had you.” Then he cupped the back of my neck and kissed me. My surprise lasted less than a second. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and kissed him back, forgetting about Markel, Tiana, the wedding party, and the fake relationship.
All I felt was Ace. When I pulled away, Sierra whistled while Stephen yelled for us to get a room. “What was that for?” I asked.
Ace glanced toward the group. “Had to give them a show for good measure.”
“Right.” I forced a smile. “The show.”
His expression changed. “Kema—”
“Come on. Let’s swim.”
We spent the next hour in the water while Sierra forced everyone to take pictures. Ace kept his arm around my waist, even when nobody was watching.
By the time we headed back, my clothes were wet, my hair was a mess, and every muscle in my body hurt. But I was happy.
I came to Cancún wanting Markel to regret losing me. Instead, I barely noticed him because Ace was consuming all my thoughts. We had almost reached the four-wheelers when Markel grabbed my elbow. “Kema, wait.”
I pulled away. “What?”
“Can we talk?”
“About what?”
He glanced at Ace, who was talking to Stephen a few feet away. “Alone.”
“No.”
“Kema, I’m trying to have a conversation with you.”
“And I’m telling you I don’t want one.”
“We need to talk about you and Ace.”
I laughed. “There is no me and Ace conversation that involves you.”
“He’s my best friend.”
“Was.”
His jaw tightened. “You fucking with him to get back at me?”
“Everything isn’t about you Markel.”
“Out of every nigga you could’ve brought, you chose him?”
“I didn’t choose Ace because of you.”
It might not have been completely true in the beginning, but it was now. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you believe.”
Tiana walked over with her helmet tucked underneath her arm. “Markel, why are you over here begging this bitch to talk to you?”
I turned toward her. “Who are you calling a bitch?”
She rolled her eyes. “If it applies.”
I stepped forward, but Markel moved between us. “Tiana, chill.”
“No. Every time I turn around, you’re staring at her. Now you’re trying to pull her away like y’all have something to discuss.”
“We do,” Markel said.
Tiana’s face changed. “Excuse me?”
I smiled because this had officially become none of my business. “Y’all have fun with that.”
I turned to leave. “Yeah,” Tiana called after me. “Go run back to your fake-ass boyfriend.”
Before I could turn around and give Tiana exactly what she had been asking for I felt Ace’s hand slide into mine. Like my body knew it was him I relaxed into his touch. “Come on, Kema.”
His face was calm, but the muscle jumping in his jaw told me he had heard everything. “You’re not going to say anything?” I asked.
Ace glanced back at them. “Nah. Neither one of them got shit to do with us.”
Us. One small word shouldn’t have affected me the way it did. Ace tightened his fingers around mine and led me away. For once, I didn’t care whether Markel was watching. The only thing I cared about was the man holding my hand.