Chapter 23. The Ideal Place to Question Your Life Choices Is 8,000 Feet Above the Ground #2
I made the mistake of glancing at what was below, and my stomach lurched into a jumble of vomit-like sensations.
The bay on our right was a never-ending spread of blue, while the ground on the left looked like a collection of green patches, resembling a real-life Google Map in satellite mode.
Aiden had the right idea—maybe not the freaking out part, but the part where he didn’t show up.
Bucket list, my ass.
Mark was now counting loudly, “One…”
If I survived this jump, my first phone call would be to my lawyer to update my will. I would leave all my Earthly possessions to Opa, Jenna, Ellie, and Rob. And no, I didn’t have time right now to analyze why he was included in the list of people I was leaving my things to.
“Two…”
I had to say goodbye to Opa first, though. Was it too late to call him now? Wait, I couldn’t, because my dead phone was with the staff on the ground. Where I should have been.
“Three!”
And with that, all my thoughts flew out together with my jump, and the next thing I knew, I was free-falling at probably a hundred miles an hour toward the cold, hard ground, with Mark strapped to my back.
He was hooting in excitement as I closed my eyes, mentally crossed myself, and recited multiple Hail Marys while trying not to visualize the inevitable crash that would happen when our bodies hit the ground.
Would it hurt? Would I die instantly? Would I see my entire life flashing before my very eyes?
Would there be anything left of my shattered body?
“Kim!” Mark was yelling. “We’re okay! You’re doing great!”
Oh, what the hell. If I was going to die in the next five minutes or so, I might as well use these last few moments of my life to enjoy the scenery, right?
So I opened my eyes.
And I realized that I was soaring through the beautiful blue sky.
The wind was rushing all around us, and the churning in my stomach had evaporated into thrill and exhilaration.
I thought I could see some birds whizzing by, along with the two bright blue-and-yellow parachutes below us, gliding gracefully toward the ground.
I spread my arms and legs outward like what they’d told us to do in the briefing, and I could feel Mark tugging on something.
Then our own parachute popped out, slowing down our fall.
This was amazing. It was incredible. It was like seeing the world from a fresh new perspective, because the view was beautiful, and totally unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
There was nothing separating me from the ground except for the crisp fresh air whistling around us, and a sense of awe and peacefulness came over me as we quietly floated down, and somehow, everything felt right in the world.
Before I knew it, we were descending toward the designated landing area. Things got pulled into focus, and I could make out the shapes of houses and cars, and the field that was our target. I even found myself wishing that it had gone on for a bit longer.
Once we landed safely, Mark unclipped the harness that had tethered us to each other and helped me remove my gear.
I thanked him profusely, then ran to find Rob, who had landed earlier and was chatting with his own instructor.
When he saw me running in his direction, he nodded at his instructor and walked toward me.
“We made it!” I jumped up and wrapped myself around him in a hug. “We’re alive!”
His hands went around me. “Of course we’re alive.” His laugh sounded like music to my ears. “Did you think that we wouldn’t be?”
“I didn’t know what to think. It was incredible!
” I pulled away and grinned up at him. “Thank you so much for coming and being here for me. I probably could have done it on my own, but knowing I had a familiar face, that I would at least see someone else before I plunged to my death, made everything so much better.”
“You weren’t going to plunge to your death.”
“You can say that now, because we’re safe. Had we plunged to our deaths, you would have said something else entirely different. Seriously, you don’t know how grateful I am. I was going to include you in my will and everything.”
He chuckled. “Anytime, Kim. I’m always here for you.”
Hearing that triggered something inside. I didn’t know what came over me, but I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to grab his face and kiss him.
So I did.
And honestly, it was probably the best first kiss of my entire life.
Maybe it was because I was grateful that we were both alive.
Or because I felt an overwhelming emotion of gratitude because he had given up his day to be here with me.
Or maybe it was the sum of all that and more.
Whatever it was, I channeled all those emotions into the kiss and shoved all the other unimportant thoughts into the back of my mind.
Because this wasn’t the time to think about anything at all.
This was the time to feel. At how soft his lips were, how good they felt against mine, and how the small moan that came from him stoked a craving I didn’t know was inside me.
I wouldn’t think about how he groaned and closed his eyes, or how one of his hands went up to frame my face, and the way his other hand went around my waist to pull me closer, pressing our bodies together, and how he deepened the kiss, devouring my mouth as if I was going to be his last breath.
I wouldn’t think about how his touch was driving me wild and how I suddenly had an all-consuming urge to drag him into a private space and do more, so much more to the rest of him.
No feelings involved, Kim. Remember?
The sound of an airplane propeller, followed by someone shouting in the distance, kicked some sense into me. My eyes sprang open, and I abruptly pulled away from him.
His eyes opened, too, and I didn’t know if I was brave enough to even try to identify the emotions that were swirling in those hazel eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not meeting his gaze. “I don’t know what came over me. It was … maybe it was the adrenaline rush.”
Rob didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Kim, you mean a lot to me—”
No feelings involved. I didn’t fit what he was looking for: someone to build a long-term relationship and a family with. A person to start his forever with.
I couldn’t be what he was looking for.
So I cut him off before he had a chance to finish his sentence, finally meeting his eyes.
“You mean a lot to me, too. I’m not going to risk our friendship because of one adrenaline-fueled kiss.
It will never work between us anyway, right?
You want happy endings and I still have a long way to go before I get there. ”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his expression unreadable.
“I better go.” I made a vague gesture toward the area behind me. “Thanks again for being here, Rob. I’ll see you around.”
I walked away without giving him another look, while reminding myself that I should not, could not, in absolutely no scenario, fall for him.
Because he believed in love, and I didn’t.
Because falling for him—for anyone—would probably only hurt me again, and it wasn’t a chance I was willing to take.
But I had a sneaking suspicion that it was probably too late.
Because deep down, a part of me might already have fallen for him.