Three soaking-wet teenagers pass by us, ready to jump again, and Michael moves closer until his chest presses against my side.
“Maybe there should be.” His rough voice scrapes against me like a scorching flame. “You said you wanted to do something for yourself this Christmas.”
“Yeah, but I was thinking about taking myself on vacation and eatingthe cookies meant for Santa.”
He grins and reaches for my hand, and for some reason, I let him take it. “Do this with me?”
I can hear my mother’s voice in my head, warning me about this, about him.He will ruin your life. They all do.
I’ve never wanted to be ruined so bad. He’s trying to help me fly, and maybe it’s time I do it.
“Okay,” I breathe.
“You’re going to love this, Juliet,” he whispers next to my ear.
Love what? The way his breath feels on my skin? The way he says my name?
He tugs my hand, but my body rejects his pull.
“Wait, I’m not ready.”
He stops. “You don’t have to. We canjust go downto the bottom and swim.”
I don’t do things like this. I don’t follow a guy up a cliff and over its edge, literally or metaphorically. I don’t make decisions lightly. I plan and deliberate before I decide. And then the doubt creeps in.
I wait for that doubt right now, but all I feel is a tiny morsel of anticipation.
Iwantto do this.
I bite my bottom lip and glance at him. “Race you?”
He rewards me with a smile so big it could never be captured by a photo, then takes off running.
I run with him, not allowing more time to talk myself out of it. My feet hit the edge of the cliff, and I leave my fear there as I hurl myself into the air.
My body is weightless. For once, nothing is under me or behind me, holding me down and keeping me in place. I don’t want to fall.
But gravity takes me anyway, and I crash through the warm water. Darkness enfolds, but no rocks or little creatures attack, and I come up laughing.
Michael pushes his hair out of his face and swims up next to me. His chest is on full glorious display in the setting sun. I swallow. It is called golden hour for a reason.
“You loved it, didn’t you?”
I peel my eyes away from his chest. “So much.”
“Wanna go again?” His bright blue eyes sparkle against the dark water, and his blond hair is plastered around his face, giving him a boyish charm.
Yes. I want to goagainandagain.“I thought you’d never ask.”
He’s doing something to me. I don’t know what it is, but even standing sturdy on the rock cliff, I feel like I’m falling for him.
After four more liberating jumps, we call it quits for the night. The sun has almost set, and the coolness of the night is best enjoyed from the warmth of the hot spring.
“So, how am I doing with date one?” Michael swims up next to me on the rocky edge.
I purse my lips. “Oh, this is date two. We already had our first date. Remember?”
His eyes squint. “Eager to get rid of me, huh?”
