Hadn't I seen thirty people go down before me? Hadn't the zip line held? The only screams I heard were screams of enjoyment, right? Yes, but I was low-key terrified anyway.
Riley waited until Seth moved away, leaving the two of us alone on the platform. Everyone else had already gone before me, so we didn't have an audience. No one to see him tangle his fingers in my hair and pull my face closer to his.
"Would I bring you all the way here if I didn't know you could do this?" His voice was low, bordering on harsh. His breath was laced with coffee and the soda he'd taken sips of over the last hour or two. Keeping hydrated, but not enough to have to run off and relieve his bladder.
"You might," I said without flinching. I was more scared of heights than I was of him. "You might get off on seeing me back down from my fears."
He huffed a laugh, his exhale warm on my jaw. "I get off on seeing peoplefacetheir fears, sweetheart. It's one of the best parts of this job. The more scared you are, the more I want you to turn around and step off this fucking platform. I want you to enjoy every damn minute of it. I want you to want to come right back and do it again. That's what gets me off."
"And if I don't step off?" I was surprised my voice didn't waver. "Are you going to push me?"
His grip loosened and he drew his face back so our gazes could meet. Hazel eyes intense, he said, "I'd never push you off. Seth, yes. Connor, probably. But you, never. You have to want to step off. You have to need this. You have to make that choice for yourself."
I didn't think we were talking about zip lining anymore.
"Otherwise," he continued, "we can take this off you and go to town and get drunk."
I twisted my face around to take a long look at the taut line that disappeared between the trees. It was nice and tight; stable. Carefully connected at both ends. Likely subject to regular inspection and maintenance. Nothing bad was going to happen to me if I took this leap of faith.
That still left me with a question.
"Has anyone ever gotten here and changed their minds?"
Riley smoothed my hair down, back into place. "Absolutely. Some of them regret it and come back for a second try. Others spend the night at the Frosty Brew telling everyone they wished they'd done it."
"There must be some who are okay with changing their minds," I reasoned.
"I guess, but their regret comes later. When they get their credit card bill." He grinned.
I laughed. "Yeah, I can see that."
I wouldn't want to spend money on an adventure tour and not do everything I paid for. Especially if I let fear get in the way. I wouldn't judge anyone else for changing their minds, but I'd judge myself. I'd spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if I'd trusted that I could do this.
Hadn't I already proven I could stay on a raft on the rapids? Didn't I already know I enjoyed riding on a quad bike? This was another calculated risk. One that, when I thought about it, was a lot safer than the other two.
"So, I just step off and fly, hmmm?"
"Yep." He took my hands and placed them on the harness, in front of me. "Hang on here and enjoy the ride." He kissed my cheek before stepping back to give me room.
"That's what he said," I said as I stepped off the platform into nothingness.
Riley's laugh followed me as I started to zip down the line, dangling like a fish on a hook.
I let out a squeal, which turned into a whoop as I gained speed, flying down the side of the mountain. Past the trees. Over the river. Through the wind.
The pace was alarming but exhilarating at the same time. I tipped my head back and shouted out my excitement, probably scaring the animals in the forest, in the process. I couldn't stop myself from vocalising the adrenaline which surged through every centimetre of me. I didn't want to. I couldn't remember a time when I felt more alive.
The quad bikes were fun. So was the white water rafting, but this was something else. This was pure freedom. Something I craved for so long and never knew how to find.
Right when I thought the speed was too much, I started to slow. The angle of the zip line flattened out, drawing me closer to the lower platform and Connor's waiting arms.
He looked smug, like he was absolutely certain I wouldn't back down from this challenge.
He caught me when I was close enough and pulled me to him, bringing my ride to an end. Wrapping an arm around me and letting me feel the heat of his body.
"Hey, there." He held me until I got my footing. "For a while, I thought you weren't coming." He clearly didn't think that at all, but he couldn't help shit-disturbing.
"I almost wasn't," I said. "Then I thought, why not take a chance? That was incredible."
