I waited for Cal, and as we walked to the next platform, he took my hand in his.
“I’m proud of you, Shelly,?
?? Cal said as we began to climb the stairs. “You’re conquering your fears. Is it horrible, or are you having a little fun? Any time you want to leave, just say the word.”
I turned to him with a smile.
“It is scary, but it’s also amazing. I don’t want to leave.”
He rewarded me with a huge smile, and when we got to the top, we found out it was a tandem jump. At least I wouldn’t have to run or jump off on my own this time. I could leave the hard work to Cal.
“Can you be the one to get us off the platform?” I asked him as we waited.
“You bet,” he responded, squeezing my hand.
When it was our turn to go, I eagerly wrapped my legs around Cal’s, and prepared myself for the jump.
"You ready, Shel?" Cal asked with a grin of excitement.
I barely said, "Yes!" before we were flying through the air, wrapped up in each other’s arms.
I took in the tree tops and expanse of land around us, then smiled broadly at Cal and said, "Thanks!"
"I knew you'd love it," Cal said, then he leaned in and nuzzled my ear.
I spent the rest of the trip down burning with the thrill of the ride and the feel of my body and Cal's tangled in each other.
I reigned in my hormones for the rest of the ride, and was excited when at the last zip-line they told us it would be a race between two lines.
“You’re going down,” I yelled to Cal gleefully.
“You wish,” Cal responded with a laugh.
They told us that at the count of three, we were to run and jump off of the platform, then lean back to try and gain speed. The first one to the end was the winner.
I beat Cal to the finish.
We were laughing when we turned in our gear. Our adrenaline was pumping and we were both starving, so we decided to eat at the little roadside stand on the way out of the course.
Our bellies full of hot dogs, chips, and a drink, we drove the whole way back to my house talking about the different zip-line courses, and the challenges that we'd faced.
It was the most fun I'd had in weeks, and when we pulled into my driveway, I still felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
When Cal walked me to my door, I turned to him and asked, “Would you like to come in for a beer?”
His face looked truly happy, and I realized that it had been a long time since I’d seen him that way.
He followed me inside and I led him toward the kitchen.
“Nice place,” he said.
“Thanks,” I responded quietly. I didn’t want to dwell on the fact that I was living in a new place on my own. I wanted to continue with the easy camaraderie that we’d had all day.
I pulled the beers out of the fridge and popped the tops, then turned to hand one to Cal. He took a long pull, then set it on the counter before turning to me and saying, "I'm sorry if this is out of line, Shel."Before I understood what he meant, I was pushed up against the counter, his lips on mine, and my legs came up around him. My bottom landed on the counter, and I groaned as his lips trailed down my neck.
"Is this okay?" Cal asked softly in my ear.
Chapter 21 – Cal