16
Paul
It was still dark out when I got out of bed and stretched my arms over my head. At this hour, I’d expected to have a hard time waking up. But instead, my mind was clear, my eyes were open, and I headed for the shower without dragging my feet in the least.
I was pumped for skydiving, of course, but that wasn’t the only thing I was excited about. I was also excited to see Shelby. And not just see her, either. Now that we were officially a couple, I could also touch her. Hold her. Hug her for longer than a casual squeeze and kiss her lips like I’d wished I could for way too many years. And I couldn’t wait.
After using the facilities, I peeled my shirt over my head and started the shower. I heard a crash from the kitchen and froze. Then heard Will curse.What was that?I padded barefoot out of my bathroom and opened the door of my room, poking my head out and squinting into the darkness. Will was on the ground in the hallway, my boots laying sideways on the ground near his feet.
“You okay?” I asked with a laugh.
Will grunted. “Tripped over your boots.”
“And now you’re dying on the floor?”
“I didn’t fall asleep until after midnight. I think I’m just going back to bed.”
I stepped out of my room and walked over to him, making a mental note to hurry since I still had the shower running. “Bro, why would you stay up that late the night before skydiving?”
A heavy sigh leaked out of him as he put his hand on his chest. “It wasn’t on purpose. I couldn’t sleep.”
“You didn’t drink though, right?” He could jump out of a plane on a little night’s sleep, but not with a hangover. That would suck.
“No. Just couldn’t get my brain to turn off.”
I frowned down at him. That wasn’t like Will. First of all, we’d lived together for a while and we’d shared a tent many times while camping, so I knew for a fact he was one of those guys who fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was very unusual for him to have trouble there. Not only that, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who tossed and turned at night overanalyzing stuff. He was a happy-go-lucky dude. Nothing seemed to trouble him. So whatever kept him awake last night was probably pretty major.
With a smirk, I held out my hand. “Hey, get up.”
He groaned and reached for my hand, letting me tug him to his feet. He turned back toward his room with a wave. “Goodnight.”
“Ah, come on. You should still come. My dad booked your spot, and he was looking forward to jumping with both of us. Besides, my freaking sister and mom are gonna be sitting at the landing zone waiting for us, and I’m gonna need you there to distract me from thinking about all the gossiping they’re gonna be doing. Who knows what kind of embarrassing stuff Aria will tell Shelby now that we’re a thing.”
Will turned, and his eyes drifted to mine and then away. He stepped back, rubbing his hands over his face. “Okay, fine. I’ll go get ready.”
“Cool,” I said, heading back into my room.
“Hey,” Will called, pausing until I poked my head back out. “I wouldn’t stress about Aria telling Shelby a bunch of embarrassing stuff about you.”
“Why not?”
“Because (a) if there was anything to tell her, she probably already did.”
I smirked. “True.”
“And (b), Shelby already knows the worst of it just from being your friend. And the fact that she still wants you knowing you once took a crap on the side of the road during a field trip and then had to use your sock to wipe is a complete mystery to me.”
I slapped a hand on the door jam, grateful for that reminder of one of the most embarrassing days of my life. “Thanks, bro.”
“Anytime.”
And with that, we went into our separate rooms to get ready to jump out of an airplane. Which, oddly enough, wasn’t what sent adrenaline singing through my veins. It was her. It was always her.
* * *
When we pulled up to the facility and all got out of my dad’s Suburban, he put his hands on his hips and looked around. “It’s starting to feel real.”
My mom walked over and stood in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up at his face. “It’s not too late to back out. You can sit with me and the girls and let these two goofballs jump out of an airplane for no good reason.”