“Awesome, fill out this paperwork, and I’ll let Tyson know you’re here!” she says in an entirely too cheery voice, handing us both a clipboard containing a packet of paperwork and a pen.
Once our forms are complete and returned to the blonde girl behind the desk, a second worker leads us back into a small room where he plays us an informational video on skydiving to educate us and then delivers a PowerPoint presentation and speech of his own. I zone out during his speech, my sole focus on the breath of fresh air beside me and how she watches him so intensely, soaking up every word he says.
Thirty minutes later, Tyson has completed his presentation of who does what, the tandem equipment, and safety features.
“All right, Dean, I’ll get your rig, and then we can head out and get the show on the road.” I nod in response before he leaves us alone in the room.
Camille looks at me, raising one of her perfectly arched eyebrows. “What did you mean by only one first-time jumper? Are you saying that you’ve been skydiving before?” I nod.
“A few times, actually.”
Her mouth gapes open like a fish out of water. “When? Why? With who?”
“My mom.” Her eyes nearly pop out of her head with that news, so I explain, “A few years ago, when I came home to visit, Mom told me about this place she heard someone talking about at the club. My dad, of course, said no, so she asked me. She loves it. We’ve been here quite a few times.”
“How did I not know this?”
“Why would you? We haven’t been a part of each other’s lives for a while.” A frown curls on her perfectly plump lips. I reach out toward her and swipe my finger across her bottom lip. “You jump, I jump.” Without thinking, I lean down and press my lips against hers. We’re in public for crying out loud, but at this moment, I don’t care about possibly being caught with someone who isn’t my wife. I’m withmyCamille, and that’s all that matters to me.
Since Cam came straight from work and was still in her dress, she ran into the gift shop to purchase a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. Every piece of clothing is embroidered with the Titanium Skydiving logo, but at least she’s wearing suitable jumping attire now. The clothing may be ridiculous, but she can make anything look good. Besides, it doesn’t matter anyway because she's now covered it up with the tandem gear that Tyson gave us.
After changing into our gear, which consists of matching jumpsuits, Tyson leads us toward the airstrip and into the small awaiting plane. I don’t think Camille has yet realized that she will be jumping with me rather than the instructor. It’ll be a pleasant surprise.
The pilot introduces himself as Jeremy. While he goes through his safety checklist before we take off, Tyson again goes over safety protocol, handing us goggles that we slip over our heads and adjust around our eyes, along with earplugs.
Based on Camille’s body language, I know she’s anxious. She’s trying to play it cool and not let her nerves show, but I know her too well. She’s never been the type to second-guess herself or question her decisions. Cam has always jumped headfirst into anything and everything she does. She’s completely fearless. She craves the adrenaline as much as I’ve been craving being in the same vicinity as her.
Moments later, the small plane takes off, and we’re making the short journey into the sky, climbing higher and higher until we reach our maximum altitude.
Tyson grabs the rig that contains our parachute and helps me into it, placing the straps on my shoulders and the straps around my chest to secure it.
“Okay, Camille, you’ll stand in front of Dean with your back to him, and I’ll strap you to him,” he announces, clapping his hands together.
Her jaw drops at the revelation. I smile smugly.
“What do you mean strap me to him? No way in hell!” She crosses her arms across her chest in protest.
“Come on, Cam, you’ll be safe with me. We jump together, right?” She pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and I refrain from leaning forward and pulling her lip away and biting it the way she currently is.
With a huff and an eye roll, she does exactly as Tyson said. She places her back against my chest, and then he secures the straps around her, securing her to my chest. Once she’s secure, she ties her hair back into a bun at the base of her neck.
We’re in this together now more than ever. There’s no turning back. She jumps, I jump.
Soon the door opens, and it’s go time. We shove the earplugs into our ears and step in sync until we get closer to the edge of the plane. I wrap one arm around Camille’s waist while the other holds on tightly to the handlebar above us.
Tyson gives us the thumbs up to let us know it’s time to jump. My hand around her waist tightens, and I lean down to place a kiss on her cheek. She won’t be able to hear me, so I don’t say anything. The kiss says all I need to say. I want her to know I’m here for her; no matter what, I’m here.
Camille surprises me by turning her head and capturing my lips, kissing me so deep that it makes me temporarily dizzy, and I get drunk on her. Everything about her is so fucking intoxicating. Her beauty, her scent, her laugh, her taste.
I realize in this moment that I never want to sober again. I want to be drunk on Camille until my dying breath.
When our kiss breaks, she gives me a smile that would’ve brought me to my knees had we been on solid ground.
With a deep breath, I grip onto the backpack strap, and without a second thought, we jump, our eyes on each other the entire time.
We freefall through the sky, my heart galloping in my chest. We’re falling fast, but it feels like we’re in slow motion. The further down we go, the clearer my mind becomes.
The clearer it becomes that there’s so much more to life that I want to experience.