When Love Breaks (23 page)

19

LOGAN

“E
lora,” I say softly, trying to coax her from sleep. “Wake up. We have things to do today.”

She stirs. Her brow furrows, and she pouts her lips at my gentle rousting.

“No. I’m tired,” she says, then rolls over. I can’t help but laugh.

“I mean it, sleepyhead. Get up. We’re going on an adventure.”

She yawns and stretches, then manages to open one eye part way.

“What adventure?”

“You’ll see. Just get dressed, and wear something comfortable.”

I reach down and pull at the hem of my shirt, shrugging it off over my head. I see her mouth pop open as she watches me.

“Can’t we just stay here?” She’s eyeing my bare chest with one eyebrow cocked upward. I throw my shirt at her, and she giggles.

“Although I’m sure that would prove to be a worthy adventure, no, we can’t. I have plans…and reservations,” I say as I put on a clean shirt.

“But, it’s so early.”

“That’s the best time to go.”

“Go where?”

“It’s a surprise. Now, get up, or I’ll be forced to drag you out by your feet.” I narrow my eyes at her.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

Then, in one swift move, I grab her left ankle and begin to pull. She screeches and flips over on her stomach, grasping at the sheets for any sort of traction. I stop just short of her falling completely off the bed, and let her leg go so that only her torso remains on the mattress. Then, for good measure, I playfully swat her behind. She yelps in response.

“That’s not fair,” she says, as she turns her head to look at me.

“Hey, I warned you.” I laugh.

Her mouth twists, and she laughs too.

“Where are we?” she asks as we drive down the dirt road toward the wooded area about an hour away from our homes.

“We’re almost to our destination.” I smirk.

“You’re still not going to tell me?” Her pouty expression is absolutely adorable.

“We’re going zip lining,” I say, hoping for a positive reaction.

“Zip lining? You mean, hanging from a wire at really high heights?”

“Something like that.”

Her expression is unsure. Is she not up to this?

“I’m sort of afraid of heights.”

“Well, are you willing to give it a try? They have a practice run before we begin. If you don’t think you’re going to like it, we can just find something else to do.”

She bites her bottom lip as she contemplates my words. It’s several seconds before she responds. I’m waiting with anticipation.

“I’ll try it,” she says. A ridiculously large grin spreads across my face, and I reach over and squeeze her hand.

“It’ll be fun. You’ll see. And, afterward, we’ll have another, less adventurous, adventure.”

She grins and nods her head.

“Then, what are we waiting for?”

I put the car in park but hesitate before getting out. I turn slightly in my seat.

“I want you to know how much I appreciate you trying new things with me. I’ve always been fascinated with the thought of flying, and I’ve had this idea in my back pocket for a while now. I was hoping you’d want to go on this adventure with me, so thank you…for being so open minded.”

She smiles.

“Logan, I don’t care what we’re doing, as long as we’re doing it together. And, I’m thankful that I get to share this with you.”

I lean over and press my lips against hers. She places her hand on my cheek, and my heart melts. When we pull back, my mind suddenly races to our future. In every scenario throughout my flash forward, she is the one constant. Her face is in every picture that my mind has shown me. I smile broadly.

“What?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“Nothing. Let our first adventure begin.”

“The first of many?”

“Without a doubt.”

After walking around to open her door, we stroll hand in hand up to the front of the building. The rustic look of the log cabin is exactly what I’d expected to find here, in the middle of a forest. I open the door then allow her to walk in first.

“Good morning, folks. What can I do for you today?” says an older man behind the counter.

“Good morning. We’d like to try out your course. We have a reservation.” I turn my phone toward the man, and she looks at me, puzzled. “I made them last night after you fell asleep,” I tell her, and she smirks.

“Very good, sir.” He processes my information, then types into his computer. “I’ll need you both to sign this waiver and step on this scale. Then, we’ll get started.” She looks at me with a curious expression, then shrugs. We both step onto the scale in turn as the man writes the results down on our paperwork. I look over the document briefly, then sign my name. Elora follows. “Have you been on a zip line before?”

“No, neither of us have,” I confess.

“Well, you’re in for a treat then. If you’ll step outside with my sons, they’ll get you geared up, then take you up by four-wheeler. When you get to the top, you’ll go through flight school. It’s only up about ten feet or so, but you’ll learn the proper technique, how to self-brake, and self-rescue.”

Elora’s eyes widen, and my guess is that the word
rescue
has her a bit nervous.

“I’m pretty sure that refers to if you stop moving in the middle of the cable. It has nothing to do with falling.” I laugh when I see her relax.

I shake his hand, and we walk outside.

“Ready to go?” the taller son asks as we walk out onto the concrete patio.

“Yes. Very,” she says. I look down to see Elora beaming with excitement, and it makes me that much more pleased with my decision to do this.

“I’m Jake. I’ll be taking you up. Have you been here before?” We both shake our heads. “Well, I guarantee you’ll be back. It’s highly addictive. This is my brother Cody, by the way. He’ll be coming too.” I extend my hand and shake both of theirs and instantly notice the fact that they look like direct opposites of each other. Jake, with his well established beard, has a masculine vibe, whereas Cody is more of a typical, twenty something, although he could pass for a teenager. I wonder if they’re blood related. “First, let’s get you harnessed up,” he says, as he points to a plethora of straps seemingly laid out in front of us. “Just step into the loops, and grab the front and back pieces.” Again, he points them out, and we do as we’re told. The black tether wraps around my upper thighs, over my shoulders, and hooks to a lanyard at my chest. As Cody adjusts mine to fit me, I carefully observe Jake and Elora. She’s smiling and laughing as he cinches her harness tightly. They’re talking to one another, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. Then, I see her touch his shoulder for balance. I close my eyes, trying to get my wayward thoughts under control. “There. You’re all set,” Cody says, as he pulls my focus away from them and hands me a helmet. I smile courteously, then walk toward my girl.

“Hang on,” Jake says, as I hold on tightly to the roll bars. I smile at Elora as she does the same. The engine of the six person ATV roars to life, and we take off up the dirt track.

The road to the top is bumpy and narrow. Jake and Elora are in the front seat, and Cody and I sit in the back. Suddenly, there’s a large dip in the dirt road, which bounces us off the seat a bit. Elora lets out a small screech, and Jake chuckles a bit. Then I watch, begrudgingly, as his hand pats her shoulder in a comforting manner and lingers there a little too long. I narrow my eyes as his head turns to look behind him, and he smirks at me. A pang of jealously flares, but I push it down.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

When we finally get to the top and dismount, I walk over and immediately take hold of her hand.

“You really do look great in anything,” I say.

She laughs.

“Sure I do,” she says then squeezes my hand. I feel my body relax, and I sigh. “Ready?”

I nod.

Flight school consists of a short platform and a plastic coated wire strung between two trees. It’s only a short distance off the ground. Cody begins his speech about safety and technique, and I can’t help but think he must recite this in his sleep.

“You’ll always be hooked up by your lanyards, two of them in fact, even if you’re just walking across a sky bridge. Each one of these has a thousand-pound test, and you’ll each have two so don’t worry about them breaking. And we’ll never unhook both at the same time either. When you’re on the zip line, there’ll always be one of us in front of you, helping you onto the platform, and one of us behind you hooking you up. We’ll make sure you get on and off each platform safely,” Cody says. “Now, after hearing all the instructions, who wants to go first?”

“I will,” Elora says, bravely.

She steps onto the practice platform, and Cody hooks her to the line. She glances over at me with a smile and a wink, then she’s off. Cody tells her to practice her breaking skill, then she self-rescues, moving hand over hand, until she’s safely back on the wooden riser.

“Nicely done,” Jake says as he pats her back. I sneer at the gesture.

“Okay,” Cody says as he unhooks her. “That makes it your turn.” He summons me, and I step up repeating Elora’s actions.

“I think you’re ready for the real thing. We’re one sky bridge away from a great time,” Jake says. “Let’s go.”

ELORA

I
follow Jake to the mouth of a very narrow bridge—if that’s what you want to call it. It really only consists of 2x8s, lined up end to end, and held up by rope. It shakes a lot as we begin our trek. Even though I know I’m held up by my double tethers, I’m still anxious. As we step onto the first real platform, I’m taken aback at the height of our location. The circular, wooden structure sticks out about five feet in every direction and encircles the tree it’s attached to. There are no railings to hold onto, and it feels dangerous to get too close to the edge.

“Who’s going first?” Jake asks with a smile.

“I will,” I say as I raise my hand bravely, but I know I’m anything but brave. “If that’s okay with you, Logan.” I peer over and see him glaring at Jake as if he was some sort of threat.

What’s that about?

“Yes,” he finally says. “That’s fine.” His preoccupied expression causes me to frown.

“Okay then, I’ll go ahead of you,” Jake says, then he hooks up to the line. “This first one is the shortest at 145 feet. They progressively get longer and faster, with the last one measuring at 1100 feet long. Don’t forget to watch for my hand signals when it’s time to brake. See you on the other side!” He picks up his feet, and away he goes. In a matter of seconds, I can hear the disembodied voice of Jake coming from Cody’s walkie-talkie. “Line clear, Cody.”

“Roger that, Jake,” Cody says back, then he turns to me. “Are you ready?” I nod nervously. “All right then, stand up on this stump, and I’ll hook your lines.” I do as I’m told, while holding onto the line above me, then I look back at Logan. I make a quick face of mock horror, which makes Logan grin, but then I smile back to let him know I’ll be fine.

“Just pick up your feet when you’re ready, and watch Jake for signals.” I nod, close my eyes, and go.

I feel my stomach drop, and I squeal with delight as the wind whips past my ears. I’m whizzing across the line, and the next platform is coming fast. In my search for Jake’s signal, I don’t get much chance to enjoy the view, but my mind is having enough trouble just trying to process the fact that I’m flying. It doesn’t take long, before I see Jake. His hands are at his sides but soon, I see the telltale sign that he wants me to apply my hand brake. Placing my palm flat against the line, I apply gentle pressure, and slowly coast to Jake’s waiting hands.

“Very good, Elora. You’ve really got the hang of it already, no pun intended,” Jake says with a chuckle as he reels me in.

“Thanks. That was fun!” I declare and stand on the wood floor, as he transfers my tethers to the hooks on the tree. “I can’t wait to see Logan’s face as he zips over.” Jake speaks to Cody through the walkie-talkie again, letting him know I’m here and soon, I hear the zing of another person coming across. I watch as his face is alight with excitement, and a seemingly permanent grin graces his handsome face.

“How was that?” I ask Logan, as he plants his feet alongside mine.

“Awesome!” he says and kisses my cheek. “Did you like it?”

I nod enthusiastically.

“I can’t wait to do again, and over a higher height!”

He smiles.

“Me too.”

We continue from tree to tree and like before, Jake hooks up and goes, followed by me, then Logan, and finally Cody. When Logan reaches us, I notice his expression is tinged with irritation.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, after his feet hit the floor.

“Oh, nothing. Jake was telling me some funny stories about people he’s taken up here. Some of their reactions must have been priceless,” I say.

“I’ll bet.” His lip curls up a bit, but I pretend not to see it.

After the fourth zip, we get some unexpected news.

“What?” I say, my voice laced with a bit of fear.

“I said we have to rappel to the ground,” Cody says, as if it were as easy as walking.

Logan grabs my hand and gently kisses the back of it.

“You can do this. I know you can,” he says.

The two men show us how to hold the rope and give us instructions on how to descend.

“You’ll have to raise your right foot, keeping your left on the edge, then swing out in a counter-clockwise manner. Like this,” Jake says as he demonstrates. “Then, you just loosen your grip on the rope and drop safely to the ground.” He disappears below the platform as if he does this every day—which I suppose he does.

Logan chivalrously volunteers to go first, stating that if I lose control, he wants to be able to catch me. It’s scary to watch, knowing I’m next, but he nails it.

“I made it,” he calls up to me. “Come on. It’s not bad at all.”

Not willing to look like too much of a girl, I reluctantly do as I’ve been instructed, and once I’m hanging in midair, I too drop gracefully to the ground below.

“Well done, you,” Logan says, as I’m unhooked. I wrap my arms around him and squeeze. He leans down and kisses me.

“That was the single, most scary, thing I’ve done in my entire life! That first step is so hard to take.”

“I know what you mean, but we did it.” He smiles down at me; pride is evident on his face.