I made my bed hastily, and threw on a pair of cutoff shorts and t-shirt with a hooded sweatshirt over it. Ten minutes after hanging up the phone with Brittni, I was headed for Mason Bridge over on the county line. The air had a nip to it, making it clear that summer was over and fall was right around the corner. It felt glorious knowing it was September and already cooling off. In Florida, it would be several months before they saw similar temperatures. After a lifetime of missing real seasons, I was greedy for them to begin. I wanted to see the barren trees once they shed all their current multicolored leaves. I wanted to make a snow angel and build a snowman. All three were items on my bucket list that would take little effort as long as I was still here. I just needed enough time.
I was at Mason Bridge in less than five minutes. By the time I pulled off the side of the road just before the bridge, the nerves I'd been keeping at bay reared their ugly head. Sitting behind the steering wheel, I swiped my hands down my shorts in an attempt to remove the moisture that had collected on my palms. I could do this. Opening my car door, I forced myself to get out before I could chicken out and go home. The cool breeze blowing through the branches of the aged oak trees that lined the banks of the river below made me shiver slightly. I warily eyed the bridge in front of me. It was now or never. I stripped off my sweatshirt despite the chill and tossed it on the passenger seat next to the towel I had brought along. Closing the door with determination, I left my car behind, heading for the bridge.
My knees shook more and more the closer I got to the middle of the bridge, and my breath came out in labored puffs like I'd just sprinted a mile. Peering over the railing, I took in the slow-moving river below. From this height, the water looked darker and more menacing than I thought it would. I felt lightheaded and slightly squeamish at the idea of being in water with god knows what lurking around me. In Florida, it was common knowledge that any body of water could have snakes or even gators. Indecision filled me as I gripped the railing with white knuckles. I clamped my eyes tightly closed to ward off the dizziness and gave myself a stern talking. I had to do it today. It was obvious by the chill in the air that time was limited. Pretty soon it would be too cold to jump.
With my mind made up, I kept my eyes closed as I attempted to climb over the railing that I was still gripping with both hands. Maneuvering was awkward with the death grip I had, but after a few false starts, I was standing on the other side of the rail. Finally opening my eyes, I slowly released one hand so I could twist around to face the water below. With the railing against my back, I faced my biggest fear. My breath wheezed past my lips as I fought back my panic. "This is the worst part," I told myself. If I could get past this, the actual fall would last only seconds. Stiffening my back, I finally released the railing and moved to the edge of the bridge. The desire to slam my eyes shut again pulled at me, but I fought it back. There was no cheating this situation. With one last look of yearning at the railing behind me, I stepped off the bridge and screamed, and screamed and then screamed some more.
My screams filled the air around me as I plunged toward the dark water below. It took less than a moment, and even though I was still scared, my screams were suddenly more exhilarated. I felt alive as my stomach dropped from the free fall. For the first time, I totally understood why skydivers claimed it was a rush like no other to jump out of a plane. I found I was actually disappointed when I hit the water feet first and sank down into the icy water. I wanted more. I wanted to feel the freedom of the fall all over again.
Chapter 6: Trying to be the Hero
Nathan
I was three miles into my run on Sunday, contemplating my next move with Ashton, when I came across her car on the side of the road near Mason Bridge. Before I could register why it was there, a piercing scream rang through the air. Sprinting toward the location of the screams, I made it to the railing of the bridge just in time to see the splash of someone's body hitting the water below. Without giving it a thought, I hurled over the railing and jumped off the side of the bridge.
The water hit me like needles of ice as I was completely submerged. Years of scuba diving had me instinctively kicking my feet as I used my arms to propel me back to the surface. I swiped my hands frantically across my face, clearing away the water to look for her. Relief filled me as I saw a head bobbing in the water a few yards from me.
"What the hell? You scared the shit out of me!" Ashton yelled. "I thought the bridge was falling on me or something.
"Well, I thought you were being murdered by the way you were screaming," I countered, my own anger rising. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"I was conquering my fear of heights, quickly followed by my fear of a bridge falling on top of me," she sniped back, turning toward the shore. I watched for a moment as she used practiced strokes to propel herself toward the shore. Shaking my head in bewilderment, I followed behind, quickly catching up to her. We trudged the rest of the way to the shore once we could stand. Neither of us talked as the last of the adrenaline left us and our bodies began to shake from the cold. The tension between us dissipated when I reached out to steady her when she tripped over a hidden root beneath the water.
"Thanks," she said, dropping my hand once we stumbled ashore.
"No problem. It's not every day I get to save a lady that didn't need saving," I joked.
"I'm sure it's the thought that counts," she teased as we made our way up the embankment. Our steps squished as the leftover water seeped out over the tops of our shoes.
"Tell that to my ruined running shoes," I said, holding my muddy shoe up so she could see it.
"How about I give you a ride to make up for it? Although, I want the record to show I didn't ask you to go all stalker-hero and jump in after me," she teased between chattering lips.
"Fair enough, but next time you decide to do an adrenaline job, screaming less might be helpful."
"Point well taken," she agreed, pulling the passenger door open. "Here, you can have the towel since I have my sweatshirt," she added, tossing a folded up towel at me.
"You should have taken off your wet shirt before you put that on," I pointed out, raising my eyebrows suggestively as she pulled the sweatshirt on over her wet t-shirt.
"I'm not that easy. You have to actually save me in order to get a boob shot," she quipped, climbing into the driver seat.
Startled laughter bubbled up inside me. It had been awhile since I'd been with someone so sassy. She was different than the refined, boring girls I normally dated. She was more open, with a sharper tongue that made me think about other things I'd like that tongue to do.
"Is that an invitation?" I asked, folding myself into the passenger seat.
"I'm not sure I have any more high-risk activities planned that will require your services."
"Maybe we can work out a side deal," I said, resting my arm on the back of the seat so my fingers were close to the back of her neck without actually touching her. I bit back a smile when I saw a shudder of awareness ripple through her frame.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked, flipping the heat on as she whipped a U-turn in the middle of the road.
"Why don't you let me take you out to dinner and we can work out the particulars?" I answered, trailing my finger along the fine hair on her neck that had escaped the cute ponytail she wore on top of her head.
"There's not a whole lot of dining choices in Woodfalls unless you don't mind the diner. The better restaurants are in the next town, like twenty-five minutes away," she said, leaning back against my hand that was now cupping her neck. I went instantly hard from the sigh of pleasure that escaped her mouth as I gently massaged her neck.
"Let me worry about dinner," I murmured, dipping my finger down the neckline of her shirt as she pulled her car into the parking lot of my motel. She switched off the car, but neither of us moved.
"This is crazy. We don't even know each other," she finally said hoarsely, cluing me in that she was as turned on as I was. Although, judging by her death grip on the steering wheel, she was trying to fight it.