Jump

I looked down at my bare feet as they stood just inches from the edge. The rocks were cold and smooth against my soles, almost as cool as the breeze that shifted the leaves in the forest behind me. Wearing nothing but my bikini, I crossed my arms in front of my chest in an attempt to keep warm.

“How are you doing, Syd?”

The sound of his husky voice coming from directly behind me did little to calm me. Instead, it sent even more shivers through my body.

“I don’t think I can do it,” I muttered. My eyes were trained on the calm water below me, gauging the distance from the edge of the cliff to the dark abyss below. I had been standing on that ledge for over ten minutes and still, he had stayed with me.

The sudden feeling of Sean’s hand softly touching my waist distracted me, as did the warmth of his body when he closed the gap between us. Soon, he was standing with his chest flush against my back, and I slowly felt myself start to calm.

“You made that list for a reason, remember Syd?” Sean reminded me softly. “All of your fears are gone now, except this one.”

I remembered. How could I not? It was a bucket list I had made right when I started high school, a list that I hadn’t even bothered to look at until Sean waltzed into my life. He had been there for every single one, supporting me, urging me to be strong. I didn’t know how strong I really was until he helped to show me.

“Would you do it with me?” I asked softly as I turned my head to look at him. His lips crinkled up into a smile that stretched all the way up to his deep brown eyes.

“For you, I’d do anything.”

I blushed at his words, though I didn’t doubt them. What started as a friendship had recently begun to turn into something more, something as deep and powerful as the water beneath our feet.

Sean moved to stand beside me and grabbed my hand, his strong fingers interlocking with mine. He grinned again as he looked at me, this one more like a smirk. “Some first date, huh?”

My already flushed cheeks quickly turned a darker shade of red as I offered him a shy smile of my own. “A date, huh?”

“Yeah.”

I looked back down at the smooth black water, with the moonlight bouncing off it like diamonds on an elegant silk dress.

“What do you say, Sydney? Will you jump into the unknown with me?”

All it took was one more look into his eyes before I found myself beginning to nod. With one last uncertain smile, I took a leap over the edge with Sean’s hand still in mine. 

What’s your biggest fear? Feel free to drop a comment with your thoughts!