Page 24 of Riverside Reverie

“Sure.” I was thankful she hadn’t pressured me to jump too. I followed her back down the hill—losing my footing a couple of times. I could see how jumping would be easier, but I didn’t think I was ready for that. Moose ambled along behind us.

We passed Talia, Kai and Zoey on our descent. Desmond, Theo, and Jasmine were pulling themselves out of the water when we got to the bottom.

“So much fun!” Jasmine grinned, squeezing the water out of her hair.

“Invigorating,” Desmond agreed, momentarily held captive by her. He quickly caught himself before she noticed, dragging his attention to Moose, who’d knocked the stick he found against his leg. Desmond threw it into the water for him, and Moose took off after it.

“You gonna try?” Jasmine asked me.

“I think it might be a little high for me,” I admitted. “I’m happy to watch you crazy kids.”

Jasmine nodded. “Okay, well. I’m going to jump again!” she said, following Desmond back up the path.

Baz was getting their canoe ready, a grin on his face, like he instinctively knew what Rhiannon wanted before she even said anything.

“We’re going to take the canoe so I can get a better view. Want to join us?” Rhiannon asked.

“Thanks, but I’ll watch from here,” I smiled.

“Suit yourself,” she nodded, expertly stepping into the canoe and sitting down. Baz helped Moose in and paddled them out, leaving enough space for everyone to keep jumping safely.

“Want some company?” Theo asked me.

“Don’t you want to jump again?”

“I can later,” he smiled as he sat down on the rock, submerging his legs in the water. I hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside him and dipping my legs in the river too. The water was cool and refreshing, but sitting so close to him had me feeling heated in other ways.

We watched as Talia jumped again, this time shot-gunning a beer while she fell. I watched, wondering how someone could be so fearless and adventurous.

“Not a fan of heights, huh?” Theo asked.

“Not particularly,” I admitted with a wry grin. “I’m also not a fan of rollercoasters.”

“I don’t like rollercoasters either,” he laughed. “I always end up wondering how frequently they check all the bolts and replace parts.”

“Yeah. Final Destination really messed me up for rollercoasters. I also don’t like driving behind log trucks,” I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Who does?” Theo grinned. “That franchise is to blame for a lot of our generation’s fears, I think.”

“What franchise did what now?” Talia asked, swimming over to us.

“We were just talking about Final Destination,” Theo explained.

“Ah, yes. Messed up movies. I love a good horror movie, but those movies gave me the heebie jeebies. I couldn’t go to the dentist for years,” Talia grinned. “Flat out refused to get braces ‘cause I was convinced I’d end up dying. My parents were so thrilled.” Her teeth were a little crooked, but perfectly white.

“I still won’t start a barbeque,” I admitted. Not that I’d been given many opportunities to do so—barbequing was my dad’s forte, and we didn’t have one at my college dorms. But even if given the opportunity, I don’t think I would be able to get the barbeque death out of my head. With my luck, I really would explode.

Talia laughed and hoisted herself out of the water. “Well, I guess we can either succumb to our fears, or push past them. I no longer hide from the dentist, but opted against braces now that my parents won’t pay for them.” She gave me a cheeky grin.

I bit my lip, considering her words. She was right, after all. For so long, I’d erred on the side of caution, sticking to what was familiar and comfortable. I didn’t push myself outside my own comfort levels, didn’t push the boundaries of that familiarity. I stuck to what I knew, even if it hurt me, even if it didn’t bring me joy.

Scott was a testament to that. I’d never felt for him a fraction of my attraction to Theo, and yet I’d stayed for so long with him. I couldn’t even say the relationship brought me comfort, it had been more or less a mask I’d worn.

With that mask gone—and with Theo’s dark green eyes on me—I felt like an entirely new person.

“So, are you gonna jump?” Talia added, smiling like she knew I was kind of considering it. Theo was still watching me, his eyes full of intrigue and patience. The corner of his lip lifted in a half-smile that sent sparks up my spine.

“I don’t know, but I’ll go back up with you guys,” I replied, standing up and brushing the debris from my thighs. I still wasn’t sold on jumping, but I sensed Theo was keeping me company instead of jumping himself.

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