Page 22 of Revive

Softly my thumb and forefinger take hold of her chin, tilting her head up to face me. With as much truth and sincerity as I can muster, my words simultaneously ask and tell her, “You think I’m going to let anything happen to you?”

A wooden box on stilts, the treehouse is as rickety as ever. I’m not always the best with words, and maybe the idea is better in theory than it will be in practice. But I want Sasha to know how serious I am about this. I can't take one more day of us sidestepping around our feelings. I need Sasha Allman to be my girlfriend, and I'm not taking no for an answer.

“Climb up,” I order. One foot at a time, she trudges her way up the ladder. Looking up, my intention is to make sure she doesn't trip or stumble, but my concentration falters as I stare at her tight, denim covered arse.

It's bittersweet when she makes it to the top, and the view disappears, but I follow, eager to get to the end part of my plan.

The rope hangs from the branch, but rests inside the treehouse, on a rusted metal coat hook. Reaching for it, I explain to a stiff and scared Sasha that we’re going to swing off the ledge, and land in the sandpit together.

She glances between me and the thick strands of twisted synthetic cord. “I don’t think I can do it.”

“Here,” I say, ignoring her and grabbing both her hands. I line them up, one on top of the other, and meticulously close each finger until her skin is blotches of white and red, and she’s holding on for dear life.

I fit my own hands in between hers, now a pattern of knuckles lining the length of the rope. “I’m going to pull us back, and swing us out, all you have to do is let go when I tell you.”

“I don’t understand why you’re making me do this.” Her voice trembles and a sliver of guilt settles in my chest.

I don’t waste any more time trying to convince her it will be okay. The quicker I get this over with, the quicker it will all start to make sense. Pulling against the rope, I get us in position. “I got you, Sash. Just let go when I tell you.”

Without any further warning, my legs run us off the edge. We cut through the wind, my eyes focused on her while her eyes are squeezed shut. The sandpit is directly underneath us, ready to catch our fall. “Now.”

I wait for her to let go, wanting to take the full brunt of our swing backward if she decides she can’t go through with it. But she does.

A shrill laugh fills the air, and together our arms flail, as our feet search for landing. A loud thud signifies our safety back on solid ground. “You did it,” I state through ragged breaths. “I told you, you could.”

She launches straight into my arms, a show of affection I didn’t anticipate. I drink in the scent of her, in no rush to let her go.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into that.” With her head nestled in my neck, her words a mixture of murmurs and heavy breathing. “Now. You have some explaining to do.” She unlatches herself from me, and I miss her instantly. “What’s all this about?”

I shake out my limbs as if I’m preparing for kick-off in a big game and psych myself to plunge into a speech I’ve recited to myself more than a million times. But the long-winded speech I’d planned seems unnecessary and too time-consuming. Instead, I shocked us both blurting out the life-altering truth. “I’m in love with you.”

“Whhhaat,” she stammers.

“I brought you here, to tell you this was the place I realised my feelings were changing. And the last few months have been torture keeping secrets from you.” My anxiety fades as the words leave my mouth, the cliché of the truth setting you free, becoming more relevant than ever. “I’ve dropped hints, but it just feels like wasting time.”

“Wasting time?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend, Sash. There are no two ways about it.” I step to her, clutching her face in my hands. “I won’t do another day where everyone doesn’t know we’re together.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

“No, you’ll try to tell me why it’s a bad idea, even though I’ve seen how you look at me.”

“You’re so sure.”

“Nobody knows you better than I do, Sasha. Together we can overcome our fears. I just showed you that,” I say, glancing at the treehouse. “Say yes.”

“How can I say no?”

“I want to hear the word.” I move closer, my lips a breath away from hers. “Say it,” I whisper.

“Ye—”

My mouth devours her answer. I swallow the one word I’ve wanted to hear from her for so long, The kiss gets deeper, and I let her reservations spill into my mouth, gladly, taking them, showing her they have no place between us. Our tongues tentatively seek one another out, finding comfort, and warmth. While our hands awkwardly roam, feeding into the inevitable rush of pleasure swimming through us.

Finally, she surrenders, her body melting into me. Like two pieces of a puzzle, we fit. Like we were supposed to, just like I always knew.

7

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