Page 128 of Blindly Yours

He looks down at the harness he’s strapped into and gulps. “They’ll check it again at the top, right?”

I grasp the tether that holds us together and tug him a little closer to me. “They’ll check everything again before we jump.”

When he lifts his eyes to mine, they’re a strange mix of anxious and determined. “Areyounervous at all?”

I shrug. “Just a little. But we’re not jumping alone. We’re in this together.”

He takes a deep breath and attempts a small smile.

When we reach the top, the waiting instructor reaches through the cage to attach the safety tether to us. “Alrighty! Are we ready?” he asks enthusiastically.

“Not particularly,” Nate forces out as the instructor opens the door and helps us step onto the platform.

“You’re gonna love it,” the instructor says. “I’ll have you two stand here next to the railing while I get the bungee attached.”

It’s windy up here, and I wipe loose strands of hair from my face as I watch Nate peer over the edge, gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles are white again.

“I don’t understand how you can climb trees and still be afraid of heights,” I laugh.

“I don’t climb treesthistall,” he gulps, still looking toward the ground. “The ones for competition were like fifteen feet. And we didn’t jump from them.”

While the instructor fastens the bungee to our harness and checks all the clasps, I reach up and place my hand on the side of Nate’s face, coaxing him to meet my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re doing this with me.”

“You’re good to go.” The instructor finishes his work. “When you’re ready, I’ll help you step over to the edge of the platform.”

Nate squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw.

“Take your time,” I smirk. He’s always so calm and confident, it’s amusing to see him so rattled, even when it’s at his expense.

“You sure you’ve got everything hooked up right?” Nate murmurs through his teeth.

“Yes, sir. Checked everything three times,” The instructor confirms with a laugh.

After a long, deep breath, Nate opens his eyes and lets go of the railing to take my hand. We shuffle to the edge of the platform while the instructor holds tight to our harness. He positions Nate’s heels at the front of the platform. He’ll be the one falling backward, which is probably only making this more terrifying for him.

I step closer to Nate as he wraps his arms firmly around me, then I slide mine around his waist and peer up into his eyes. “Ready?”

“Give me a minute.” He swallows hard and peers toward the ground again. His body is rigid and his lips have lost most of their color, and briefly, I feel a little bad. Maybe I’ve pushed him too far. I chance a glance at the ground too, and my stomach leaps. We’rereallyup here.

“When you’re ready, I’m going to give you a little push,” the instructor says from behind me. “Lean out to go headfirst. It’ll reduce the jolt you’ll get at the bottom.”

“Not ready yet,” Nate says as he starts to breathe faster and his arms around me grow tighter. He meets my gaze for just a moment before his eyes dart aimlessly around the space behind me.

He looks like he’s about to back out, but I speak up. “Nate.”

He doesn’t say anything. He just turns his attention to the drop again.

“Nate, look at me,” I say quietly, and slowly, he returns his eyes to mine. I smile. “I love you.”

Something resolute touches his expression and he leans in to kiss me firmly. “I love you too…” He squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head once, then lays his cheek next to mine and says, “Ok, I’m ready.”

“Alrighty.” The instructor places one hand on my back. “Going in three, two, one.” Then he pushes us off the edge.

It’s the feel of Nate’s arms around me that holds me together as we leave our stomachs on the platform and plunge toward the ground. I squeal and Nate yells, and if I die right now, at least I’m dying with the love of my life. But before we know it, we reach the limit of the cord, and then we rebound upward, tumbling and dangling chaotically.

It surprises me when Nate starts to laugh, and I pull back to look at him as our bounce grows steadier. The color has returned to his face and he looks euphoric. He’s a man who’s just conquered his greatest fear.

And he did this for me. I have no doubt he would have never made this jump out of his own interest, but he knew it was something I wanted to do with him. Nothing says love quite like taking a leap of faith, and that love is growing exponentially in this moment.

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