Page 145 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls
He shrugs. “I guess. I haven’t done it in a long time, though.”
“They opened a rock-climbing gym two years ago. The guys and I have gone many times. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Really? Yeah, that does sound fun. Let’s do it.”
Hand in hand, we make our way out of the school building and toward Brock’s bike. After putting on our helmets, we get on and I wrap my arms around him. Even though I’ve gotten used to riding behind Brock on his bike, I get excited every time for two reasons. One, the prospect of zooming down the streets, which is so much fun. But also because it gives me an excuse to touch Brock. To hold onto him and feel even closer than I already do.
“I love holding you,” I mutter against his back.
“I love holding you, too,” he says.
I tell him where the gym is located, and off we go. It takes us about fifteen minutes to get there. Thankfully, the place isn’t too busy.
As they put us in our harnesses, Brock keeps sending me those sweet smiles that has my stomach swirling like a washing machine. Will I always get all giddy when he smiles at me? I hope so. I don’t want this feeling to ever go away.
Since both Brock and I have done rock climbing before, we decide to go for the more advanced wall. Side by side, we start climbing, and I have no idea why that feels romantic. Maybe because it’s a symbol that whatever happens in life, we’ll tackle it together? The good or the bad, we’ll always have each other’s backs.
When we’re about halfway through, my arms and legs get a little tired. Brock climbs much further, but then starts to slow down, too, and then he loses his footing and slides down, passing me. He manages to grab on in time.
“Phew,” he says with a laugh. But he has a hard time pulling himself up.
“You can do it, Brock!” I cheer. “Come on, Water Boy!”
That causes his lips to lift in a smile. With a determined nod, he pulls himself up the wall, until he’s side by side with me.
“Woohoo!” I say. “Good job, Brock.”
He’s clutching the rocks tightly, his fingers trembling a little. “Thanks. I’m totally out of practice.”
“That’s okay. Do you want to stop? We can take a break and try again.”
He shakes his head. “Let’s try to make it to the top. Together.”
Why does that make me melt again?
We keep at the same pace because we want to finish this endeavor at the same time. Soon we’re nearing the top.
“Just a little bit longer,” I encourage us. “You’re getting so good at this, Brock. Soon you’ll be a pro.”
He chuckles. “Doubt it, but thanks for the pep talk.”
My right foot slips on one of the rocks and I slide down. Releasing a small yelp, I quickly grab onto the rocks. Darn, how did that happen? I’m now quite a few inches below Brock.
“You okay, Lexi?” he calls down.
“Yeah. I wasn’t paying attention. You should continue and make it to the top. Don’t wait for me.”
“I’ll wait for you,” he says. “I want to reach the top together.”
Why do I feel like I just floated up to heaven?
I know it’s not easy for Brock to hold on while I catch up to him, but it means so much to me that he does. Because he’s showing me that he wants to go through every part of life by my side, and with me at his. Of course there will be times when we’ll do our own thing because we’ll need to have some time apart and focus on ourselves, but we’ll be partners for life.
Once I’ve caught up, we push ourselves to reach the top. My arms and legs are pretty exhausted, too, and climbing those last few rocks is so hard. I push Brock and he pushes me, offering encouraging words to each other. And then we reach the top, where there’s a small bell. Together, we ring it, and the people down below cheer.
“We did it,” I say with a huff.
His chest heaves as he releases a breath. “We did it.”
