Page 16 of Becoming His Muse
He only had to wait a couple of minutes before he saw Olani making her way toward him. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts, a white Levi’s T-shirt, and matching shoes. Her thick hair pulled up on top of her head.
“Hello, beautiful,” He greeted her when she stopped in front of him.
“Hello, yourself. Were you waiting long?”
“I wasn’t, and even if I was, it’d be worth the wait.” Elion watched as she bit her bottom lip, and he wondered if she was blushing under that smooth, rich penny complexion. “Should wehead inside?” he questioned, holding his hand out to her. Olani took it, and the two walked through the entrance and over to the ticket area.
There were twelve lines in total and four different packages from which they could choose. He didn’t care which one they did, so he allowed Olani to choose. She opted for the first package. It included three zip lines and would take about an hour or so with training and traveling between the three.
When the total was given, Elion reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed over his debit card.
“Wait. You paid for the last one,” Olani protested.
“Yes, but I asked you out. So, I’ll pay for it. Besides, you said it yourself: I’ll be reimbursed.”
He said it, but he had no intention of actually filing the expenses for their dates with the site. He’d enjoyed his last couple of dates with Olani and getting to know her. In his mind, there was no point in having someone else pay for something he enjoyed.
Once their package was paid for, they were directed to an ATV golf cart. Elion made sure Olani was in first before sliding in beside her. Their driver, who would also serve as a training instructor and oversee their first zip line, introduced himself, and they headed off.
The ride to the top for the first line only took a few minutes. They went through the training reasonably easily, and Elion assumed it was because these lines had passive braking systems, which basically meant that they would automatically slow them down, so they didn’t have to do it themselves.
It was after they’d been weighed, they were in the gear, helmets on, and Olani was being hooked up to the line that Elion noticed her fidgeting.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just…have a slight fear of heights.”
Elion lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Sweetheart, why did you pick this if you’re afraid of heights? We could have done something else.”
“I know, but I’ve always wanted to at least try it,” Olani responded with a little shrug. “I just need another minute, and I’ll be good to go.”
“You can go down together if you want to,” their instructor informed. “The lines hold up to five hundred pounds. So, you’re fine to go together.”
“Would that make you more comfortable?” Elion questioned.
“Yes, it would.” Their instructor also hooked him up, and he approached Olani. “How are we going to—” Her question cut off mid-sentence with a gasp as he placed his hands under her thighs and picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands went to his shoulders.
He supported her with one arm tucked underneath her, his other hand grabbing both drop lines above them. He only waited a few seconds, figuring that giving her too long to think about it would just have her nerves flaring. He then walked to the edge and stepped off, receiving a little push from their instructor.
Olani tightened her legs around him, and her face went to his shoulder as a small shriek left her lips. Elion shifted the arm that was under her, and her hands came down to fist the front of her shirt.
“Don’t let go,” she requested.
“I won’t,” he responded, pulling her even closer.
They were halfway down when she timidly pulled her face from his shoulder, peeking one eye open before opening the other. Elion watched her look around, her eyes widening at the foliage that sailed past them before coming to him.
Some of the nervousness had faded from her eyes, and she seemed a bit content. Her grip on his shirt loosened but she didn’t let him go.
Once they were almost to the bottom, their speed began to decelerate, and it wasn’t too long after that that Elion placed his feet on the ground. He slowly put her down, and they were unhooked before they got into another ATV golf cart and were taken to the second line.
“I’m sorry,” Olani told him as they went.
“Don’t be,” he responded because he had no issue with what just happened. “You did great for someone with a fear of heights.”
When they reached the second line, it went much the same way as the first. When she was hooked up, she turned to him, approaching him once he was hooked up as well, and placed her arms around his neck. He picked her up, and again, they were sailing down the zip line.
This time, she didn’t place her face in his shoulder. She watched as all the scenery went by, and Elion knew she’d gotten over her nerves. It typically took someone going down a couple of lines before they were comfortable with them.
