Page 38 of One Night in Paris

About forty minutes after we left the amusement park, we arrived at the bungee jumping spot. Traffic hadn’t been so great, so it took a while, even though Trevor drove like a maniac. His SUV was just as expensive and luxurious as Logan’s cars I’d been in. I guessed I shouldn’t be surprised that Logan’s friend was also unbelievably wealthy, but I’d been so focused on Logan, I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know Trevor.

Kylee seemed to like him though, which was great. We’d all had such an amazing time at the amusement park. Riding the rollercoasters and other attractions had been awesome, especially with Logan. Being with him made everything more fun.

The walk from the SUV to the bridge was a beautiful one, with lush greenery on either side of the path and the sound of birds chirping in the background. The sun shone down on us, and I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, taking in the fresh air. As we walked toward the bridge, I caught a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean, the deep blue of the water contrasting with the bright orange and pink hues of the sky as the sun began to set.

The bridge itself was an impressive sight, towering above us, stretching out into the distance. The steel cables glinted in the light, and the wooden planks were worn with the footsteps of many thrill seekers before us. I could feel the excitement and energy in the air as other bungee jumpers were preparing to take the leap, and I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Arriving at the spot, I hung back with Logan and Kylee while an excited Trevor told them how many of us there were. He’d insisted on paying since it was his idea, just as Logan had paid for everything at the amusement park. Seeing people toss money around like this was new to me. Maybe I could get used to it now that I had such a well-paying job.

I noticed that Logan was visibly nervous. He was fidgeting with his hands, and his eyes kept darting toward the water below the bridge. I found it interesting that he was such a thrill seeker but was afraid of this. What was it about this that made him so nervous?

When the people in front of us jumped, all of them screamed and laughed with joy. I watched, seeing them briefly touch the water and then bounce back up. It looked so amazing, I couldn’t wait for my turn.

But Logan seemed to stiffen next to me. I put my hand on his arm but didn’t speak.

“Welcome, welcome!” The instructor, a tall, muscular man with dark curly hair, waved us over. “We’ll be getting you hooked up and going over the instructions with you. Before you know it, you’ll be hurling yourself off this bridge and into the Atlantic Ocean!”

Trevor hooted, clapping, Kylee jumped up and down, and I squeezed Logan’s arm harder as he became even more tense.

A few minutes later, the four of us found ourselves standing on the top of the railing on the bridge, looking out at the AtlanticOcean below. The ocean was a deep blue, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Sunshine sparkled along the surface, and waves crashed against the rocks below, creating a soothing white noise. The scenery was breathtaking. It was a perfect day to jump off the bridge and bungee into the water. But Logan was still having second thoughts about it.

Trevor, who was standing on the other side of Kylee, couldn’t resist anymore. Shouting across us girls, he said, “Come on, Logan! Don’t be a chicken shit! You always talk about how you want to live life to the fullest, but you’re too scared to take a little leap? You’re gonna miss out on the best view in the world if you don’t get your ass up in the air and over the side of the bridge.”

He’d struck a nerve. I could tell by Logan’s tone as he replied, “I’m not a chicken, Trevor. I just don’t want to jump, okay? I don’t trust the equipment, and when we are thrill seeking, we always say if we don’t trust the equipment, we shouldn’t go.”

“It’s all right, Logan,” I said, hoping to calm him down. “The instructor went over everything. It’s perfectly safe. We saw all those other people jump, and they were fine.”

Lowering his voice so only I could hear him, he said, “I don’t know, Harper. I just don’t think I can do it.” Logan’s voice trembled.

“Hey, we’re all going to jump together,” Kylee said, leaning around me to smile at him. “You’re not alone.”

Logan stared at my friend for a moment but didn’t say anything. I knew that Logan didn’t want to disappoint any of us, or look like he was afraid, so I placed my hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Looking into his eyes, I hoped he’d feel my calmness. “But I know that you can do it. I believe in you.”

Logan looked back over his shoulder at the workers who’d gotten us ready. The instructors were experienced and professional, making sure to double-check all the harnesses,straps, and bungee cords for safety. They showed us how to hold our arms and legs and told us they’d give us a countdown before we leaped off the bridge.

“It’s okay, Logan, I’m right here with you. We’ll jump together, and everything will be all right. I promise you, it’s going to be the time of our lives.” Looking into his eyes with assurance, I smiled at him.

“You know I trust you, but this is a lot different from going on a rollercoaster,” he reminded me, his voice hesitant.

He had a point, but I also thought that this would be just as much fun. “I know, but you can do this. We’ll be together every step of the way,” I replied, trying to convince him.

It looked like Logan was about to say yes when Trevor couldn’t resist adding in some more teasing. “Hey, Logan, don’t worry. If you decide not to go and wanna stand up here like a baby, I’ll make sure to bring you back a seashell from the bottom of the ocean.” With that, he started to snicker.

Turning to Trevor, I said, “Stop being an asshole.”

“Oh, he knows I’m just joking,” Trevor said, waving Logan off. “We always razz one another.”

I didn’t want to get between the two friends, but Trevor was acting like a real jackass. Somehow, those mean words seemed to have an effect on Logan. I could see that he wore a determined look on his face now. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, letting me know that he had made up his mind to jump, and I knew that he would be fine.

Taking Logan’s hand, I hoped that he would feel more comfortable with me by his side. “You ready?” I asked with a supportive smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get it over with.”

I nodded. “You’ll be just fine. Hell, it’ll be fun.”

He didn’t respond, only stared right ahead at the horizon.

“Logan, you got this.”

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