I looked down and saw the ladder I’d just walked across start to extend and go up…up…up…
“Oh, my God,” I breathed.
The few guys that stood by the truck got smaller and smaller as we rose higher and higher. We passed the roof of the firehouse and kept going. It wasn’t until we were high enough to see the faint, dark purple of the horizon bleeding against the black night that I realized how far I could see.
Cal stopped the ascent. “You’re over a hundred feet off the ground.”
I could see the whole city and beyond. The moon was full and glowing, and I was surrounded by nothing but wide open night and Cal himself.
“Wow,” I said, taking in the incredible view, then the man who gave it to me. “This is amazing.”
He looked right at me. “Yes, amazing.”
“How do you do this?” I asked.
“You just push this button right here.”
“No, I mean this,” I stared out at the thin line of light beyond the darkness. “How do you deliver on…everything?” Because that’s what he did. In the time I’d known him, he always came through on what he promised. He also made a clear statement of what he couldn’t do. But, in that moment, I didn’t want to hide. Not from him. I felt too far away from earth and it eased my entire body, my chest finally able to take an honest deep breath.
“Tell me what you need and I’ll do my best to give it to you,” he rasped and took a step closer. “You just have to let me know.”
I stared at his mouth, and this time, it was me who took a step closer to him.
“It’s nice not being a part of the world right now. I don’t know if I want to go back,” I said.
He nodded and cupped my face. “Reality is tough sometimes.”
It was all so simple up here. Just him and me standing in the night, seemingly floating through the sky. Just us. Just darkness. Twinkling lights of the city outstretched, filled with people and problems I didn’t have to step foot in. I got to rise above. Cal rose me above. And for a moment, I truly felt like, if I closed my eyes, all wretched emotions would fade away.
“You can handle it, Lana,” he whispered. I opened my eyes to find him looking at my face, examining me with a gentle gaze. “Whatever you’re thinking about, whatever scares you and whatever you want to hide from, you can handle it.”
His faith in me rocked my ribs like a hit to the chest. I wanted to run, he let me, but he still thought me strong enough to tackle my world, one that I was hovering over.
“What if I don’t want to go back down and handle it?”
“You always come down,” he said with a rough edge in his voice. “Getting space and perspective is helpful, but the faster you run and the higher you climb just makes the crash harder to deal with.” He glanced out over the city and then back at me. “And there’s always a crash, Kitten.”
A streak of pain crossed his face, replaced quickly by anger, then some kind of solace. Whatever secrets he harbored, he dealt with them in his own way. There was so much that didn’t make sense. Cal had a team of men around him that acted like a brotherhood. He had his aunt, who obviously loved him. He had support. What was he running from? Whatever it was, I believed him when he spoke of crashing. Falling was one thing, but hitting the ground was another.
I said his name, wanting to take some of the weight he carried, like he had taken some of mine. Leaning in, I whispered, “Kiss me.”
He bent, and snagged my lips with his. So soft and quick I’d thought it imaginary. Just as my eyes closed, the bucket jolted, breaking the momentary feel of his mouth on mine.
Cal’s hand was on the lever, and we started our descent down towards earth once more.
Chapter 7
After we came down, the crew put the truck back into the garage, and I locked myself in the bathroom and stared at my reflection. The buzzing ache of too many emotions wouldn’t dissipate. Cal had taken me away for a few moments, and it was wonderful. But my feet were back on the ground and the lingering feel of his lips against mine wouldn’t go away.
I left the bathroom and headed towards Cal’s room right down the hall. It sounded like most of the guys were in the living room area, which was at the other end of the house.
Not Cal, he waited for me in the hall, just by his door.
“You ready for me to walk you home?”
“Not yet,” I said and bypassed him, walking myself into his room. He followed, and I shut the door. My system was overwhelmed with too many thoughts, wants, and needs. Primarily Cal.
I just wanted to feel something good. And Cal was beyond good. He was an escape I couldn’t get anywhere else. He was the man I wanted in so many ways, but could only have in a few. So, I’d take the few I could get. At the very least, it would still be on my terms because my grand plan of staying friends was technically still in effect. Tonight, we’d just be special friends. That was logic enough for me.