Was I really doing this?
I looked up to see two other parachutes above us, but I couldn’t make out which one of the figures was Aiden. I glanced over my shoulder to see Greg smiling.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s incredible!” I cried. “Really, truly incredible!”
“There’s nothing else like it!” he agreed.
We floated through another cloud, and Greg took control of our direction as we began to approach the ground. I could see a wide field below us with two circles of brown grass in the center and several people standing around. The colorful van was parked at the edge of the grassy area.
The first two jumpers landed below us, and their chutes billowed out briefly before the thrill-seekers gathered them up and pulled them away from the circle. Greg turned us again, angling us down and toward the ground.
“Remember, hold your legs up. Leave the landing to me.”
We were drawing near the group quickly. I pulled my knees to my chest as we approached one of the small circles in the middle of the field. With a jolt, Greg’s feet touched down, and he began to run.
“Feet down!” Greg called out as we slowed. I dropped my feet and rejoined the earth. Greg held my upper arms, keeping me from falling backward as we slowed and then stopped.
Greg hauled the parachute away from the circle and started balling it up. I looked up into the sky and saw the tiny speck of blue and yellow still high up there. I could barely make out Aiden’s form, strapped to Mike, as they made their way back to the ground. I watched as Aiden pulled his feet up, and he and Mike landed just outside the circle on the grass. As soon as they slowed to a stop, they both fell backward onto their butts.
I laughed.
“That was fucking incredible!” Aiden screamed as Mike released the harness so he could stand up again. “Holy shit, that was awesome!”
He ran over and lifted me into the air, spinning me in a circle. I grasped his shoulders and held my breath—my stomach was still a little queasy.
“Wasn’t that
fucking awesome?”
“It was,” I agreed with a laugh.
“And you lived!” he exclaimed.
“I did!” More giggling as he dropped me back to my feet.
“You lived,” he repeated, “in more ways than one.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “I did. Thank you.”
I reached up and pressed my lips briefly to his. When I looked at him, Aiden was smiling down at me, his eyes wide and bright with excitement. His hands were trembling at my sides, and I realized mine were as well, but I wasn’t scared. I was exuberant.
And with that, I realized what had been missing from my life.
EIGHT
The drive home was spent comparing our experiences as we flew through the sky. I was still pumped up on the adrenaline running through my system and couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Aiden was the same way and occasionally stuck his head out the side of the jeep to whoop in joy as we drove down the road.
When we finally arrived back at Aiden’s house, a silver Lincoln Town Car was parked in the driveway.
“What the hell,” Aiden mumbled under his breath as he pulled around the car and stopped the jeep beside it.
“What is it?” I asked. “Who’s here?”
“Just some friends,” he said as he exited the jeep.
I climbed out the other side and followed him through the house and to the back patio.