8 Weeks

Chapter Twenty

Chapter 20 - Shelly

I found myself looking forward to my date with Cal more and more as Saturday got closer. When Saturday finally came, I was dressed and waiting for him to ring my bell.

When it rang, signaling his arrival, I felt my belly flutter and tried to hide my grin as I opened the door.

"Hey," I said as I saw him standing before me. He looked me up and down, taking in my workout pants, shirt,and shoes with a smile.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I think so," I replied, unsure of what was to come, but excited at the possibilities.

We rode out together, and I tried to get him to say where we were going, but he kept his lips sealed, forcing me to speculate all the way there.

When we pulled into a zip-line course, I was shocked and totally taken aback.

"Seriously?" I asked when he parked by the little wooden shack.

"Yeah," Cal said, turning to me. "It'll be a blast. You'll see, Shel."

I nodded, but my stomach turned with dread,as I thought about the fact that Cal fully expected me to jump off of a platform suspended only by rope.

Oh. My. God.

I got out of the car slowly, taking in my surroundings and choking back bile as my heart beat rapidly.

I stood outside while he went inside, and followed numbly as he led me to the platform. Once there, we were corralled into a line and placed into protective gear. I winced as someone took my picture. Before I knew it I had full gear and a helmet, and I was shaking in my boots.

Literally.

We followed a group to the first platform,where I vaguely heard the guide tell us that there would be six zip-lines in all. When we got to the top, I stood and watched the others go as I waited until my turn.

It was like an out-of-body experience, and I couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

"Shelly," Cal said from the left of me, his voice traced with worry. "Are you okay, babe? We can leave if you don't want to do this."

He put his arm on my shoulder and exclaimed,"Shit! You're shaking like a leaf."I watched as a six-year-old jumped off the platform and rode the rope with a shout of glee.

"No, I'm good," I responded, trying to control my body and put my brave face on. "I can do this."

When they called for the next person, I walked to the head of the line, wanting to go before Cal, if for no other reason than I didn't want to be the last person left behind.

When I walked to the front, the guide told me to clasp my rope to the zip-line, and showed me where to keep my hands. After he checked to make everything was secure, he told me to sit down and remain seated, with my hands in place, and that they would catch me on the other end.

I sat in my holster and closed my eyes as he pushed me off the platform and I felt myself become suspended in the air. I opened my eyes and looked around, momentarily spooked by the fact that I was hanging by only ropes ... But once I realized that I was safe, I allowed myself to revel in the excitement that was coursing through my body. When I saw that I was approaching the end of the line, I placed my hand where the guide had told me I needed to in order to slow my descent. When the big guy waiting at the platform caught me, I laughed out loud.

That hadn't been so bad after all.

I turned to watch as Cal came flying down the zip-line, laughing at the look of pure glee and shout of excitement that preceded him.