The Legacy List

Chapter 5- Free Falling

I wake up the next morning and walk quietly down the stairs, careful not to wake Rikki or her new furry companion. I grab a box of cereal; Cap'n Crunch, Rikki's favorite, but I quickly place it back in the cabinet and take the box of bisquick out instead. Last night was a special night for Rikki and I want to drag out her happiness as long as possible. She loves pancakes more than any other food I can think of. I mix up the batter and start pouring it onto the skillet. I stand there for a few minutes, completely oblivious to the pancakes that were burning quickly. I realize how long I have been standing there and quickly take the pancakes off of the stove and put them on a plate. As I'm pouring more batter onto the pan I feel two small arms wrap around my waist from behind. I turn around and smile at a very sleepy Rikki. She smiles back and nuzzles her head into my back. I don't speak, partly because she isn't much of a morning person, and partly because I have no idea what to say.

I finish the last few pancakes as slowly as possible. Eventually though, I move out of her hold to put the plates on the table. I immediately regret it; my waist is cold where her arms were just seconds ago. I wonder why she is acting like this. She was never super affectionate to me. She gave me hugs every now and then, but never like this. She sits down and looks at me and I can't help but notice how absolutely stunning she is. Her hair is in a loose ponytail, blonde wisps that fell out during the night surround her cheeks. Her green eyes shine like emeralds and her lips are a perfect pink color. I can't help but think of how they would feel if they were against mine. Thankfully she interrupts my thoughts by speaking.

"What's with the pancakes?" she asks as she shoves a huge bite into her mouth. Something that I always loved about Rikki is that she is not afraid to be a little infeminine every once in a while.

"Well I figured since we got a new puppy, we should celebrate with your favorite food."

She smiles, "Well thank you, they are really good. And you even got them to match your hair perfectly!" I'm seriously confused until she flips her pancake over to reveal a completely black surface. Of course, she would grab the one pancake that burnt the worst out of all them. 

I roll my eyes and laugh, "Shut up! You know I'm an awful cook! Now eat your breakfast so we can go!"

She sticks her tounge out at me and takes another huge bite of pancake, "Wait, where are we going?"

"Well I can't tell you right yet, but it's something I think you'll really enjoy."

"Well fine, but if I die of anticipation it will be all your fault", she says with an innocent look on her face. I throw a dish towel at her and she throws it back and stick her fork in her mouth. 

We finish eating and clean the kitchen up, then she goes upstairs to get dressed. I walk down the hall into the guest room. When we were younger her parents would have me stay in here whenever we would have sleepovers because they weren't very sure about my intentions. After about a year and a half though they realized I was simply a friend and I would never even dream of taking advantage of her so we were able to sleep in her room together. I still keep clothes in the dresser though. Rikki tends to just call me up, no matter where I'm at, and invites me over. 

I pull out a black v-neck t-shirt and black skinny jeans. I walk over to the huge mirror on the wall and slip on my jeans. I pull the shirt over my head and look in the mirror. I really should get a haircut. My jet black hair hangs over my blue eyes and I shake my head to move the hair out of the way. I really need to shave also. I run my fingers across my chin stubble and notice Rikki in the reflection of the mirror. She is standing in the hallway peering into the room. She notices me looking at her and she quickly snaps her eyes away from mine. 

"I- uh- I was just- um... I'm ready whenever you are", she stutters. Her cheeks are bright pink and her eyes are filled with an emotion I'm not quite sure of. I wonder how long she had been standing there. Was she watching me get dressed? I push the thought out of my mind and nod my head to her. I start walking down the hallway and look back to her.

"I'll be out in a second, I need to check something", she says.

I wait by the door until she comes down the stairs. We walk out to the car and as she gets in I realize how beautiful she looks. Her hair is in soft waves down to her mid-back, her green eyes are enhanced by the purple eyeliner she is wearing, her blue skinny jeans hug her body perfectly and...

And she's wearing the T-shirt I wore to bed last night. That must have been why she had to go in the guest room. But why is she wearing my shirt? She has never worn my clothes before, besides the sweatshirt she stole from me. She notices me staring and starts to talk but I raise my hand up and smile. "Don't worry about it, it's fine. You look great."

She smiles in relief, "Thank you, now I smell great too", she says, referring to the cologne I wear 24/7. I never knew she liked it. I mean, I figured she didn't hate it since she never said anything about it, but I didn't think she would actually like it.

As if she read my mind she laughs and says "I love the cologne. It calms me. Even when you aren't here with me, you're still here. You are in my car so much, it smells like you all the time. I am more relaxed whenever I feel that you are close to me."

I smile at her and pull out of the driveway. As we cruise down the highway my mind is flooded with questions. What is going on? Why is she all of the sudden being so... intimate? Is she...falling for me? Finally? My thoughts are interrupted as I pull into the parking lot of a park. We get out and I lead her through the woods to a huge bridge. There are cords connected to the railing and there is no one in sight. She looks at me with huge eyes as the realization hits her, we are gonna bungee jump. She starts laughing and runs towards the bridge but turns around and runs back to me. She wraps her small arms around my neck and jumps up, wrapping her legs around my waist. I am taken aback and stumble backwards but I catch my balance and start laughing with her. I carry her to the railing and start to hook the bungee cord to her, but she stops me.

"Wait, I have an idea. It's crazy, but so are we", she gives me a sly smirk and begins to take her shoes off. She starts sliding her jeans down her legs and my eyes get huge. She looks up at my face and laughs when she sees my shocked expression. She walks up to me and grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls it off of me. I take my shoes off and she grabs my hand, leading me to the edge of the bridge. I look down at the river below us and back up at her. Her face is lit up up with a huge smile, her legs are completely bare and my shirt barely covers her. She is gorgeous. I have never seen her like this. She actually looks... Hot.

"Wait aren't we putting the cords on?" I ask her and she shakes her head. She grabs my hand and before I know whats going on she pulls me off the edge of the bridge and we are falling through the air. She is laughing and her arms are spread out. I start laughing too and the water approaches us quickly. We crash into the freezing water. I quickly swim up to the top and look around. Where is she? Oh god, no.

"Rikki? Rikki! RIKKI ANSWER ME!" I start panicking and looking around quickly trying to find her. I feel two familiar hands go over my eyes and I am overcome with relief.

"God dammit Rikki you had me scared to death. I thought you- I thought maybe- What if-", she cuts me off and presses her lips to mine. She drags me underwater and continues to kiss me. We surface and I am shocked but overcome with joy as she remains glued to my lips. I sink into her and wrap my arms around her waist. She wraps her tiny arms around my neck and grabs a handful of my hair as she presses her lips harder against mine. She opens her mouth and I brush my tongue against hers. She shivers and kisses me back. She tastes like cinnamon and coconut and I have never tasted anything sweeter in my life. I wrap her legs around my waist and carry her to the shore, never ending our lip lock. I lay her down on the shore and get on top of her. She presses her hands against my chest and goes down to my abs. I stop kissing her lips and move to her neck. She raises up and whipers in my ear the words I have been dying to hear from her ever since we met.

"Markus... I love you."

"I love you Rikki. I always have."

"Don't leave me. Please stay."

I peck her lips and gaze into her eyes, "I am not going anywhere."