His Dancing Star

Chapter 3

If Galina had enough air in her lungs, she would have screamed as Ed vanished out of sight. But the oxygen inside her had been sucked away as his warm hand had cupped the side of her face. His touch had ignited every nerve in not only her cheek, but the whole left side of her body. If he'd hung around a moment longer, she wouldn't have been able to help her own hands from rising to his chest, to explore the ridges of his thick torso.

But he hadn't stayed – he'd jumped. Desperately she fell to her knees and craned forwards over the edge to watch his descent. Swift as a dropped coffee cup, he'd hurtled towards the water. As fast as he fell, it seemed to take an age before he hit the surface, the splash a surprisingly large sound.

Anxiously she waited for him to emerge; she watched the bubbles and silently begged for him to pop up with them. What felt like an hour later, his blond head broke the surface. "Woo!" he cried, pumping a fist in the air. "Lina, you coming?"

Lina. It was the second time he'd used the nickname, but this one caught her below the ribs, a sucker punch from the past and the girl she'd once been. Little Lina. She rocked back on her heels, drawing her knees into her chest in an attempt to soothe her overly stimulated emotions.

From below, she could hear Ed singing as he bobbed in the water. She recognised the tune; a song from Briana Brite, the singer she'd always liked and now admired even more since she took on the chronic sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. This song was one of her favourites, the lyrics speaking of courage and decisions.

Slowly, she stood. Peering over the edge, she saw Ed floating on his back, eyes closed as he sang merrily. I want to be down there. I want to be beside him. The desire was sudden and strong, and it knocked her off guard. Floating in the ocean with a gorgeous man, without a care in the world. It wasn't out of her reach; all she had to do was get down there.

So. I'll just jump. She stepped up to the edge, her toes clinging to the loose soil and rocks. Right. Jump. Any second now. And... go. Soon. Really, really soon. Dammit! Why couldn't he just have commanded her to jump? Exasperated she drew away from the cliff again, wishing she could kick her own butt for being so lame.

"You can do this, Lina," Ed called up. "You don't have to, but you totally can."

She looked down at him, feeling the tug between them even when separated by so much space. And in that moment, her desire meant more than her fear, and she leapt.

Oh god! Her arms wheeled helplessly as she fell, as if they might somehow slow the descent. There seemed to be so much time; enough for her to look up at the cliff edge as it rose above her, enough to look down to the rapidly approaching surface of the sea. For a second, she wondered if she might not hang in the air forever, swept away by the breeze and off into the sky.

Smack! The cold was shocking, and the water grew icy as she plunged deeper and deeper. At first, she instinctively worried that her feet would strike the ocean floor too hard and shatter her ankles like twigs. Then her fear was that she'd dive too deep and wouldn't make it back to the surface.

Kicking hard, she powered upwards. Her strong limbs stroked through the water, reaching for the light. Her lungs began to ache; the surface was too far. She could see the sun glinting above her but it was still so distant-

With a snap, she breached into the warm air, gasping gratefully as oxygen flooded back into her system - along with a rush unlike anything she'd ever felt. Electricity and fierce tingles radiated through her, while her brain swirled and the world seemed to sharpen, all things clear and manageable. "Oh..." she breathed, tilting her face to the sun and basking in the moment.