Walls Up (One Last Time #1)

Drowning

Chapter Forty One
Drowning

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"No, never." I complain throwing the rod back at Jack. "I will not go fishing. Your killing innocent lives here!"

"Get in the canoe Mel," he reaches out his hand for me, I shake my head pulling my hand further away. "Oh c'mon, everyone is already downstream."

"No! You can go. I'll stay here with the cooler and barbecue." he sighs, attractively running a hand though his hair in frustration. I cross my arms over my chest and look away.

"I'll help you." He says, again for the fifth time. He reaches out for me holding the crook of my elbow making me turn around.

I can't resist his pouting face, I give in. I take his hand and he smiles widely.

"I'll help you get in the canoe, I'll even teach you how to fish." He kisses my temple trailing down my face and to my lips leaving them there to linger for a second.

I bite my lip uncertain; but I still nod, "uh, okay." He smiles again leading me swiftly towards the moving lake.

"That's my girl," he gently pushes the canoe into the water holding it with one hand, while the other is still in my hand. Thats my girl. We're not dating but it feels so real. Like we've been dating for a while now and I've known him all my life.

"Slowly place one foot in the hole of the canoe." I do as I'm told, keeping a firm grip on his hand. The canoe sways under my foot and I flinch.

He presses his lips to my hand still in his, soothingly, and surprisingly his touch makes my nerves calm a little. "Now I want you to lift this foot" - he motions towards my foot still on the non-moving earth- "and whilst you lift it I want you to put all your weight on me. If you fall I'll pull you out." He says calmly, probably because he's not the one, who's one mistake away from landing in ice cold water.

"Seems simple enough," I mumble under my breath. He catches it and smiles nodding. I lift my foot placing my other hand on his shoulder, he pivots so it's easier to hold him. He keeps firm hands on my waist crouching down, I stand my hands still on him.

"Mel, you did it!" He catches me off guard making his move to kiss me. He pulls away and smiles into my eyes. "Your amazing, now all I need you to do is sit. Now on the count of three; I'm going to drop you," I shake my head, I'm fine like this.

My feet sway on the canoe as it fights the small tides of the lake. "No, you can't." He pecks my lips before tarting his count down.

"One . . . Two . . ." I bite my lips, readying my legs to buckle and let me fall safely into the canoe seat. "Three."

I let go of my death grip of his shoulders and let my body fall into the canoe single seat. "Yes! Melody you did it!" I'm safe. Jack helped me, is e were next to me I would kiss him, hard, and never pull away.

I slowly move away from the edge, my body panics and I try and reach over the canoe to get a grip on the non-moving land. "No Melody! Don't fight the tides," he throws me a long wooden paddle and I catch it in the water beside my canoe before they sink into the water. I slowly drift further away, anxiety fills my body and I call out to him.

"Jack!" He throws his own paddle to me and I catch it before it hits the water, "c'mon!"

"I'm coming," he says back stumbling around picking up his own canoe pushing it himself into the water, he clings to the outline of the canoe with one hand and with the other gently easing himself into the canoe.

He makes it seems so damn easy. "Throw me my paddle Melody please." He catches up to my using his bare hand to speed up the glide of his paddle.