“And now that you are here, what do you want to do first?”
“Jump in,” I say as a joke, nodding my head at the lagoon below our feet.
He takes one look at me and smirks. To my surprise, he steps up to the edge of the cliff and looks back at me. “How good of a swimmer are you?” Before I can answer, he dives forward as elegantly as an arrow being shot through the air.
“NO!” But it’s too late. My scream echoes across the walls of the cliff’s edges. I hear his body make an impact into the water, cutting through neatly with minimal splash. I jump to my feet and look over the cliff. The adrenaline spikes through my nerves as I feel the wind sway my body to go over.
“Dessin!” I shout. Echoes. He doesn’t come up.What if he broke his neck? What if he drowns?
The sudden reasonable fear of losing him forever jolts through my limbs and sends my body flying off the cliff. The cool forest air pounds against my dress and reverberates through my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut and prepare for the water.
Hold your breath.
An instant rush of cold surrounds my body, filling my nose and ears. My skin is electrified from the cold, murky water. The human instinct to surface for oxygen flickers on, and I start kicking to break for air. I look up at the white streaks of moonlight glistening through the water, and I realize how far from the surface I have sunk. My bare feet are grazing the squishy lagoon floor. And there’s that alarming heat that fills my lungs, like hot melted metal, being poured by a funnel down my throat. That fire in my chest that tells me I need air, and I need it within the next few moments. I kick at nothing, waft my arms around, but the harder I fight, the farther away I feel from the top.
My arm is caught in a tight grip. I’m suddenly forcefully lifted to the surface. Cold water glides over my face, and then the tip of my nose is greeted by a cool gust of air. I gasp and arch my back as I take in as much air as I can. My eyes dart around, disoriented and alert. Dessin treads water beside me, chocolate-brown hair slicked back, and he’s like a mythical creature in the darkness of night and the light of the moon. His features are glossy with water droplets and those eyes, like heaven and hell, bottled into one soul.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelp, wiping the water away from my eyes.
“Well, don’t you look like a dream—soaking wet.” That damning smile curls my toes. “Serious question. How good of a swimmer are you?”
I huff. “Just fine when I’m not falling from a cliff!” Murky water splashes into my mouth.
“Good. Follow me.” He flashes me his teeth in a quick smile and strokes away toward the thundering waterfall.
I follow behind him pouting, with reluctant strokes. My dress trails behind me in a heavy, sluggish manner. “Why can’t things ever be simple with you?” I comment.
A muffled chuckle.
As we come closer to the splashing of the waterfall, instead of going under it, he guides me to a large rock formation peeking just above the surface. We grab on like it’s the only lifeboat.
“Let’s go in,” I say, nodding to the fall. The majestic instantaneous drumming of the waterfall gives me a good feeling. A hint of nostalgia.
“No.”
“Why not?”
Dessin glances over at the fall and then back down at me. “I promised someone I wouldn’t go in there until the time was right.”
Curiosity ignites small but bright in my chest.Here we go, yet another riddle. Regardless, now I’m eager to see what’s in there.
“Hey.” He gets my attention, noticing my sudden fascination with this waterfall. “Promise me, even after we leave, you won’t go in there.”
I look at him and then back at the fall longingly. “Will I ever get to go in there?”
He lowers his gaze on me and harnesses a knowing smile back.
“Yes.” A quick nod. “Just not today.”
The smell of rain and moist soil cools my throat. The rock is centered between us, just like the constant obstacle that seems to stand in our way. I swim around it toward him. He watches my movements like a hunter being approached by his prey, like I’m dangerous, like I’m unpredictable and he’s almost…scaredof me. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen him nervous... When I move closer.
Our bodies graze each other as I close the distance in the water between us. His deep brown eyes drag across my body up and down, eyebrows knitted together in slight panic. I notice him shift away from me, so I move forward again and grip his arm.
He goes rigid, staring at my hand on his bicep. I glide it over his skin, tracing the drops of water up to his shoulder until I reach his chest.
“Skylenna.” A warning. A question. A plea.
But I ignore the edge to his tone and continue feeling his skin against mine. I know it’s inappropriate, and I should stop. But he’s always the one to initiate this need to touch. And God, he feels so good. I’m drunk with lust, and his eyes burning holes into my head only make me hotter.
