Waiting for Never - Post Malone

Run

Jonas' pained face has Marli cackling.

"Good, you are both here and in a good mood." Jonas and Marli turn around to see Austin walking towards them, two tall skinny model skanks following behind him. He doesn't sit down once he reaches the table but he does pour himself a cup of coffee. "Ever been to the Zion National park?" he asks. Marli shakes her head watching the two skanks glug down a glass of orange juice each out the corner of her eye. "You scared of heights?" he asks. Again Marli shakes her head. "OK good. Jonas gets the plane ready we are going on a trip to Zion. Come let's go," Austin says and takes off towards the garage, both skanks hot on his heels. Jonas groans but follows already talking on his phone to the airport. Marli stands, gives each one of her dogs a piece of bacon and a quick cuddle, and then climbs into the car.

When they land at the airport near Zion Austin waives everyone out and embraces a man, Patrick, who is dressed in a jumpsuit. Then Patrick starts telling them about safety precautions and showing them different stances for skydiving.

Skydiving?

Oh, Marli does not care for that. Then Patrick produces jumpsuits for all of them and they are walking to a plane.

"Um....Jonas, I am just watching the jumping. Right? He does not actually expect me to jump?" She asks Jonas as they climb into the plane. Jonas opens his mouth to say something, but Austin beats him to it.

"You said you were not afraid of heights."

"I am not afraid of heights. What I am afraid of is Jumping out of this plane."

"It's safe, you will be fine."

"I don't care how safe it is. I am not Jumping."

The plane starts moving and soon they are up in the air. Marli's hands are cramping from holding onto her seat so tightly. The two skanks are giggling about something Jonas is saying to them and when Marli is finally able to tear her eyes away from her lap she sees Austin staring at her with an intense look. He unbuckles himself and moves closer to her. "I have skydived hundreds of times. It's safe. You will be fine I promise," he says but Marli wants to punch him. She turns to say as much but one of his skanks is sliding her hand over his shoulder, whispering in his ear. His attention remains on Marli though. She looks out the window and immediately regrets it so she puts her head between her legs. She is going to die.

After a while, she feels Austin's hands on her. She snorts at the oxymoron they represent, his hands are soothing, but they are also the cause of her anxiety. "Ok?" he stares at Marli when she lifts her head. "We don't have to do this. It'll be incredible, an experience I know you will love. One that I wanted to share with you. But the kind of fear you are submitting to won't allow you to enjoy it. I'm not going to force you to do something that makes you do that with your hands," he says. She looks down and sees her hands curled up and twisted into her clothing, they are sore from the tension. "Bit late now don't you think?" she manages to whisper out. "It's never too late. I am sorry. I just thought being on top of the world would be fun, the idea appeals to most people," Austin says.

"The bottom of the sea."

"What?"

"When I was a kid, I would dream of being able to lie on the bottom of the sea and look up. Seeing the fish and their world above me. I was always sad when I woke up and realized it was just a dream. Being on top of the world never held much appeal for me, it was the bottom of the sea," Marli explains.

"Would you feel better if you were strapped to me and not Patrick? You can trust me."

Marli looks up into his eyes. She trusts him. Blindly. She nods then shuts her eyes again. She feels Austin's breath on her neck, his oakwood and leather scent in her lungs. "Tell me about your bottom-of-the-ocean dreams, lil mama," he whispers in her ear.