Leap in the Dark

Chapter 7: The First Leap

When we broke out from the tree line, the sight amazed me. A small cliff sat in front of us, with water cascading down it's front. The waterfall sparked in the sun that bled from the opening in the canopy, and the blue water shone like sapphires.

"Wow," was all I could say, nothing else coming to mind. It stunned me completely, and a large smile graced my face as I beamed upward at Alex.

"I know," he said. His guiding hand pulled me forward and we approached the water line. Placing my bag down on the closest rock, I then bent down and dipped my hands in. It was so warm and I desperately wanted to jump straight in.

"How deep is it?" I asked. "I'm not sure," Alex stated, "I've never touched the bottom."

Feeling a bit on the confident side, I peeled off my clothing quickly, my bathing suit underneath, and cannon bombed straight in. The cool water hugged my body and felt so amazing that I mentally sighed in pure relief from the hot day. After staying underwater for a few seconds, savouring the feeling, I finally swam upward to catch my breath. Alex's face was one of surprise, as another side of me had been displayed. I even surprised myself in my actions, as due to recent events I was rather closed off. I guess it was time for the first leap.

"That was pretty damn sexy, if I do say so myself," Alex chuckled as he took off his own clothes. I inwardly blushed as it didn't show on my face due to the cold temperatures. He jumped in himself, rather ungracefully yet graceful at the same time. The water rippled around the pool, and I chuckled myself at the loud splash.

Once he resurfaced, he swam towards me, although kept some distance between us.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I -", I paused for a few seconds. "There's something about you that I just can't place my finger on."

He looked a little nervous, but just simply asked, "What do you think it is?"

'Take a deep breath, just come out and say it,' I thought to myself, trying to gain the courage to speak my mind without scaring him off. "I feel strange when I'm around you. Like I can't get myself to walk away." I looked away from his eyes, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Me too," he half-whispered, and I smiled inwardly at his response, not feeling so rejected any more. I couldn't care less if this was all a scheme to get in my pants, I was going to enjoy it while it lasted and give in to the moment.

Once our eyes met again, I could see the sincerity in his while his head tilted towards me and he gestured to my lips with the slightest tilt of his head. As if magnets were pulling us together, I lent forward as well. Our movements were slow and careful, taking in the moment as much as we could and savouring the tension that was building.

With only a centimetre between us, I brought us together with my hands pulling his head towards mine. Sparks flew from the origin point of our lips, as they crashed and moulded as one, forming the best kiss I had ever experienced in my life. I wrapped my arms around his neck within the water, and he wrapped his around my waist which tightened my body to his as much as possible. We clung to each other for dear life, as if letting go would mean the end of the world.

Only because we had to, we parted and took deep breaths. Our foreheads rested against each other and we bobbed within the water slightly with the continued waves from the waterfall.

"Wow," Alex breathily laughed, smiling widely towards me.

A small giggle erupted from my lips as we came down from our euphoria, not quite believing what just happened. Resting against the rocks we sat in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes, while I still caught my breath and mentally explained to myself what had just happened with no clear result.

Based on the perfection of this kiss, I knew that Alex and I were somehow connected. Whether it was fate, if that even existed, or just luck, I didn't know. But the intensity of the situation still scared me to my very core. If I let this to play out naturally it could either be the best thing that has ever happened to me, or anyone ever, or it could be an utter disaster that could leave me more heartbroken and emotionally devastated than I already was.

I'm not sure if I could take the risk.

Seconds had passed, but I had come to my decision. I need to leave.

"I'm sorry, I should go," I said quickly, jumping out of the water to grab my belongings. I quickly put my clothes back on, and Alex came over to me with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong?" He looked very worried, but I avoided answering his question and turned my back to him. "Please, talk to me." His hand gripped my shoulder, forcing me to face him and I couldn't stop the words from flowing.

"This is too much for me."

"I don't understand ..."

"Look, you seem nice, and smart, and amazing, but I can't get into anything complicated ... I'm not strong enough." The last part was a mere-whisper, and I doubt he could hear it, but that didn't mean it wasn't any less true, no matter how much I didn't want it to be.

Silently watching me pack up my things, Alex seemed more disheartened than I would've expected him to be without really knowing me. Even though I felt the exact same, with a gaping hole starting to form in my chest that grew and grew as the distance between us passed, I didn't dare go back. As I remembered the way I came, my feet trudged through the forest, although with no guiding hand to keep my from tripping this time.

The sun seemed to be nearing mid-afternoon, and I realised I had spent almost the whole day with Alex. It seemed so easy to give into him, but I couldn't give an inch.

After walking for a near half-hour, the path didn't seem familiar any more. I was now lost in the forest, with no way of finding my out and the sun falling lower and lower.