RIDING AWAY

CHAPTER 11 - Is that how I look on a board?!

"Noah..." I had to fight this crazy attraction if I didn't want to come back from this trip even downer than when I'd got there.

"Yeah..." He muttered reluctantly. "You're right..." He added after standing up.

Eric called us just as he started walking away from me.

Everybody had managed the free-rappelling, some like me with more difficulties than others, but we'd all made it safely down the hole.

He made us slide in a long natural slide that the water had dug in the rocks over the years and jump down two other holes before we finally reached the last and biggest waterfall we'd be rappelling down.

This one was a vertiginous forty-five yards' high, and between the tricky spots we were supposed to balance ourselves onto to start, and Eric's multiple warnings about how particularly slippery the wall was there because of its northern orientation, I had knots in my stomach as I started the perilous descent.

I knew Marc was belaying me but a lot could happen at this height.

I tried to think of worse things I'd already done in the past.

Bungee-jumping from that one hundred feet high bridge two years ago in San Fran, parachuting over the Grand Canyon. Granted, it had been in tandem with a monitor but, that had been pretty scary.

The more I thought about all those other experiences, the more I progressed down the waterfall. Sprays of water hit my face continually so I was dripping wet by the time I'd completed the first third of the descent. I was tempted to lift my hand and wipe the water out of my eyes but I knew that wouldn't end up so well where I was.

I had to be patient. I had to make sure not to let go of the now wet and slippery rope and to always keep my feet shoulder-width apart to land properly after each new little hop down.

I loved the mixture of fear and excitement that was coursing through me right then, and I knew I'd probably be knackered after such an adrenaline-fueled morning, especially after my quasi sleepless night.

It was worth it, though. It was freaking worth it.

I let out a relieved sigh when I finally jumped the last five yards in the small lake at the bottom of the fall. I swam to Marc who high-fived me before unclipping the rope from my carabiner.

My legs were wobbly and my entire body shook when I finally got out of the water.

I couldn't wait to get back to the Jeep to call Shawn and Riley and tell them about that awesome experience.

It took forever for everyone to rappel down the last fall so it was almost one pm when we finally took our wetsuit and harness off.

The ride back to the house was eerily quiet and when Noah asked me if I wanted to go to one of his surfer friends' house for lunch, I declined the invitation.

We'd made a tacit decision earlier and I was well determined to go through with it.

As soon as the brothers were gone, I went inside and made myself a quick sandwich which I took to the terrace with a soda and some chips.

I selected Riley's number and pressed the green phone on the screen of my smartphone. It rang twice only before he picked it up.

"Everything's ok?" I smiled when I heard his concern.

"Yes. You?" I muttered.

"Oh you know, the usual. Partied hard last night so slept in this morning..." I smiled again.

"Cool..." I commented.

"What's up, Blake?" His serious tone surprised me.

"Nothing, we did something crazy this morning and all in all, I'm having a great time, actually..." I answered and it was mostly the truth.