Forbidden Love

Chapter 11

What are you afraid of?
I heard Ethan's voice as if he stood right next to me.

Ethan pushed me to do things that gave me a rush. That was one of the things I loved about him. I clenched my hand into a fist to ward him off as I continued to stare at the cliff.

"Demi!" My dad hollered. I turned my head with a jerk. "What are you doing out there? Come eat!"

I made my way to them before climbing up on a chunk of rock. My dad popped open a can of beer while Lisa handed out the sandwiches. A conversation started up about the wedding. Their voices faded as my attention drifted back to the cliff.

Jump Demi. My heart skipped a beat.

"I'll be right back." I murmured. I stepped across the rock towards the path that led to the cliff. As I neared the yelling and laughter, a narrow edge peeked out over the water. I cautiously stepped closer to its edge and was overcome with a rush of dizziness when I looked down.

The water was clear blue, reflective as glass. My pulse quickened as I inched closer, working up the courage to take the step forward.

Are you scared? How pathetic.
I closed my eyes as my heartbeat sped up.

"Demi?" Dylan's voice broke through the silence. I peaked over my shoulder at Dylan. His eyes widened in shock. "Demi, what are you doing?" I turned away. "Demi, what the hell are you doing?!" Dylan demanded again in a panic. "You can't jump! You'll kill yourself from this height!"

I didn't look back. I took that final step and disappeared over the edge. Wind instantly swolled me up as I neared the water. My entire body rippled with adrenaline. The air hugged me tighter, stealing my breath. Nothing mattered in those few seconds. Not Ethan. Not Dylan. Not the wedding. Not even me.

The moment of peace ended abruptly as my feet slammed through the water. Gravity pulled me down until I collided with the rocks lining the bottom. Horrific pain shot through my leg as it grated against the surface.

Kicking off the rocks, I forced myself up to the light. My lungs burned for air as I fought for the surface with each desperate kick.

I gasped and coughed as I broke through the water. I looked back up at Dylan who was hovering over the edge. I gritted my teeth as I neared the boats. Lisa and my dad were still on the rock, totally oblivious to what had just happened.

Dylan plummeted into the water to reach me. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He demanded. "Are you insane?!" I attempted to stand up but faltered. His anger simmered down as he squatted down to my level and grabbed my elbow, lifting me up gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I lied while grasping his arm to stand up straight. "Can we go back home?"

Dylan hesitated at first. "Okay, I'll fetch the car keys and drop you off."

I gently lifted myself into the canoe while Dylan went to fetch the car keys. My entire body pained from the impact. I wrapped a towl around my knee, but couldn't prevent the blood from trailing along the bottom of the boat.

Dylan came back and jumped into the canoe. "I told them you have a headache and I'll be taking you home." I nodded my head in response. "Let me see it." He requested sternly. Hesitating for a moment, I slowly turned towards him and unwrapped the towel. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Shit Demi." I quickly wrapped the towel around my leg, clenching my teeth against the stinging burn.

Dylan didn't say another word as we paddled back. When we finally arrived at the load-out, my leg was pulsing and blood had seeped through the towel. Dylan grabbed my wrist and slung my arm around his shoulder for support and helped me out of the canoe. We slowly limped over the rocks to get to the car.

I felt Dylan getting impatient with my struggles, tightening his hold on my wrist as if it would get us there faster.

"Fuck this." Dylan stopped walking and scooped me up bridal style into his muscular arms as he walked the remaining distance back to the car. He opened the door and gently placed me on the passenger seat. I winced slightly as my knee hit the gear box.

The door slammed shut. My body jerked. It took him a while before the drivers door opened and he climbed in.

°°°

"What were you thinking?"

I sipped my warm cup of coffee and sighed in defeat before placing the cup down as Dylan entered the kitchen. He deserved an explanation. I just couldn't provide him with one. "Adrenaline."

"You could have killed yourself." I looked down and nodded my head discreetly. "My mom asked about the blood in the car." I glanced back up at him.

"What did you tell her?"

"Don't worry," He whispered, "I didn't tell her that you went fucking phsico and jumped off a cliff." He dramatized, receiving a highly annoyed eye roll from me. "Luckily it wasn't a lot of blood in the car, I told her I cut my foot open."

"And she believed that?"

His shoulders shrugged. "Apparently."