Bet on Me (7 page)

The once white and frothy water that had been churned up from constantly smashing into rocks cleared beneath me again. Grey and brown pebbles mixed with weeds became visible through the distorted surface as I glanced down. The crashing of the rapids behind me still rang out and I heard the shout of our instructor as he completed the rapids. I’d forgotten he even followed us since he hung back to allow us to do our own thing.

Placing my paddle in the boat, I scrubbed the back of my hand over my forehead to wipe away the spray.

“Feeling alive yet?” I twisted to watch Cole. His expression mimicked what I imagined mine looked like.

He gazed at me in astonishment. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” I grabbed my paddle to steer us away from the bank then went back to allowing the river to guide us.

“Let go so much … allow yourself to just go with whatever happens.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t a question I could answer because I had always been like it. I enjoyed bouncing around from one place to another, doing exactly as I pleased, and living for adventure. It wasn’t something I could teach. Either you liked the unpredictability and freedom or you wanted more security.

Folding my knees up underneath me, slowly, I pulled myself to my feet.

“What the hell are you doing?” Cole cried out as the boat shook beneath us and my legs trembled while I fought to steady my balance. Cole’s hands shot to the sides instantly.

Like that’s going to stop me toppling the thing if I want to.

I adjusted my stance, widening the gap between my legs, and when I felt stable enough I straightened. Punching the air with both fists, I cried out in happiness then held out my arms in the Titanic pose. Allowing the gentle breeze and burning sun to dry the droplets of water on my arms, I tilted my head back for a second to revel in the feeling.

“Alaya, sit back down!”

Ignoring Cole’s demands, I stooped to reach for my paddle. Then straightening once more I rode the canoe like a gondola.

“Alaya, seriously, sit back down. You’re going to break your neck.”

I deliberately shook my legs. The canoe swayed beneath me, jostling Cole in the process. His knuckles whitened as the tightness of his grip increased.

 I waved my arms in the air, pretending to lose my balance. “Oh my God,
Cole!
I’m going to fall,” I squealed in my best helpless, girly voice.

Cole didn’t appear impressed by my joke as I stopped. His eyes narrowed at me and his jaw clenched. It took every ounce of self-control not to burst out laughing and I reached the stage where I needed to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself.

Dipping my paddle beneath the surface of the water, I brought it up flat. I flicked as much water as I could at Cole’s face, hoping to wash away his frown. He turned on instinct, bringing an arm up to shield himself.

I kept pouring water on him. “Don’t panic so much. This trip is about having fun. You want to live, so do it.”

Taking my eyes off him for a second, I glanced at the distance between me and the new set of rapids coming up.

“Cut it out,” he growled as I continued to soak him.

“Come on, Cole,” I urged, kicking up another shower of water. “Fight for what you want. Let go. Have fun.” I punctuated each sentence with a splash.

“Will you sit back down? We’re going to hit those rapids and you’re going to be thrown from the boat. You’ll smash your head open on a rock.”

I tapped my helmet with my fist. “That’s what these are for.”

Cole reached for me, but I smacked his hand away with the oar.

“Let go and trust me.” I stopped splashing long enough for him to fix me with a hard stare. Checking the distance over my shoulder again, when I twisted back to him my mouth curved with mischief. “Stand up.”

“
What?
Are you trying to kill me?” he griped, his head twitching around the area frantically.

“Don’t be a dramatic baby. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“You’re crazy is what you are,” he muttered.

“What’s rule number one, Cole?”

“Fuck.”

I grinned. “Trust me. I’ve been on this course almost daily. Nothing bad is going to happen. Now stand up.”

“I’m taller than you.”

“Good, you’ll have further to fall and more force to knock some sense into your stubborn ass head.”

He stared at me incredulously. “What about the rapids?”

From my viewpoint and knowledge of the course, I knew they only lasted two metres at most. He’d be fine even if he fell in.

“Stand up, Hazel.”

He growled. “What did I say about that name?”

“You can punish me later. Now stand the fuck up!”

When he placed the paddle beside him I knew I’d won. Crouching back down, I made sure I faced him when I sat.

His legs and arms trembled as he tried to find his balance. The boat shook, and for a split second I thought he was going to fall in.

Finally, he settled on his feet. He lifted his gaze from where they’d been focused on the bottom of the canoe and almost instantly began lowering himself back into the boat.

I smacked his leg with my paddle. “Stay standing.”

He didn’t have time to argue. Sucked into the fast current of water, our canoe sped up beneath us, and when we were pulled down the slight incline Cole instantly lost his balance.

He flapped his arms over his head like a chicken trying to take off.

Rearing back, one foot rose off the bottom of the canoe.

Then, suddenly, Cole toppled out of the boat. I couldn’t contain my roar of laughter as he surfaced seconds later around a metre away. His life jacket forced him to bob up and down while the current evened out.

“It’s a miracle! You’re alive,” I shouted, throwing my arms up into the air.

“You won’t be soon.”

“Oooh, I’m sooo scared. Look, I’m literally trembling over here.” I shook the boat dramatically. “Cheer up, or I won’t let you back on board.”

Ignoring me, Cole reached the edge of the canoe in a few strokes. He threw his arms over the side and latched on to heave himself back in. A rush of water came with him, pouring into the bottom of the boat as he dragged his legs in behind him and collapsed on his back.

“Do you feel alive now?”

I spun around so I could guide the boat over to the bank up ahead.

“Not really. I feel like I nearly drowned.”

“Like you’d admit it even if I was right.” I hopped from the canoe, the cool water rising up to my waist. “Help me pull this thing to the shore.” I didn’t need to glance back; the squeak of his wetsuit rubbing against the material of the canoe let me know he followed my directions.

Lugging the boat behind us, we stepped on to the small, pebbled beach that from a distance remained hidden behind a larger boulder-sized rock jutting out over the river. When I was sure the boat wasn’t going to float away, I let go and headed straight for the rock. Deep, rich greenery surrounded us. Trees lined the edges of the banks, splashes of grey were scattered here and there, where sharper, jagged rocks lay concealed beneath the branches. Further out the ground rose up to form steep cliffs coated with fuzzy, green plants, and even further the Alps enclosed us in the valley.

“What are you doing, Alaya?”

I paused, my arms raised above my head to glance behind me. “Climbing a rock. What does it look like?”

“I know what it looks like, but why?”

Pushing off with my foot, I launched myself up the smooth face to grab hold of the top. “Because … I want … to sit on … it.” I panted as I clambered up. Finally, I reached the top, and stretching my legs out in front of me I lay back on my elbows. “Aren’t you coming up?”

“Do you wake up like this, or are you secretly addicted to caffeine and sugar?”

“What you see is what you get. This is all natural.” I gestured lengthwise down my body, and his eyes tracked my movements. To be honest, being strapped in a faded red life jacket wasn’t exactly the most flattering outfit, though it didn’t seem to diminish the hunger in his gaze.

“Believe me, I know all of
that
is natural.”

A blush warmed my cheeks, and when I couldn’t come up with a response fast enough, I remained silent.

For a second Cole disappeared from view, then one hand appeared over the lip of the rock and was quickly followed by a head and the rest of his body.

“Okay, you got me up here. Now what?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

He sprawled out beside me, his legs dangling over the edge they were so long. Throwing his arms back over his head, and resting them under his helmet, he closed his eyes as he faced the sky. He didn’t speak for a moment, only the trickle of water beneath us filling the air.

“Do you still think you’ll be here for three months?” he asked finally, cracking one eye and tilting his head towards me.

“Not sure yet. It all depends on how quickly I get bored and run out of things to do.”

“Where are you going after?”

I shrugged. “Wherever I feel like it. Spain, Greece, Germany, or Italy … whatever takes my fancy. The only thing I’m sure about is I’ll be in Germany in November or early December.”

“Why?”

“Christmas markets. I swore to go back after I visited them in high school. What about you? What’s for you after France?”

“Following you I guess.”

My jaw fell slack and I sat up swiftly to stare down at him. “Be serious. You must have had some kind of plan when you started this journey before you met me. Or is that part of the secret?”

He chuckled, the sound warming me from the inside out. “No, it’s not. And honestly there was no plan. I had to get away so I left, simple as that.”

“Why did you have to get away?”

“Ah, now that
is
part of the secret, sweetheart.” The moment of humour I brought out in him dissipated. His eyes clouded over as he stared at the other side of the river. Focused solely on one spot, his molars ground together and his fists balled on his lap.

I reached out to him, my fingers cupping his jaw. The stubble felt rough against my skin as I forced him to look at me, and only when his gaze met mine did I speak. “It won’t scare me off if you tell me. It doesn’t have to be a secret.”

“It will and it does.”

I shook my head, biting down on my lip. My eyes were round in earnest, begging him to reveal whatever put the darkness into his expression.

“The past doesn’t have to affect your future. You can choose to let go of it.”

“What if your past is chasing you? Not everyone can let go. I may be a fast runner, but it’s going to catch up with me someday.”

“What is? What’s chasing you, Cole?” My voice dropped to a whisper, my thumb running over his cheekbone. His eyes shut at my touch and he let out a sigh. I found myself being drawn towards him; leaning into him, he did the same until our faces were inches apart. My gaze dropped to his lips and back up to his eyes. When his hands slid to my hips, circling round to my spine, I gasped.

The sound focused his attention back on me and the desire in his gaze shocked me. Wetting my lips, my breath caught in my throat as he began to close the distance between us even more.

I only had a second if I wanted to stop him.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled back and launched myself from the rock. My neoprene shoes gave me the grip I needed on the edge, allowing me to kick off into the middle of the river.

The cool water enveloped me as I dipped beneath the surface. The prickling warmth that had been crawling over my skin ceased to exist, replaced only by the smooth embrace of the water.

When my life jacket forced me back to the surface, I shook my hair and the water from my eyes. I glanced up at Cole with a smirk. He stared down at me with startled eyes and his hands hovered in mid-air like he didn’t know what to do with them.

“Are you coming in or not?” I shouted, cupping my hands over my mouth as I floated away.

“You’re insane. If you didn’t want to kiss me you could have told me. You didn’t need to throw yourself from a cliff.”

“Once again, don’t be dramatic. It’s a rock and it’s what this spot is for.” Breaking out into a crawl, I made my way over to the beach. Cole tracked my every movement, studying me with a calculating gaze as if trying to predict my next move.

“I should have let you fend for yourself on the train. I’m sure the creeper would have come off worse.”

“Don’t change the subject. Are you going to jump or am I going to have to come up there and push you?”

He snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”

Challenge accepted, I climbed the rock swiftly. He was standing by the time I reached the top, and without thinking things through I charged at him. I raised my arms in front of me, preparing to push him with all of the force I had … only they never made contact. Cole gripped me under my arms and he used my momentum to sweep me up and spin me.

Before I could register what was happening, I sailed through the air again with a shriek. Realising I only had a second to suck in a breath, I shut up and closed my mouth right as my feet hit the water again.

I came up spluttering, coughing to clear my throat of the water I accidently swallowed.

“What the hell did you do that for?” I cried up to where Cole grinned down at me. As I waded through the shallows furiously, the deep rumbles of his laugh only increased. “Seriously? What. The. Hell?”

“I said you couldn’t push me off.”

I grumbled, and using my hand to shield my eyes from the sun I scowled at him. Placing my free hand on my hip, I decided to change tactics. He was right and there was no possible way for me to move him if he didn’t want to.

An idea came to me. “I bet you won’t jump.”

“What do I get if I do? Can I claim the kiss you were so afraid of?”

“No,” I deadpanned. “Although, if you jump now, I promise there’ll be no more crazy for the rest of the day.”

“You can do normal?” he asked incredulously, his expression morphing into amazement.

“Are you accepting the bet or not?”

Taking a few steps back, his only answer was to run and leap into the air with a war cry. The sound cut off as soon as he hit the water, replaced with the largest splash I’d ever seen when droplets were thrown metres into the air. The clear surface filled with bubbles, his impact causing ripples to spread out in rings around his entrance point.