The Freefall Trilogy (Complete Collection) (16 page)

Josh sprinted across the airfield, the long, wet grass threatening to trip him with every stride; the tandem harness pulling tight against his thighs.  He could still see the saggy blue parachute spiralling down; Froggy's orange canopy chasing her.  The brow of trees was coming up.  Josh pushed himself to pick up speed to clear the ditch beneath them.  Teeth gritted, legs flailing; his fingers grasped the wooden fence, his feet plunging down into the bank of nettles.  Josh hauled himself over, brambles tugging his jump pants, ripping at his bare arms; jumping down into the green undergrowth; staggering out into the cornfield.  Joshua looked up and froze.

He held his breath as the mangled blue parachute floated away; his heart in his mouth as he saw the black dot plummet down.  He stood there: helpless.  He could hear the trickle of the stream behind him; his thundering pulse; a blackbird sounding the warning alarm.  He raised the walkie talkie to his lips, blinking up at the white canopy.  Josh started running again.

She knew she wasn't on the airfield.  It wasn't green beneath her, but gold.  Lucy tried to think back to the drive in; Josh grilling her.

Landing and approach...

She could see flawless skin; him smiling at her from the driver's seat.

Lucy let out a sob.

Her thoughts were muddy.  She felt dog tired; every inch of her body hurt.  She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't think.  She'd had far too much sensory overload for one day.  Her body was shutting down. 

Her mind flicked back to his bed: a snapshot with every blink, the blinks getting progressively longer.  White light, the crumpled duvet, his black dressing gown.  Toast and coffee, jam and sticky fingers.  Joshua's hands, his nose, his smile. 

Lucy heaved her heavy eyes open.  For a moment, she could have sworn she saw each ear of corn.  A blink: Joshua's green eyes, the laughter lines at the corners.  Open again: a golden blur.

Lucy used her last shred of energy to flare.  Her feet finally touched earth.  She slumped down, rolling limply, spikes of corn snagging and snapping and pricking her.  The blue sky disappeared behind a shroud of white.  She could finally close her eyes.

'Lucy?  ...Lucy!'

Froggy
fell to his knees, hands diving into the canopy, yanking it back, quickly gathering it up in his arms.  Froggy's eyes flared as her hand came into view.  Motionless, fingers outstretched; toggle in her palm.  Froggy's hands suddenly stilled.

A startled blackbird chirruped and dipped across the sky. 
Froggy's head shot up.  Josh was hurtling towards him, eyes wild, t-shirt drenched in sweat. 

Froggy
watched the walkie talkie bounce then disappear into the corn in slow motion; heard Snowy panting as he dropped to his knees, wrenching the white parachute back. 

'LUCY!' 

Froggy squeezed his eyes shut, his stomach turning in an icy knot.

'Don't be angry with me.'

Froggy's eyes blinked open.  He stared down into the goggles.  Blue eyes flicked from Josh to him, then back again.  Her face was crimson, tendrils of hair sticking to her forehead; almost black with sweat.

'…Lucy.' he heard Joshua breath.

'You're not going to shout, are you?' she croaked timidly.

Joshua's face crumpled.  His shaky hand covered his mouth, eyes pooling with tears.  He let out a heart-wrenching sob.

Froggy grasped his shoulder.

'
Do'nay move her,' he warned Josh. 

Froggy's
head turned quickly as he heard the crackle of snapping corn.  His eyebrows jumped up.  She was already up on her knees.

'I'm all right!' Lucy told him.  She reached out for Josh, stroking his shoulder.  Her hands were shaky; covered in welts and contusions.

'I heard you on the walkie talkie,' she said gently.

Josh slowly raised his head. 

'I couldn't speak.  I couldn't get my breath.' 

She grabbed Joshua's hands.

'I love you too,' she smiled up at him.  ‘Just saying,' she shrugged.  ‘Just so you know.'

They stared at one other for what seemed like forever.  Suddenly, they were in each other's arms.  Hugging; kissing urgently.

Ach, young love…

Froggy grinned up at the sky.

He stumbled shakily up onto his feet, wrenching off his helmet.  He began gathering the lines of his canopy, feeling the sweet, cooling air on his cheeks, whistling to himself. 

He glanced back at the two of them, smiling.  The smile dropped;
Froggy's eyes bulged.  He turned back at the lines; began hauling in double time, suddenly aware that he shouldn't be there.

'Look at your hands,' Joshua tutted, holding one up by their entwined fingers, his voice cracked with concern. 

Lucy couldn't open her eyes, let alone lift her head. 

He gently raised her hand to his mouth, pressing a feather-light kiss to the back of her knuckles.  She smiled to herself, nuzzling the soft down of his warm, damp chest. 

'I've never done it in a cornfield before,' she smirked, listening to his heartbeat finally slowing.  She breathed in his scent, his strong arms enveloping her.  Joshua pulled the white parachute tighter around them, shielding her from the twilit breeze.

'No, neither have I.'

'It's warm under here,' she sighed.

'Don't get too comfy.'

'Thanks for helping me get my jumpsuit off,' she mumbled.

'Anytime.' 

She could hear his smile.

'Do you think we ought to go and look for the main?' Lucy asked reluctantly, leaning into his hand as he smoothed the hair from her damp forehead.

'I'm pretty sure Froggy's got it.'

His fingers rested on her chin, gently tilting her face up.  Lucy looked up at him.

'How are you feeling now?'

Joshua's green eyes searched her face in the fading light.

'Wonderful,' Lucy grinned woozily, pupils still wide.  Joshua laughed. 

Her eyelids lowered, like lead canopies. 

'Tired,' she admitted.

His fingers loosened, allowing her cheek to rest back down on his chest.

'You're crashing,' he told her gently, stroking her bare back.  'It's the adrenaline.'

'Hmm... adrenaline,' Lucy said, smiling drowsily, her chest expanding in a deep yawn.  His chest shook her head as he laughed.

'Yes, it's never affected me quite like that before.'

She rolled back so that she lay beside him, blinking up at the sky.

'What time is it?' she asked.

It must have been getting on.  The sun ha
d gone, the blue sky deepening; darkening.  Lucy could already see stars.

'No idea,' Josh admitted, rolling onto his side, smiling down at her.  'Probably too late for pie.'

His fingertips drifted across her cheek.  Lucy shuddered from the bite of the breeze, tugging the white canopy up over her shoulders; staring up at him.

She watched him take a steadying breath, his smile faltering; eyes closing briefly; bursting open.

'I'd really like it if you'd move in.'

Lucy's eyes flickered.  Her face set; it was unreadable.

'I'd love to,' she murmured. 

Joshua's eyes closed briefly.  He could hear the "but" from her tone.

'But I don't think I can.  Not until you tell me your name.'

He blinked down at her, brow crumpling.

'What are you talking about?'

Had she banged her head?

'Lucy?  Are you all right?'  He squeezed her shoulder, eyes searching her face.  'You know me.  I'm Josh.  Joshua Snow.'

'Uh-uh-uh,' Lucy warned him in a singsong voice. 

He caught the twinkle in her eye and gaped.

'No you're not,' she said flatly.  'That's a lie by omission.' 

She grinned. 

'What
is
your middle name?'

Joshua paused.  His eyes narrowed.

'I'm going to fucking kill Froggy.'

'Language!' Lucy chastised him. 

Joshua snorted.

'You're a fine one to talk!  I heard you on the walkie talkie you know…
'

He regretted saying it immediately.  The smirk started to sag. 

'But, you know...  understandable really,' Joshua added quickly.  He rubbed her soft arm and shrugged.

'You still haven't answered,' she warned him.  'I don't want to hurry you, but the clock is ticking.'

Josh shot her a look.

'It's just a name,' he told her, crinkling his face.

Lucy frowned.

'So why are you being so secretive about it?'

'Well, it's not a great name,' Joshua confessed.

'How can I live with someone if I don't even know their initials,' she said, folding her arms, in mock offence.  'No, no.  I'm not that sort of girl.'

Joshua muttered something under his breath.

'...What did you say?'

He rubbed his face and muttered again.

'I can't hear you,'  Lucy told him.

'Archibald!  It's Archibald!' he said grumpily.

Lucy eyes widened; sparkling up.  Her lips twisted, mouth falling open. 

'Archibald?'

'It's a family thing,' he grizzled.

'Joshua Archibald Snow...' she mused, staring up at the stars.

Joshua sighed heavily.

'All right, all right.'

'Archie,' she breathed, her eyes flicking to him.  She raised her eyebrows.  'Yeah, I like that,' she said thoughtfully.

'...Really?' said Josh.

'Mmm-hmm,' she nodded up.

Joshua smiled proudly.  It was his grandfather's name. 

‘My neighbour
's got a Persian cat called Archie.'