Chapter 18: Chapter 18

"Okay, okay okay!" I say with a laugh and remove my hands from my face to look at Ethan sitting across me while we are both on his bed.

"Your favourite colour is....." my eyes desperately scan the black and white room while he raises a brow at me with a half smile.

I had guessed black, which was wrong. Grey was also wrong and it wasn't white.

And he had tickled me every time I got it wrong.

"Ummm..."

I look around again, then back at him. He was just wearing black shorts with nothing else. Then I look down at myself at his blue t shirt I was wearing.

Blue.

It was after all the most popular male colour.

"Blue?" I say and his hands grab my ankles and yank me down to lie on my back while he is above me.

"Wrong." He whispers before his fingers dive at my skin. Laughter erupts out of me as his hands tickle my sides and waist.

Wiggling under him, I laugh out my plea for mercy.

"Please, stop! I'll get it this time, I swear!" I say, laughing uncontrollably as his fingers stop and he pins my hands above my head.

"You're out of chances." He says and I peck his nose. He laughs and sits up, lifting me with him,

"It's red." He says and I frown.

"Red? I don't see anything red about you."

"It's not about me." He says as his hands run through my hair, letting it slip around his fingers.

"It's about you. I see your hair when I wake up or when you're done showering and it's my favorite colour."

I bite my lip to stop the sensation his words give me but I can't help the blush that creeps up my neck.

He has to stop being cute.

He just has to.

I'd spent just a few days here and already, I was stupidly enjoying being around him.

"Stop that." I say and push at his chest but he holds me firm.

"What?" He asks innocently as I give him a look but his eyes remain clueless.

"Stop saying stuff like that." I say and he just keeps playing with my hair.

"Why?"

"Because...."

Because??

His eyes are still searching mine.

"Because?" He asks.

"Because my hair isn't even the normal red colour." I say and nearly slap myself for the whimsy excuse.

"Exactly. I don't like the normal red colour. I like this red." He says, twirling my hair in front of my face.

I bite my lip again, knowing these are just words.

Words.

Nothing else.

"Stop that." He says looking at me and I frown.

"What?"

"Biting your lip."

"Why?"

"You really want to know?" He asks, eyes on my lips as he leans in.

"I'm suddenly hungry." I say hurriedly, trying to distract myself and him from the building desire.

"Me too." He whispers and I close my eyes, waiting for the kiss when I feel his lips on my forehead.

"Come on." He says when I open my eyes. He is already getting out of bed.

"We better eat breakfast before I eat you." He says, eyes scanning me before he winks and leaves the room.

As I get up and head for the door, he walks back in and grabs me by the waist, pulling me to into a kiss.

I have to stop loving these surprise kisses.

"That should hold me for a while." He says and leads me down the stairs to the kitchen where Trevor is eating scrambled eggs and toast.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it the redhead and the Griphen." He says as Ethan pours coffee and I laugh, joining him at the table.

"You're up early." I say to him as Ethan slides me a cup and starts the eggs.

"Heading to Skydive Centre." He says, wiggling his brows and Ethan turns.

"That's today?" Ethan says turning around from the cooker and I look at him.

"What's today?" I ask, looking at the both of them.

"Earlier this year, we booked spots to go sky diving." Ethan says with a shrug, busy at the cooker.

"Sky diving?" I ask, feeling the blood drain from my face.

What?

Why sky diving?

What if something went wrong?

"It's fun, scary and adventurous. Plus you'll love it." Ethan says, putting a plate of eggs and toast in my front but my mind is reeling.

"Me?" I ask, almost breathless. I have never done anything that risky. Staying in his apartment for the past few days is still out of comfort zone but...sky diving?

"You don't want to come?" He asks, looking at me and I don't know if he is just inviting me or really wants me there.

Not that I didn't want to go, I've heard of people going sky diving and it sounded exciting and just carefree.

"You're scared?" He says, still observing me and I nod.

I'm terrified.

But somehow, the idea of staying 18, 000 feet above the ground and jumping off, right next to Ethan, began to put a buzz in me I have never felt before.

Jumping.

Off a plane.

Plumetting into certain death or the best time of my life.

Then again, I had never gone on a charity event. Neither had I been on the top of a 40 storey building until I met him and I loved all of it.

"Hey." He says, snapping me out of my thoughts as he tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"If you dont want to come, thats fine. But if you do, you don't have anything to worry about, I'll be there with you. It will be fun. Just me, you and the blue sky."

"And me." Trevor says and Ethan rolls his eyes but keeps staring at me. His grey eyes are screaming for me to take his word and somehow, just staring at his eyes alone and I feel I can jump off the grand canyon.

"So what do you say?"

*******

The instructor adjusts my diving suit and goggles one last time before grabbing the parachute. I turn to Ethan and he is smiling at me.

How did I end up here again?

Somehow, staring into those eyes and I'm under a spell.

A spell that carries me 20,000 feet above my comfort zone. The door slides open and I feel a lump in my throat when I stare out at the tiny structures of green and brown that is well below me.

"Oh God." I mutter and his hand sweeps around my waist, turning me to face him.

"I cant do this!" I yell to him over the noise and he shakes his head and pulls me even closer, despite the suit.

"I'm right here! Have I ever let you down?!" He yells back and I shake my head.

"But just in case!" He yells and before I can ask what he means, his lips are on mine, kissing me tentatively and slowly, burning away my doubt. I hold him and kiss him back slowly, not wanting it to end but he pulls away.

"Ready?!" He asks and I nod. My instructor attaches our bodies together with him behind me as he straps me safely to him. Trevor gives me a thumbs up as they both get strapped also to their instructors.

After telling me not to panic if there are certain difficulties, we head for the door and Trevor jumps first, with his instructor. Its my turn but I turn to Ethan, just to see those eyes. He winks at me and then I nod to my instructor and we jump.

At first I can't hear my scream because of the rushing speed of air against my ear and my eyes are squeezed shut but I'm positive my life is going to end.

I can hear my instructor yell to me but I don't know what he is saying.

Slowly, I open my eyes and my scream immediately turns to laughter.

Exhilarating and frightening at once.

The sun is out and the bits of cloud around make the view heavenly. I'm still falling, but I can't help laughing at the feeling.

This is amazing.

I spot Ethan a little above me to my left and he is laughing too. I let out a scream of excitement as we keep going down when there is a loud whoosh and we suddenly go up in a rush and descend slowly.

Trevor and his instructor have their parachute on too but when I look around, I spot Ethan below,...

Still falling...

"Ethan!" I scream and Trevor looks down too.

"Don't worry. It happens sometimes, they'll be up in no time." My instructor says but he knows nothing.

Happens sometimes?

"Ethan!" I scream again, wishing I could just move down a little and help.

"Do something!" I beg to my instructor but he is quiet and I want to hit him.

Why is he quiet?

They're supposed to be re-assuring.

I am about to start yelling at him when I see the thankful burst of colours as their parachute comes up and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

Ethan's POV

Okay.

This is it.

I'm going to die now.

Somehow, I thought the instructor was kidding when he yelled that I shouldn't panic because he can't get the parachute to open.

Then we kept falling and falling.

And he kept yanking and yanking at the rope.

And all I could think of was I had kissed her atleast.

April.

She had chased away my pain, helped me cry and the pain was permanently gone.

And she was enjoying the sky diving, she had been laughing.

So if my life is ending now, it's not that bad. And then I had closed my eyes and I could almost swear I heard my name when I heard the thankful whoosh later and we had gone up and started descending slowly.

"Sorry about that." My instructor said and I just nodded.

The shock of what could have happened still racking in my head.

The moment we're on the ground, my instructor removes the strap and apologises again just when April and Trevor land.

I can feel panic rise in my gut at her pain stricken face as she rushes over to me.

"Are you crazy?! Don't you ever, EVER do that!" She yells and hits me, then throws herself on me in a tight hug.

"What did I do?" I ask, hugging her back still and silently thankful that I get to hold her again.

"You went sky diving!" She says.

"You loved it." I say to her as I pull away a little.

"Not anymore." She says and I can't resist it as I pull her into a kiss, holding her against me. I can feel her relax as she kisses me back.

"That was frightening." She says after the kiss is over.

"You said you would be right there with me." She says and I try not to let the fear in her eyes tear at me.

"I was there."

"You were almost 500 feet below." The look in her eyes holds more hurt than I thought and it dawns on me that she is experiencing past fear.

Is she?

"April, I'm fine. You look terrified, what exactly is it?" I ask and she blinks, as though realising something.

"It's nothing. I'm just really worried." She says and starts moving back.

"I have to change." She says and before I can say anything, she jogs off.

Trevor is by my side now,

"That was actually very frightening." He says and I turn to him with a smirk.

"I know you'll miss me the most." I say and he laughs.

"We're brothers, right?" He says and heads off to change. Sighing, I follow him with April's pain stricken face still in mind.

What could be bothering her now?

"What is it?" I ask when I spot Trevor standing in the midst of the building, looking around.

"You hear that?" He asks and I frown, trying to listen.

Then I hear it.

Crying.

Oh no.

"It's April." I say as I jog towards the crying sounds and find her behind a door.

"April." I say and she gasps, turning around to look at me and I feel something crumble within me at the sight of her tear streaked face.

"Oh my, God. What is it?" I ask, grasping her arms.

"It's you...and the falling...and daddy." She says and it dawns on me.

The day at bowling.

When was the last time you did this?

'About 8 years ago with my dad.'

Or two days ago in the room.

'My dad was quite the adventurous one. Living with him was always exciting.'

What had happened to him?

How had I never asked or noticed this?

I pull her into a hug and hold her close as she cries.

Way to go Griphen.

You ruined her excitement once again...