Straddling The Edge

by Julie Prestsater

  “You go right ahead and touch me. Anytime you want.”

  Someone clears his throat and I turn around to see a gentleman with a silly smirk on his face. “Newlyweds?” he asks. “I can tell.”

  “Nope, not yet. But we’re definitely enjoying the honeymoon phase early,” Dean tells him. I can feel my face getting warmer and red by the second.

  “Reservations for the food tour?”

  “Yes,” I tell him, grateful to change the subject. I give him my name and we wait for a few more people to arrive before beginning.

  It’s a short tour, only taking a couple of hours to make our way into five local restaurants and bakeries. We start at a steakhouse and enjoy small slices of prime rib doused in butter with sautéed mushrooms. We also have a small taste of a red wine. At the next location, we try Avalon’s best Chinese food. The honey shrimp is my favorite of all the samples.

  In between stops, our guide, Bill, gives us some background information about each restaurant. I would’ve expected to wander into an old eatery but the most seasoned locale is only twenty years old. He also gives us some suggestions on where to have dinner this evening. I had already looked into the Descanso Beach Club, which was high on his list. We can see it from our patio back at the hotel and it looks gorgeous, having dinner on the beach with a nice cocktail.

  The tour comes to a conclusion a lot sooner than I would’ve liked. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. At the island’s most beloved sushi place, Dean and I take turns feeding each other with chopsticks. It’s going really well until my fingers slip and he takes a stick to the nose. We sample sake and green tea ice cream. I’d drink the sake again, but the ice cream I can do without.

  “I think this is my favorite part,” Dean says, his mouth full with a brownie. This is something we have discovered since we’ve been together. We both certainly have a sweet tooth. Before bed, we always manage to indulge in a few extra calories with a cookie, ice cream, or chocolate candy. We both share a love of Oreos and we’re both dippers. We also love peanut butter cups.

  “This has to be the best brownie I have ever tasted. I think we should come back in the morning and get a few more of these suckers before we leave.”

  “Definitely,” he mumbles after taking another bite.

  Chapter 16

  Summer

  “You have got to be kidding!” Dean says, scrubbing his hands over his scruffy face. He didn’t shave this morning, so he has a little more stubble than his usual cleanly cut beard.

  I chuckle a bit, clearly not sure if I’m serious or not. My plan to take an evening zip-line tour under the stars had me giddy with anticipation this morning. But now that we’re here and I see the frightened expression on Dean’s face, the giddy feeling has turned into a ball of nerves.

  “Well, I thought it was a good idea at the time.”

  He takes my hands in his. “It sounds great. But I’d have to man up with some elephant-sized balls to be able to do it. I usually like to keep my feet planted safely on the ground.”

  “Me too,” I tell him. “We can do something else instead.” But then, I change my mind. “Never mind. Let’s do it. I’m tired of just going with the flow and doing what’s expected. Being with you has been an unexpected surprise that has brought me nothing but happiness. Let’s try this. I bet taking the risk will be worth the unease we’re feeling right now.”

  “I’m in if you are.” He smiles, squeezing my hands tighter. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “I know. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  We get checked in and there is a short ride to the first drop which is 500 feet above sea level. There are five lines total and if I don’t crap in my pants after the first one, I think I should be good for the others. My hands are shaking by the time we reach the first station and it doesn’t help that my guy is turning ghostly pale too.

  After being harnessed and fitted with helmets, our course guide begins with a safety speech and speaks a little bit about what to expect.

  “The tour should last about two hours. While this is the night tour, there are lights along the trail which will give you a nice view into the canyons and a great look at the eucalyptus trees as you’re speeding by. Take a look up too and you’ll feel like there are shooting stars flying by, but that’s really you cruising through the sky.”

  Our group is small with only a family of four joining us. The kids are only eight and ten, making me feel like a total wuss.

  “So I guess those boys don’t need humongous balls to do this,” I whisper, teasing Dean.

  “They’re much manlier than I am, apparently,” he says, a wink taking some of the fear from his eyes and calming me.

  “You ready?” our guide, Bret, asks. “Who’s going first?”

  “I am.” I raise my hand, surprising myself.

  “You sure, sweetheart?” Dean asks.

  I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his perfect lips. “Yup. See you in a few.”

  I listen as Bret rattles off some directions as he did with the four others that came before me. By now, I should know the speech but it’s comforting to hear again. “Whenever you’re ready,” he says.

  I reach up to grab hold of the handlebars and take a long deep breath and exhale slowly. Here I go. With a little hop, I lift my feet from the platform and propel forward, flying through the air like a bird soaring through the sky. This is so much better than Soarin’ Over California at California Adventure. Other than a chill on my legs, the feeling is fantastic. I reach the other end of the line in no time at all and although I feel great, my body is still shaking as our other guide reaches out to grab me and pull me upright.

  “How do you feel?” he asks.

  “Overwhelmed. Out of breath. Absolutely thrilled.” I can’t seem to put enough words together to say a complete sentence.

  “Zip-lining will do that to you.”

  He smiles big, unleashing me from the line, and then we wait for Dean.

  Moments later, Dean barrels toward us, howling like a wolf the whole way down. I don’t think I made a peep. I was too busy holding my breath and holding on for dear life to even consider it.

  Dean lets out a big “woo” as he steps onto the platform along with the rest of us. “Summer, that was amazing. Thanks for making me do this.” He reaches over, wrapping his big hand behind my neck, and pulls me toward him for a loud muah to my lips. The guide just stands there, his hands on Dean’s harness and waits patiently so he can do his job. When Dean’s finally unhooked, we wait for Bret to come down and then we’re on to the next line which happens to be the longest of all five, a whopping 1,000 feet long.

  This time I scream the whole way down. When I get to the end, the boys are laughing at me. “I think you woke up the ocean with all the yelling,” the little one tells me. His mom looks embarrassed, but I quickly wave off the comment.

  “I probably did, huh. I bet my mom could hear me back on the mainland.” His mom seems relieved when I joke with her son right back.

  “Holy shit, that was a long one,” Dean says when his makes it down. I glance at him and then the kids. “Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse my bad choice of words.”

  “Don’t worry, my mom says that all the time,” the little one says, obviously the talkative one of the bunch. We all chuckle at the bluntness of the kid.

  The next line is the fastest. My cheeks feel like they’re being pulled back, and the wind whistles in my ears as I fly down to the next platform. My heart speeds up and I have to remind myself to breathe. When I reach the bottom, the little one says, “Wasn’t that the best so far?”

  “I don’t know about that.” I can feel my vajayjay in my throat. My stomach is still doing back flips from the speed. “That was really fast.”

  “Only about 45 miles per hour.” The guide clarifies for us. “Don’t worry. The last two aren’t nearly as fast.”

  Dean is taking a total liking to the adventure. With each line, his confidence builds and so does his smil
e. By the time we reach the bottom of the last line, he’s amped up and ready to do it all again. “That was awesome, Summer. Thanks for getting me to grow some huge balls and do that.”

  “I like your balls just the way they are, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was definitely a different kind of experience.”

  “Yes, it was. I’m glad you went down first.” He kisses my temple. “If you hadn’t I might have chickened out and we’d have had to take the tour bus down the mountain.”

  “Really?” I ask, as we make our way toward the beach from the tour stop.

  “Yes, sweetheart. I was really scared. I was ready to pull my own man card.” I have to laugh at that one. “Seeing your little body soaring over the canyon made me feel about this small,” he pinches his fingers together, “so I had to puff out my chest and scratch my nuts and try to act all manly.”

  “Did you burp too?” I ask, teasing him yet again. “Fart? Spit?”

  “I did.” He chuckles. “Thank you for pushing me.”

  “Any time, honey. You know there isn’t anything we can’t handle, as long as we’re together. You can trust me like I know I can trust you. As long as we’re honest and open with each other, we’ll be just fine. Even when we’re flying through the sky while only being held up by some measly wire and a seatbelt.”

  Dean is quiet for a second but then blinks his eyes as if willing away something that’s on his mind. “When you put it that way, maybe I don’t want to do that again.”

  It takes me a few beats to rebound from his noticeable pause. Could he be thinking about Chase? About the fact that he’s holding something back from me? That was a perfect segue into getting something off his chest.

  We begin to take the path down toward the beach, swinging our hands back and forth and practically skipping with the adrenaline. But my mind still keeps coming back to the fact that Dean is keeping something from me.

  “I love that I can tell you anything,” I tell him, trying to spark a discussion.

  “So do I.” I feel a slight squeeze of my hand. “I know things haven’t always been easy for you when it comes to relationships, but I’m not like the other guys.”

  “I know you aren’t.” I lean into his side. He releases my hand, and puts his arm around me. “In fact, there’s something I need to tell you.” If I want him to open up, I probably should too.

  “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  “A few times in the last two weeks, I’ve gotten some prank calls. It’s a private number. I can hear someone on the other end, but whoever it is hasn’t said anything.”

  “That bastard.”

  “There’s no way to know if it’s Chase. And I wouldn’t have even mentioned it, but when I left to go shopping yesterday there was a red rose left on my doorstep.”

  “What the hell is wrong with him? I’m going to have a little chat with Chase Marino when we get home.”

  “No, you don’t need to do that. I didn’t tell you so that you could get riled up. I told you because I want to share everything with you. I don’t want us to have secrets.”

  His breath is rapid and his teeth are clenched. “I get that, it’s just Chase really pisses me off. And I don’t get why you would want to protect him.”

  “I’m not trying to protect him. I’d just rather ignore him.”

  “Whatever,” Dean says, shaking his head.

  We continue to walk in silence. Dean’s breathing starts to get back to normal and his touch softens.

  “I hope you feel the same way, you know. Like you can talk to me. Share your secrets if you have any. Tell me things you know will upset me but you tell me anyway because it’s the right thing to do.”

  He nods, still upset by my sudden news.

  Trying to break the ice, I continue to speak. “I know I seem to ramble on and on sometimes because it’s nice to have someone to listen to me, but I really want you to feel like you can tell me anything.”

  He squeezes my shoulder and presses his mouth to the top of my head. “I do, Summer. I’ve felt close enough to talk to you about anything since the day we met. You have this kind face and a smile that lights up the room. It makes everyone want to be around you and get to know you better. Especially when you’re in your own element.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I ask. My own element?

  We reach the beach and Dean takes a few steps ahead of me, tugging my hand for me to follow. When we’re close enough to the water to feel the spray, but far enough away that the tide won’t reach us, Dean squats down and sits in the sand. “Walk with me.”

  He takes off his shoes and socks. I do the same, tucking my socks deep inside so they don’t fall out.

  “If we don’t go far, we can just leave them here.”

  He agrees so we stand and leave our sneakers behind. “Your element.” He continues where he left off. “I think I know a different Summer than most people. I know you’re most comfortable talking sports or reading romance novels. I know you love chocolate and would rather have dessert than a real meal, but at the same time you’re not afraid to eat both. I know you’re most comfortable in an old worn baseball t-shirt and nothing else. That’s your element. It’s when you’re most beautiful and it’s when you’re most happy. And I have to tell you, I think you look great in anything you wear, but my favorite is the baseball tee.”

  “Even if it is blue?”

  “Yeah, but someday I’m going to get you in red.”

  I cringe at the thought, but the way he speaks to me makes me want to give in and surprise him in an Angel jersey someday. After a night of heavy drinking, maybe. “Well, I’m happy that you trust me enough to share with me. I’m always willing to listen to anything you have to say, like you have been with me.”

  He clears his throat and I tilt my head upward to catch a glimpse of his face. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it just as quickly. And again, I’m left wondering what can possibly be so bad that he doesn’t want to tell me. I guess I just need to give him the time to figure it out. He’s been so good to me, he deserves at least that.

  After an hour long walk along the beach, the cool breeze sends us back to our hotel room. I could have stayed out there all night, snuggled against his side, walking along the edge of the water. Every once and awhile, the water would creep up closer to our feet and Dean would splash me. The chill on my legs had me shivering, and he took it as his cue to warm me up like he usually does.

  “Should we take another nap?” I ask, falling back onto the bed.

  Dean lets out a big hearty laugh as he plops down next to me. “There will be no napping tonight. After the high of zip-lining, and the chill of the beach, I’m going to be up all night.”

  I scoot closer to him, curve my arm around his waist and lie across his chest until my face lines up with his. “I can think of a few things we can do besides nap.”

  “Oh really,” he says, sliding his hands down my sides and gripping my hips. He pulls me on top of his long lean body until I can feel his strong hands settle on my ass. “And what might these things be?”

  His cool lips press against my throat and his teeth drag along my neck from the base to my hairline. “I was thinking we could kiss,” my lips find his and linger for a moment, “and I was thinking we could make love,” my hand finds his thick erection, “but first, I think we should eat.” I roll off him and stand up, my hands on my hips. “Did you think I was going to let you get out of dinner two nights in a row? I’m a growing woman who needs a good cheeseburger, some ice cream, maybe some popcorn, and a chocolate truffle.”

  Dean is propped up on his elbows, jaw dropped and brows raised. “Are you kidding me, woman? You’re just going to leave me here like this?” He points down to his shorts and the rather large bulge threatening to tear through his zipper.

  With that, I crack up laughing and so does Dean. “Fine,” he says, getting to his feet. “We’ll save the good stuff for later. Let’s get you some carbs and protein. You’re going to need
all the energy you can get.”

  We decide to order room-service and eat out on the private patio. It’s a beautiful night. Stars sprinkle the sky and the sound of the ocean makes for one hell of a romantic evening. Dean orders steak and mashed potatoes, while I stick with a four pack of sliders. If little cheeseburgers are on a menu, I can’t help myself. Dean surprises me by requesting a bowl of popcorn and chocolate milkshakes. My eyes widen when I see the glass of chocolate ice cream along with the tall metal cups with the leftover drink. My stomach rumbles and I dip my head to take the straw into my mouth and have a sip.

  “I knew you’d like the shakes,” he says, a smile curving up on one side of his mouth. He’s obviously quite proud of himself.

  “You know the key to my heart is chocolate, so you can’t be too surprised.” He bends down and takes a sip of his own. “That is one delicious shake. They must use real chocolate ice cream and not syrup.”

  “I know,” I say, grasping the glass and bringing it to my lips. Dean chuckles. “What?”

  He dabs at my nose with his pointer finger. “You have a little something there.”

  I lick my lips and can taste the sweet flavor of whipped cream. “Watch this.” I stick my finger in the white cream and slide it across my lips. “Mom, I swear I came straight home from school.”

  He laughs again, this time a little harder. It’s contagious because now I’m laughing right along with him. “Where did you get that from?” he asks.

  “Shelly.”

  “I should have known,” he says. “Let me guess. She used to do that to torture her mother?”

  “Bingo. Her mom is really stuffy and was very strict. Shel said that she used to smear whip cream on her face and make the dirty joke to her mom. It got her into trouble but she thought it was worth the laugh.” Dean and I shake our heads. I’m picturing Shelly, at age 15, coming home and joking with her mom about having cum on her face. “She said she used to put her top on inside out or button her shirts wrong so she looked like she’d just been naked and had to throw her clothes back on.”