by Nelson, Cara
“Smart, I like that. I like smartass even better.”
The waiter came over and asked if we wanted another bottle of wine. We both agreed that two bottles were enough. We had to be on the set first thing in the morning, and be ready to deal with Dara the fireball. She survived on coffee and Diet Coke, and it made her a nonstop energy machine for the entire time we’d seen her. Even Chaz was staying clear.
It had been such a great evening, I was a bit surprised that Hunter took me back to Brynn’s apartment, not his. It was silly, I know, because we’d both just agreed that we’d better get some rest so we were ready for the morning. Usually, I’d agree. Party time and work time couldn’t cross paths in my career, not without repercussions or having to wear cake makeup to hide it.
“This was great,” Hunter said.
“Yeah, it was. Thanks for inviting me to dinner,” I replied. Not date, I thought.
“My pleasure, Trin.” He reached in and hugged me closely, and then separated just enough to give me a soft kiss on the lips. There was no animal urgency in that kiss. It was slow and steady, like a great glass of scotch, leaving an unexpected fire in my belly. “Do you need me to pick you up in the morning?”
“Sure, if you want. Brynn said something about going to the set for a story, though. I’m not sure if it’s tomorrow.”
“That’s right; it is tomorrow,” Hunter said.
I sensed disappointment in his voice, and I felt it a bit, too. “Well, I guess it only makes sense to catch a ride with Brynn, then.”
“Of course. Well, have a great night. Sweet dreams.”
As I walked into the apartment, I knew his eyes were on me, staring at me, and it felt good, but scary. When I finally gave in and turned around, he was already pulling out into the traffic, which had thinned down considerably with the 10:00 hour. I walked into the apartment, breathing in the chilly night air, anything to calm down my jumping hormones. What a kiss!
I pulled out my key and unlocked the door and walked in quietly, closing it and pressing my body against it. I couldn’t get the smile off my face, and I was fairly certain that it was ridiculous.
“Wow, what a night you must have had,” Brynn’s familiar voice called out.
I looked around and didn’t see her at first. Then I noticed that her bedroom was a straight shot to the door. She’d seen me. “It was nice,” I said.
“Mm hmm,” she said, not hiding her amused grin.
“Well, goodnight,” I said.
I went to my room and flopped down on my bed, which released a retaliatory squeak from the sudden interruption of my body on it. I understood how it felt; I needed to release, too. I tried to help myself, but it didn’t work. Alert, alert! Something suspicious was happening.
Chapter Eight:
The Opportunity
“What in the hell happened?” I asked, staring around at the set incredulously. Everything was soaking wet, and a disaster.
“The sprinklers went off during the night. Ruined everything,” Dara said, extending her arms out to emphasize her words. “I knew we shouldn’t have gotten this old building, but no, had to save money. Now it’s really cost us.”
“Is the footage okay?” I asked.
“I save that on a back-up that I take home with me nightly, thankfully,” she said to me.
“Because you were worried about something like this happening?” I asked.
“Hunter, get your head out of your ass. I take it home to work on it.”
“Sorry,” I said. I knew it was best just to walk away. Truthfully, my heart sank as I looked around, too. It wasn’t the end of the world, of course, but it was devastating. It’s annoying when you get setbacks on something you’ve been working so hard on. And the schedule…it does matter.
“OMG,” I heard Trinity exclaim from across the set. I turned around, and was immediately drawn in by how beautiful she looked amongst the soggy, ruined set. Something compelled me to pull out my phone and take a picture of her. She didn’t see me yet, which was perfect. In her bright green tank and shorts, she was a bright spot amongst the gray gloom.
Next to Trinity was Brynn, who looked absolutely dumbfounded by what she saw. I heard her ask, “What happened?” and decided to get over there and explain so Dara didn’t have to. Not that Brynn couldn’t handle herself, but I thought Dara’s head might just explode if she had to talk about it anymore.
While I was talking to Brynn and Trinity, Chaz walked through the stage entrance. I stared at him, standing there, and afraid to walk all the way in. Maybe he was afraid it was unsafe, or maybe he was afraid that it would ruin his suit. Either way, he wasn’t budging. Damn if he didn’t call me over and make me excuse myself from the girls.
“Production is going to be delayed a bit, Hunter,” he said.
I couldn’t resist. “You don’t say.” He didn’t get my sarcasm.
“Look, I’m going to try and get this back on track for tomorrow, midday. I have a crew coming in, but it’s a day and a half off for you guys, basically. Will you give Dara the update so she can calm down?”
“You think this is going to calm her down?” I asked.
“I can dream.”
“I think you’re afraid of her. Or maybe of walking through this disaster zone…” I said.
“Both,” he replied bluntly.
“Well, I’m not afraid of either, so you are in luck. I’ll let her know, but she’ll probably call you, you know.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch in the AM with an update. I’m out of here.”
He started to walk away and I remembered about Brynn being there. “Hey, what should I tell Brynn?”
“Brynn?” Chaz asked.
“The reporter from The Rift. She’s here to do a story on the song and video shoot,” I said.
“Damn, I forgot all about that,” he said.
I pointed to where she was standing and took a bit of sadistic enjoyment in Chaz’s debate of whether to walk over there, or not while I waited to see what he’d do.
“Call her over,” he finally said.
Normally, I would not have listened to such a statement. It was an order from a guy who was effective, but still kind of a prick. In this case, though, it would be okay. I wanted to have a minute alone with Trinity. I had something to ask her.
“Okay, see you tomorrow,” I said, walking away. He was certainly jumpy, and I didn’t really understand why. It was just a water damaged set.
Brynn and Trinity were talking, and looking around at the set from the sidelines, not wanting to get in the way.
“Brynn, Chaz would like to talk to you,” I said as I walked up. She looked at me, and then back at him. “I guess he’s afraid to ruin his suit or something,” I added after seeing her expression.
She laughed and then walked over to him, leaving me alone with Trinity. I smiled and said, “Great news, we have the day off while an emergency crew comes in to recreate the set.”
“How long do you think we’ll be moved back for?” Trinity asked.
“Maybe a day or two. Is that okay?”
“That should work. I had a message this morning that I have a small gig back home when this is done. It’s supposed to start in a week and a half.”
“Great. We should have plenty of time. So, do you have any plans for today?” I asked.
Trinity looked at me and her eyes sparked up, like a furnace whose ignition switch had been turned on. “Not now, it seems.”
“How about a day up North, maybe do a little bungee jumping and go to a great little restaurant I heard about?”
“Hm, that sounds like it would be fun. I’ve never bungee jumped before. Heights startle me a bit.”
“I won’t tease you if you back out last minute,” I said.
“I would not agree to go if I planned on backing out,” she replied defiantly. Man, I loved her spirit. It was relentless, and she never gave up. Pretty cool.
“Great. I’ve got to get some things done first—how about I’ll
pick you up at Brynn’s in an hour and a half.”
I walked up to the door and was greeted by Trinity in the most casual clothes I’d ever seen her wear. She looked hot, and I loved how her shorts showed off her thin, muscular legs, and the way her t-shirt clung to her body. Flung over her shoulder was a small bag.
“Have fun,” Brynn called out as we left.
Trinity put her hand behind her back and flipped Brynn off, without turning around or missing a stride.
“What’s the middle finger salute for?” I asked.
“She’s just giving me a bit too much shit,” Trinity said.
“About what?”
“About you,” Trinity said. She didn’t look at me as she talked. I knew because I was looking at her. “You know how the Brynn types are. They make more out of people hanging out than what people like us would. They don’t see two people just having some fun without making it a bigger deal.”
“Any reason why she thinks it might be more?” I asked. Maybe Brynn could explain this growing feeling inside of me, the one that wanted Trinity around for more than my goodtime party girl.
“Why would I listen to that? I don’t need to hear that shit,” Trinity replied.
I nodded my head in agreement even though I suddenly felt a bit uneasy about where my thoughts were taking me, compared to where Trinity’s were taking her. Was she running, or was she really not as connected to me as I felt to her? Time would tell. For now, I decided fun should be the only thing on my mind.
We were in the car, listening to one of Trinity’s playlists and having some mellow conversation. “I’ve never been to northern CA before, this should be pretty cool,” I said.
“Me either. You know where we’re going?”
“Nah, just going off of instinct,” I replied. “And GPS.”
“It’s good that we don’t have to get back until tomorrow late morning. This is a long drive for a day adventure,” Trinity said.
“How do you know?”
“I was curious, so I looked,” she said.
I glanced over at Trinity, gave her my best skeptical look.
“Okay,” she admitted. “Brynn said it was far so I looked.”
“That was a close one. For a second, I thought my carefree and casual girl was becoming a planner.”
“Not me, no way.”
Then Trin leaned forward and turned up the song that was piping through the speakers. It was Shake it Off, Taylor Swift.
“I never would have thought you were a Swifty,” I shouted over the loud music.
“This song is too good. Who doesn’t like it? Unless they’re an asshole, that is,” Trinity said. She didn’t wait for me to answer and started to sing and dance around in her seat. If it would have been feasible, I would have pulled over and watched her shake it off. She looked great, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Dancing and singing took her to a different place. Admittedly, the dancing place was better than the singing place. Her voice was fairly awful. She had no concept of what good pitch was. So much for my pipe dream of having her do some backup vocals for me.
When the song finished, she leaned in and turned the volume back down. “Have you ever bungee jumped before?”
“I did once in South America. It was pretty fun, after I got over the sensation that my heart was going to explode.”
“You were scared?” she asked.
“What’s the point of doing something extreme if it doesn’t give you at least a little bit of a buzz?”
“Good point. I’ve never been a huge adrenaline junkie, maybe because people assume that I am. It seems that being bold and a bit boisterous is somehow linked to adventure in many people’s minds.”
“It’s a fairly apt description of me,” I said.
Trinity twisted her torso so she was facing me, and I could see her assessing me through my peripheral. “Yes, and no. I think you’re a closet mellow guy.”
“What does that mean?”
“You are into your public image, which is definitely outgoing and boisterous, talking about a variety of subjects that I don’t see you really caring about, truly, but when you’re behind closed doors, you’re mellow.”
“Everyone has wind down time,” I replied. “Surely you must be different when you’re alone, too.”
“I am.”
“How?” I asked.
“Oh, why do you want to know that? That’s dull.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I thought it was dull.”
“Well, I do have one thing I just love that no one would expect of me.”
“What’s that?” I asked. I was so curious.
“I love to knit.”
“Knit? Really?”
“Yeah, something about learning those patterns and the way those needles clack together while creating something really gets me hot,” she said to me.
“Knitting makes you horny?”
“Oh yeah, it’s amazing.”
“You’re kidding with me,” I said.
“No, you should really try it. It’s so amazing.”
“How thick are those needles?” I asked as I laughed.
“Really thick,” she said. Then she was quiet.
I was thrown off. Trinity really was some kind of kinky. Then she burst out into laughter, and I knew that she’d just gotten me.
“I’ll get you back for that,” I said. “It’s a promise.”
“Bring it on, Hunter. I’m not afraid of you.”
We were silent for awhile after that. I loved that Trinity was comfortable with silence. Constantly talking just to talk was annoying, and problematic. Her words, “I’m not afraid of you,” kept replaying in my mind. I knew she wasn’t technically afraid of me, of course, but I had a feeling that she was afraid of what she might feel about me. That’s why she turned everything into a joke, and was so hesitant to share anything that she considered personal. I’d tried to get her to open up, leading by example, but it wasn’t faring so well. Since when is everyone on the same page as you at the same time, I thought. It was a good point.
“Here at last! Bishop, just by the Bristlecone Pine Forest,” I exclaimed. I wasn’t that patient of a guy, and to sit in the car for over five hours was a bit trying, but I hoped this adventure would be worth it.
“So, this is it,” Trinity commented. Her eyes were focused on the sign that had bungee jumping in bright yellow letters on it. It was pretty hard to miss.
“Unless you don’t want to,” I offered.
“Let’s do it, and get it done with. After that, I am guessing that I’ll be ready for a drink.”
“Want one first?” I offered.
“No, the last thing I need to do is puke on the thing. I can only imagine where that would splatter,” she replied, laughing faintly. I thought it was endearing seeing her actually look vulnerable. Out of everything that life brought, bungee jumping was the one thing that showed it could crack her tough exterior. So far, anyway.
Twenty minutes later, we were staring down at a canyon from on top of a bridge, getting harnessed up, and preparing to take the ultimate jump.
“Can we go at the same time?” I asked the guide. I’d looked at Trinity and as olive as her skin was, she was looking a bit peaked.
“There are two spots,” he said.
“Afraid I’ll chicken out if you go first?” Trinity asked.
“You talk tough, but I sense your fear, Trin.” I laughed and she frowned. “Let’s do this!”
“On the count of three, go,” the guide began. “Remember, don’t resist the bungee, just go with the flow and enjoy the freedom.”
“Freedom? We’re tied up,” Trinity commented.
“At least you’re used to that,” I teased.
She flipped me off, but couldn’t hide her nervous smile.
I nodded my head to her and commented I was ready to the guide. Trinity said the same thing. I leaned over and gave her a kiss and she was a smart ass. “Hopefully that’s not the kiss of death,” she said. Then w
e jumped.
The freefall was amazing, making entire sentences and movies play out in my mind, but it was so quick. I looked over to see how Trinity was doing, and to make sure she’d actually jumped, and the swearing, screaming, and laughter all rolled into one unique sound showed me that she had. She just wasn’t as low down to the ground as I was.
“Whew!” I shouted, hearing my voice echo against the rocks of the cliffs that surrounded Mono Lake. I looked down and saw crystal blue water below me. It seemed like I was going to go right into it, but just as the guide said, about five feet short of it, the bungee sent me flying upward again. Down and up I went, and Trinity went, too.
Then we were left there, dangling above the water, and staring at each other.
“I feel like a bat,” she said. “This is probably what they see when they’re dangling upside down.”
“I don’t think bats can see, but I get the point.”
She laughed and all the concern that had been on her face evaporated. She was absorbed in the moment and having fun. Then the boat, which had a large flat surface on it, came up and stopped below us. Trinity first, and the guys helped her off the bungee. Once her feet were on the flat, she put her arms up in the air. “Yes!”
I was next, and when I was feet down, I felt the rush of the blood leaving my head and going back to the rest of my body. It was awesome. I staggered over to Trinity, and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “We did it!”
“That was ridiculously fun,” she said. “Maybe we should do the tree one, too.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. If you’re going to go for it, go big, right?”
“Let’s do it.”
An hour later, we were leaving the place, feeling like we were the king and queen of the forest, and it was amazing, really exhilarating.
“That was so fun, but I’m freezing now,” Trinity said when we got into the car.
I cranked the heat up, and we drove off, headed toward the small bar and grill that everyone raved about who went hiking and skiing up in this area. The sky was starting to get darker, though, and I was bummed about the rain. It was not fun to drive in heavy rain, especially in the mountains.