Deep End

They’re walking down the street, a whole group of them – Kris, Skylar, Flower, Vero, Jordan, TK and Lindsay, Sid, Max – on their way to the entrance of ‘some national park’ to go hiking. Skylar is holding a map half unfolded out in front of her, following trails across the paper intently. They’re coming up on a row of storefronts, flower pots and sidewalk displays abounding. Without thinking, without even pausing in his conversation with Sid, Kris takes Skylar by the elbow and steers her around the obstacles, all while she stares at the map without looking up once. Sid and TK raise an eyebrow. Kris notices and looks confused.

“What?” he says as he guides Skylar around a support beam. Sid just points to where his hand rests on Skylar’s elbow.

“She runs into things.” Kris says, like it’s entirely natural.

“Aw, that’s so cute!” Lindsay squeals.

“So cute!” Tyler repeats in a high falsetto, waving his spirit fingers in the air. Kris gives him a finger of his own.

“Chivalrous.” Skylar offers quietly to Kris, “Very chivalrous and manly, protecting your woman from all manner of flower pots and support beams.”

Kris’ entire body flushes with warmth when she refers to herself as ‘his woman’. She tucks herself into his side and slides a finger into his belt loop. Kris catches Sid’s eye and he sends Kris an approving nod.

They find the entrance to the park and spend what Kris considers a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide which trail to take. A few of the girls want to take a trail that promises wildlife and flowers. Max is adamant about heading for the lake, convinced as he is that on a nice day like this there must certainly be ‘foxy ladies’ in bikinis near the water. Sid is looking at the advance trails with interest, itching to sweat a little bit after toning his workouts down because of the wedding and because he’d put two extra butter packets on his toast this morning. Jordan is somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Eventually they come to a consensus. Sid and Max head off to the lake, but Sid insists on going the long way around. TK, Lindsay, Flower and Vero head off for flowers and wildlife. Skylar, Kris and Jordan head off on a shorter trail that promises mountain views.

They walk along the hard dirt trail and Kris revels in the fact that he is holding Skylar’s hand. That he can do that now; just hold her hand, whenever he wants. Not only hold her hand, but kiss her, hug her, maybe soon he will get to touch those knees he likes so much. Jordan is walking slightly ahead of the two of them and has gone strangely quiet, but Kris figures that’s mostly due to the ‘mostly hungover’ part of today’s excursion.

Skylar seems to think it’s something else, because she tugs on Kris’ hand and skips her way right up beside Jordan, then slips her hand in his. Kris might be jealous, except that her fingers are still laced with his and she’s slipped her entire hand into Jordan’s the way first graders do when they hold hands.

“You look sad.” She tells Jordan, who is looking down at their joined hands like he’s not sure what that means or if he should pull away. In the end, he doesn’t pull his hand away, which makes Kris think that maybe he is sad and how had none of his teammates – his so-called band of brothers – noticed?

“Lot of couples around.” He finally says, eying Kris out of his peripheral vision, sizing him up like he’s trying to see how much he can say in front of his teammate before it’s too much. “I’m not part of a couple anymore. Kind of sucks.”

“Just recently not a couple anymore?” Skylar asks and Kris curses himself for forgetting for a moment that it really hadn’t been all that long since things had fallen apart between Jordan and Hannah. He had been so wrapped up in his own endings that he had been more than oblivious to what might be happening in the lives of his friends.

“Yeah.”

“Well,” she says and gives his hip a little bump with their joined hands, “I don’t know you very well – or even really at all, but you seem like a good guy. And you’re here, with all these people who are your friends. And you can get drunk all weekend and everyone will think it’s cause you’re partying. You could even chat up a cute wedding guest. Weddings are great for harmless flirting. Lots of silver lining, plenty to look forward to.”

Jordan laughs.

“And if you’ll indulge me and allow me to get all girly and sentimental for a moment, I can also say this. Sometimes love doesn’t last forever. But just because it isn’t long doesn’t mean it isn’t filled with just as much love and meaning. Sometimes short stories are the most powerful stories of all. Now you know what it is to love, and you’ll find someone who wants that with you for the long haul.”

There’s a long moment of silence while everyone considers her words. Kris in particular wonders what kind of story he is destined to have with Skylar. Then he wonders what kind of mind he could possibly be in to be considering a question like that when he has known this girl less than a week.

As always, Skylar saves the day when she drags the two boys to the edge of the path and peers out over the edge of the cliff, down the rock face and to the water below.

“Also,” she says, “live in the moment. And in this moment, I think I’d like to jump.” She walks far enough forward to tip her toes over the edge and Kris tenses, pulling back on her hand.

“You can’t.” He says in protest.

“Why not?” she questions back with a grin. Jordan tips his huge body forward to look over the edge and Kris flinches, waiting for him to fall right over.

“It’s...you could get hurt!”

“Doubtful.” She says, “Come look. It’s not that far, and the water’s deep. We’ll be fine. I bet people do it all the time.”

“Could be fun.” Jordan says.

“Don’t encourage her!” Kris snaps.

“Oh come on,” Skylar wheedles, sliding her hand free from Kris’, “don’t be so scared. Just do it.”Kris opens his mouth to renew his protests but before he can get a word out, Skylar throws back her head, lets out a warrior cry and leaps into the open air. Kris lets loose a strangled cry and stares down over the edge, watching her free fall until she splashes into the deep blue water. With bated breath, he waits for her to surface. When she does, his knees go weak. She waves up at them and gives a cry of victory.

“Cool.” Jordan nods his head in approval and before Kris can persuade him not to, he too has leapt over the edge and is flailing his arms and legs on the downfall until he hits the water with a loud clap. He watches Jordan surface and give Skylar a high five and then they’re both looking up and beckoning him down.

They’re both alive, he tells himself. He’ll look like a wimp if he doesn’t. Live in the moment. The phrase reverberates in his head as he looks down at Skylar. He can do that, he thinks. Live in this moment, right here, with her, without worrying about the end of the story.

With a half-warrior, half-terrified shout, he closes his eyes, takes two long strides and is into open air. He swears a little under his breath as he tumbles, free falling through the air. Hitting the water is cold and stinging, but as he swims to the surface he’s already laughing. When his head breaks the surface he gives a real warrior cry of victory, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes.

The way Skylar is beaming at him makes it that much better. He reaches over and dunks her head under water and when she surfaces, sputtering, she retaliates by sending a wave of water right over his head. Jordan, never one to be left out of the fun, sweeps his big arm across the surface and catches them both in the face with a giant wave.

In the midst of the splash, Skylar slips her fingers into Kris’ wet hair and presses her cold lips against his. Kris grins against her mouth.

Live in the moment, he thinks. Easier than he thought.