WitFit Challenge, August 3, 2011
Word Prompts: Suspicious, Malicious, Delicious. Rated T.
The Ride of Your Life
"Do you trust me?"
The wicked glint in his eye and the malicious twist of his smile betray the tenderness he's trying to infuse in his voice. Deceiver.
"Come on now, sweetheart. You're with me. You know I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"Why is this so important to you anyway? I'm scared and don't want to do this. Not right now. Can we just go? Let's do something else instead."
He huffs, taking one of my hands then running his free one through his hair. "Look, we came all this way. Don't you want to at least try? For me?"
I knew I should have been suspicious of the way he was acting today. He promised me a surprise this evening, something we'd both find "thrilling and life-changing," he had said. I had a hunch we would end up here, especially when he brought me to my favorite patisserie first, located just around the corner. Of course he would try and purchase my unwavering trust with almond croissants, mini-eclairs, and chocolat chaud.
Pfft. If he's as smart as I once gave him credit for he would realize his delicious offerings would only end up vomited all over his feet, if he really meant for us to do this now.
"I love you, but if we're going to do this, it's not going to be just for you. I need to be ready, and I just don't think I'm ready." I squeeze his hand and tell him sincerely, "I know my limits, and to be honest I think I'm gonna be sick."
He shakes his head. "You're braver than that. Think of all we've done so far, baby. This will be the ride of your life, I swear it."
"If it doesn't kill me first."
"I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think we were ready. We've built up to this all summer. And I would never lead you somewhere you'll get hurt. You know this. You're with me, and I'll take care of you." He drops his lips close to my ear, whispering with mock seriousness, "I can, but I don't want to do this by myself."
I start laughing in spite of my anxiety. "Tell me again why you want me to do this with you? Why don't you find someone else?"
"Because it'd mean the world to me that I was the first one to do this with you. Please, babe? I promise you won't regret it."
Breathing deeply, I look up at the sky, thinking on the challenge that stood in front of me. If I do this with him now, it will be the most extreme thrill we've ever done together.
I look at him again, and he's still looking at me, his hope that I'll be ready trying to crowd out disappointment if I say no. The power I have in my simple answer to make him happy almost makes me want to say no just out of spite, but he means too much for me to toy with his feelings like that.
I drop my gaze onto the ground and look within. Am I ready for this? He's right - we have been practicing all summer. If we do this tonight, we'll have reached one of our ultimate goals as a couple. I know why he wants to do this so badly, because it's the same reason I want to do it: beyond an exercise in trust, doing it would change so much between us, would affirm to us and to the world that if we succeed, we could face anything. Every other trial would seem small knowing we could reflect on how we got through this in one piece, together.
In his eyes, and in mine, this is more than pushing physical barriers. It's triumph, trust, confidence in each other and in ourselves.
I look into his eyes and say with as much confidence as I can, "Let's do this."
His eyes smile before he kisses my mouth.
"Awesome," he says, then takes my hand, leading me to the end of the line.
