The "subdivision east of town" was actually a gated community with its own pool, a tiny convenience store, and a guard.

"Edward, this is dumb."

He rolled up on the guard station and flashed the older man a grin. "Hey, Al. How's the top side this morning?"

"Most everyone is gone—work and school." Al shrugged just like my grandfather, "You're in the clear, Ed." He hit a red button and a massive gate swung open.

"Ed?" I asked, as we rolled through the gate.

He laughed. "We're tight.

We drove down a few streets, pretty houses and gorgeous lawns; money and lots of it. The subdivision was large and meandering, the street eventually dead-ending at the top of a long, sloping hill.

"This looks big." I gulped, getting out of the car.

"It's really not." Edward was shaking his head, pulling a longboard from the back seat.

"What about the mermaid board?"

"Gotta make sure it's worth the investment first, right?" He winked at me. He set the board in front of me, his skateboard at the ready, and I put a foot on the longboard, rolling it back and forth.

"We should be wearing helmets."

"Knew you'd say that." He trotted back to the car and produced a helmet for me.

"What about you?" I asked, clipping it beneath my chin.

"I don't fall, remember?" Edward braced the board with the toe of his sneaker, holding both my hands. "Do it."

I put my second foot on the board.

Everything felt precarious and wobbly, like the earth had gone suddenly molten. I gripped his forearms hard and tried to swallow my heart back down into place.

"It's not steep," he said, giving me a reassuring shake. "Remember what I said, the first night you let me in?"

How could I forget? "Don't think."

He nodded. "Don't think. Now say it, out loud."

"Yes," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Keep that word, right here." He tapped his finger to my forehead and took me by the hand, stepped onto his own board, and we started to roll. The bump of the asphalt, the kick up of the breeze, the whooshing sound going by my ears, and my entire body going up in goosebumps.

I still hadn't even opened my eyes.

"Lean toward me," he said, "on your toes." I did, following his lead, and our boards swung sure and slow to the right. We went back on our heels to swing to the left, and my heart kicked up ten beats—his voice in my head, the wind in my face.

Yes yes yes yes yes.

I hit the pavement, hard, and heard Edward grunt beside me. I groaned, sitting up in the middle of the road, my hip on fire and my elbow torn up. Edward was lying on his back a few feet away, cursing, rubbing his ribs.

"I told you that would happen," I accused.

"I knew it too, but…" He rolled his head toward me. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" The smile on his face was one I'd never seen before. Jubilant. Elated. So fucking happy.

"We fell." I shook my head. "You fell."

"Doesn't even matter. You were fucking gorgeous."

AN

*le sigh*

All of my love to HH.

Thank you for reading.

HB