The Sunflower Experience

EXCERPT:

The cove has a shallow edge along the eastern shore, so that’s where everyone heads to exit the water. The tubes are stacked to the side of the small beach, and they spread out to feast on food from their coolers. Some of the girls walk around offering to share meats and cheeses from their stashes. Someone brought pickle wraps to share.

Ryker finishes his sandwich and pulls a t-shirt from his waterproof bag. He spreads it out on the sand and lays his head on it, folding his hands behind his head. Hearing a chorus of cans cracking open around him, he knows this break will last a while. Might as well take the opportunity for a little nap in the shade.

Too soon, he feels his foot being tugged on. Johnny. “Come on, man. We’re gonna go up on the bluff.”

Ryker rubs his face with his hands and props himself up on his elbows. He watches Johnny and Tyson follow a group of guys to the rear of the cove where a path leads up to the top of the bluff. His gaze rests on the group of girls, and Crestin, doing some kind of dance to music blaring from a speaker. “H-O-T-T-O-G-O! Snap and clap and touch your toes!” His eyes widen, then he blinks as he focuses on Everleigh, specifically. Because she just touched her toes with her ass end facing him. He wants to look away, but she’s moved on to safer choreography, making letters or something with her arms in the air, so he continues to watch. She looks like she’s having so much fun, laughing and dancing with her friends, and he wonders how he’s never seen this carefree side of her before.

Honestly, there are several sides of her he’s seen for the first time today. What a shame he never took the time to get to know her before. He suddenly feels like he missed out on something he didn’t know he wanted. Until now. Until just a few short weeks ago. When it’s too late. He looks away as the chorus starts again and he knows she’s about to touch her toes.

Ryker stands, shakes the sand from his shorts, wipes it from his legs, and walks past them to the trail that heads to the bluff. He’s immediately annoyed with himself when he lets his eyes drift to Everleigh’s hips swaying to the music as he passes.

“Where are you going?”

He nearly jumps out of his skin when Everleigh pops up beside him. He points to the trail. “Up to the bluff.”

“Is that where the guys went?”

He nods.

“Can I come too?”

“I mean, it’s not my bluff.”

She giggles.

He notices she’s a little unsteady on her feet, wonders what number of seltzer is in her hand now. “Are you sure? It gets pretty steep,” he cautions.

“Well, what’s it like up there? Why is everybody going?”

“Not everybody is going,” he corrects. “Just those of us that want to cliff dive.”

Everleigh pushes her sunglasses up on her head, her eyes alight. “I want to cliff dive!”

He looks at her from the corner of his eye. “Are you sure about that?”

She nods emphatically. “Absolutely!”

Ryker doubts she’ll feel the same way once she gets up there and sees how far down it is, but he decides if she changes her mind, he’ll make sure she gets back down this path safely. He turns to lead the way when she grabs his arm.

“Wait a sec.” She downs the last of her drink in three large gulps, and he thinks a dangerous thought.

He wonders if he kisses Everleigh right now, would her lips taste like blackberry? And would he keep kissing her to taste her lips, or to taste the alcohol?

Ryker closes his eyes, blanks his mind, grabs her hand, and leads her up the path to the bluff. She’s chattering about something, but he refuses to let her voice past his ears. He is on one mission now. To get her safely to the top of the bluff, and back down if she’s too scared to jump. That’s it.

When they reach the top, she’s breathless and clinging to his hand with both of hers. He may have climbed at too fast of a clip for her, but he can’t spend any more time in her presence than absolutely necessary. His whole plan to keep his mental toughness in place? It’s crumbling. Fast. And he doesn’t want to blame Everleigh. It’s not her fault. But he blames her just the same.

“Ryker! You made it!” Johnny calls. “And you brought a little friend!”

“Hey guys.” She waves and takes off to the edge where they’re gathered.

“We got a newbie!” Ben exclaims. “You ever cliff dived before?”

She shakes her head.

“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” Ben replies. “Just don’t look over the edge before you jump.”

“What? Why?” Everleigh looks at Tyson.

“You’ll be fine. Just follow me. Jump where I jump,” Tyson explains.

“Oh, okay.” She nods a lot, then almost trips on a rock by her foot. Ryker reaches out to catch her, but thankfully, she steadies herself. He starts to think that this really isn’t a good idea. Maybe she’s had too much to drink. God forbid she gets hurt. He’d one hundred percent blame himself for letting her come up here.

“Whoo hoo!” Ben hollers as he runs to the edge of the cliff and jumps off. The echo of his voice cuts abruptly into a second of silence before the sound of him breaking the surface of the water with a loud splash is heard.

Everleigh’s hand flies to her chest. “Oh my gosh!” She grabs Johnny’s arm. “How deep is it? I wanna see.”

“Plenty deep if you stay on the western half here. You sure you want to look?” She nods and continues to hold on to his arm as he walks her over to the edge.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaims again and spins away from the edge. She sways and Ryker nearly calls out to Johnny to catch her, but she regains control of her body and marches back to him.

Ryker can’t handle the stress she is inflicting on him right now.

They hear another splash, followed by another. They watch as Cameron dives over the edge rather than taking a running jump like the rest. And then it’s just Tyson, Johnny, Ryker, and Everleigh.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Ryker speaks up, thinking he may be more nervous than she is. “I’ll take you back down.”

“No, I want to.”

“You sure?” Johnny teases. “It’s a long way down. And watch out for the rock that juts out halfway down. And make sure you go out far enough but not too far.”

“Ummm…” She raises a brow. “Okay?”

“Seriously,” Ryker tries again. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. None of the girls have done it before.”

“Whoa. Is that a challenge?” A weird timber enters her voice, and she looks at Johnny and Tyson. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“Like a double-dog challenge,” Johnny confirms. “See you on the other side!” They watch as he races off the cliff, kicking his legs in the air before disappearing from view.

“Your turn,” she tells Tyson.

“I’m here for it!” He moves closer to the edge than where Johnny started from. “Let’s go!” he yells as he runs three steps and propels himself out over the edge.

Everleigh claps her hands together and spins around to face Ryker. “You next or me?”

“You go. I want to be here in case you change your mind.”

“Ryker.” She makes a face. “You challenged me. I can’t change my mind.”

“I didn’t challenge you,” he argues.

“Pretty sure you did,” she says as she marches to the edge.

And his heart jumps into this throat. He can’t let her do this. She’ll kill herself. She’s had too much to drink, and she’s going to hurt herself.

“No, I didn’t. Now quit playing around. Let’s go.” He motions toward the safety of the path behind them.

“I’m not playing, Ryker. I’m doing this.”

His stomach constricts. How can he get her away from that ledge? The encouraging hoots and yells from the group below only seem to excite her more. He inches forward. Maybe he can pull her back without them both falling over the edge.

“I’m ready.” She winks at him. Winks. And before he can get to her, she disappears.

“Everleigh, no!” Panic squeezes his heart as he rushes to the edge of the cliff, prepared to dive in after her. Ryker can’t believe his eyes as she twists and somersaults through the air, entering the water below in near perfect form, with barely a sound.

Everyone cheers, but he’s focused on the water, waiting for her to reemerge.

Five seconds.

Ten.

Ryker doesn’t wait for fifteen. He dives in after her.