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“How was that?” Dylan asks as he unstraps my harness.
I turn around to face him. “Unreal. Hands down the most incredible thing I've ever experienced.”
He grins. “The rush is something else, isn't it?”
“Yes.”
“I wanted you to experience that, Claire. Do you know why?”
“Because you love it?”
“That, too.” He leans down to kiss me softly, putting his hands on my shoulders. “But I really wanted you to experience it because I needed you to understand. I needed you to know that the way it feels to jump out of that aeroplane – the rush and the excitement, the feeling you're falling – that's how I feel every time I'm with you.”
His blue eyes are locked with mine as his fingers brush my face in a tender caress. I rise up on the tips of my toes, wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him. It's the only way I can hide what I'm feeling in this moment. Tears well behind my eyelids as I battle with the emotions his words evoked in me. Our time together has been precious – every last second of it.
And it's nearly over.
He's leaving in two weeks' time. And once he's gone, I'm not quite sure how I will survive the loss. In the past three and a half months, he's taught me so much. He barged into my life, into my heart, and made me feel things, made me want the impossible.
I know he'll never stay. I did my best to keep him at arm's length, but he didn't let me for long.
Every day, I wonder how I'll be able to move on from him. I keep reminding myself we want completely different things in life, but the more time I spend with him, the less important it seems.
“Claire?”
I open my eyes and look at him.
“Do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight?” he asks.
27
Dylan
So, this is what it's like to be in a relationship, I muse as I walk Claire into the restaurant where I've booked us a table for tonight. I didn't tell her where I was taking her, or even that I wanted to take her out, because it's supposed to be a surprise. Judging by the look on her face, Claire is definitely surprised.
LaBein is a new but already popular restaurant that's making its mark on Melbourne fine dining. It's received rave reviews so far. I was lucky to call for a reservation on the heels of someone's cancellation. I'm glad I took the initiative to put this look on Claire's face.
She looks stunning tonight, dressed in a short, cute black dress that pushes her breasts together and shows off her legs.
As the maître d' shows us to our table, I put my hand on the small of her back and enjoy the feeling of being with the only woman in the room men can't take their eyes off.
Her smile is wide as the maître d' pulls out a chair and she takes a seat.
“May I present you with the wine list for your perusal. Your waiter will be with you shortly.”
“I can't believe we got in here on a Saturday night,” Claire says, her face lit up with excitement.
“Happy?” I ask.
“How could I not be?”
I'd take her words as a positive sign, but she hasn't technically answered my question. More worryingly, doubt flickered in her gaze a moment ago, telling me she isn't quite sure about this.
I hope the evening out isn't too much for her, considering our casual relationship, but I really wanted to do this with her. In the whole time we've been together, I've never taken her out to dinner. She's never asked me to – never expected it from me. For some reason, as our time together draws to a close, it's become more important to me to do just that.
Sitting across from her, the candlelight flickering across her features, a sort of shy smile on her face, I know this is what it would have been like if we'd been dating for real. If I'd ever wanted to settle down, if I'd ever wanted to make a relationship work with a woman and try to build a future with someone, it would be Claire. Months ago, I thought we were too different to ever experience this kind of contentment or compatibility. Even though we're still different, she's shown me she can push herself. She can change and grow.
Despite what Claire thinks, she has a little bit of an adrenaline junkie inside her. Every time she's dug her heels in and refused to do something, she's only needed the smallest push to give it a go. And everything she's tried, she's loved. I am...in awe of her. This side of her is just starting to develop and if I was staying, there's no doubt I'd want to explore it further.
