Blake was going to jump.
70 stories, 764 feet, and nothing but a rope to keep him from sailing into the afterlife at the tender young age of twenty-one.
It was a helluva bet.
Courtney’s birthday weekend could very well turn into Blake’s death weekend, but fuck it, what was life without some risks?
Beside him, Farrah clutched the railing with one hand and her necklace with the other, eyes wide and face deathly white. Terror emanated from her in waves.
“I can’t do this.” She tugged at her harness like it was too tight. “Take this off me. I can’t do it. I’m going to die.”
“It’ll be ok,” the bungee jump operator said soothingly. “We’ve done thousands of these jumps; we know what we’re doing. Our safety equipment is top of the line.”
“Pass.” Farrah backed away and tugged at her harness again. Her breath came out in short, panicked puffs.
The operator looked at Blake, the only person in their group who had yet to jump besides Farrah.
“I’ll talk to her,” Blake said. “Give us a minute.”
He walked over to Farrah and placed his hands on her shoulders. She trembled beneath his hold. “Take a deep breath. In one, two, out one, two. That’s it. How are you feeling?”
“Not good. I hate heights.” Farrah gulped in another breath. “I don’t know why I agreed to this. Tell Court I’m sorry, and that I’ll refund Kris her money. Wait, no. I’ll tell them myself when I go down.” She raised her hand to beckon the operator once.
Blake grabbed her wrist and eased it down. “Whoa. Before you leave, hear me out.”
“Don’t waste your time. I’m not changing my mind. Do your jump, and I’ll meet—”
“7,000 miles.”
Farrah’s brow knit in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“That’s how many miles you flew to get from the US to China. 7,000 miles.”
“Um, ok?”
“Did you spend all that time and money to get here so you can stand on the sidelines and watch other people live their lives?”
Farrah’s jaw dropped. The words sounded harsh to Blake’s own ears, but they needed to be said.
“That’s not living.” Farrah jabbed her finger at the jumping platform. “That’s dying. If I jump off that platform, I’ll die.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit!”
“Farrah, think of everyone that’s jumped tonight and survived. Fuck, even Luke did it, and he weighs three times more than you do. If he can’t break that rope, no one can.” Blake’s eyes twinkled. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not that special.”
“Ha ha.” Farrah’s expression lightened before it tensed again. “I’m still not doing it. Even if the rope doesn’t break, I’ll have a heart attack in midair.”
“Ok.” Blake released her. “We’re not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do. If you’re really uncomfortable with the idea, you can leave, and no one will judge you for it. But before you do, look around and tell me what you see.”
She did. Blake followed her gaze and took in their surroundings. They stood atop the Macau Tower, home to the world’s highest bungee jump. Beneath them, the city’s lights and sprawling casino hotels glittered like a carpet of fallen stars.
“I see Macau?”
“You see Macau, I see a choice.” Six months ago, Blake would’ve punched himself in the face if he heard these words coming out of his mouth. He sounded like a damn self-help book. But this wasn’t about him; this was about Farrah. “You can either stay in your comfort zone or do something that makes your heart goddamn race. One’s safe. The other is scary as hell. You know where the safe path takes you—but it only takes you that far. The scary path? No one knows. It could be awful. Or it could be the best decision you’ll ever make.”
Blake got so caught up in his speech, he forgot whether they were talking about the bungee jump or something else.
Damn, I should be a motivational speaker.
Farrah’s eyes swam with uncertainty. “I—” She looked around once more. “I’m really scared.”
“You should be. So am I. But think of how good it will feel after you do it. Bungee jump: $500. Facing your fears: priceless.”
Farrah’s laughter was music to Blake’s ears. She loosened her grip on her necklace. “You are such a cheese ball.”
“There’s nothing wrong with cheese. It’s delicious.” Blake’s face softened. “How about this? If you don’t jump, I won’t either.”
Her eyes grew round. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. What are friends for?” Blake smiled a crooked smile. “Second option: if you jump, I’ll jump first. I’ll catch you if you fall. Not that you will,” he added quickly.
A slideshow of emotions played out across Farrah’s face. Fear, nervousness, and ultimately, determination. “No,” she said. “I’ll go first. I need you here for moral support.”
Blake grinned. “You got it.”
He flagged down the operator. Good thing Kris reserved the entire hour for them. Otherwise, the staff would’ve kicked them out a long time ago.
“If I die, it’s your fault,” Farrah said while the operator checked her harness to make sure it was tight enough and buckled correctly.
“Noted.” Without thinking, Blake reached out and squeezed her hand. The touch of her skin against his sent his heart racing in a way that had nothing to do with their impending jump off a 70-story tower. “You’ll be ok. I’ll buy you a drink after we’re done.”
“Ready?” the operator asked.
Farrah took a deep breath. Her skin had a faint green tint. “No.” She took her position on the jumping platform and looked over her shoulder at Blake. “Make that drink a double.”
“Done.”
Farrah faced forward. Blake held his breath, his heart pounding in triple time. She hesitated, and for a second he thought she was going to back out again. But she took the leap, and her scream echoed in the cold night air. He could pinpoint the moment the rebound happened because he heard another scream—fainter this time—and then…silence.
A grin spread across Blake’s face. Damn, she did it. She really did it.
A wave of pride flooded him.
“You’re up.” The operator beckoned to Blake.
After he passed the safety check, Blake took Farrah’s spot on the jumping platform and looked down. 764 feet was a long way to fall.
“Ready?” The operator and an assistant grasped the back of Blake’s harness.
He nodded.
They let go.
Blake pictured Farrah’s face. If she could do this, so could he.
Fuck it.
He was in Macau. He was on top of the world. It was now or never.
Blake closed his eyes and took the fall.
