Page 32 of Crazy About Love (All About Love)

“W-what happened?”

“I was being stupid.” She lets out a hollow laugh. “My friends and I decided it would be a good idea to jump off a bridge.”

“What kind of bridge you talking about here?”

“Not real high, but definitely took guts. The lake it was over was pretty deep; we’d been swimming in it all summer. We climbed up the wooden bridge and out onto the railing. It had started to rain, so we were the only ones out there. My friend Delia was a bit of a daredevil and she said, ‘If I asked you to jump off this bridge, would you?’ As a joke, of course, but Josh—my boyfriend at the time—took one look at us and simply stepped off the ledge. He was always the one to jump right into anything. No pun intended.”

“Sounds like you.” Or from what I can see of her.

“Maybe me now, but not then. I was a shy and quiet art student who just wanted to keep to myself most of the time. When I met Josh, it was just so…unexpected, the way I felt about him. He made me want to burst out of the shadows.”

Amen. If anyone were to put into words how I felt when I met Theresa, those are the words that would ring truest. “I know exactly what you mean.”

We share a nostalgic glance, and then she blows out a breath. “So he jumped first, made it look so easy. He popped from the water and waved me down. I was still at the point in my life where leaps like this, metaphorical and literal, required a helping hand. So I grabbed Delia’s arm and we jumped off together. I remember exactly how it felt too—being in midair before hitting the water. It wasn’t exhilarating or freeing or felt like flying or anything like that. It wasterrifying. Because when we jumped, Delia hit her head on one of the wooden railings on the bridge. She banged it so hard I felt her hand go instantly limp in mine. The whole way down I knew she was unconscious, and there was absolutely nothing I could do but scream.”

Rian looks down at her empty hand, running her fingers over her palm. “The water slapped us like we’d hit a stone wall. Delia was sinking, dragging me down with her, and I wasn’t a strong enough swimmer to pull us both to the surface. And I couldn’t…Iwouldn’tlet go of her.”

“Where was your boyfriend?”

“He dove down, tried to find us. He must have, because after I blacked out the next thing I remember was the hospital.”

“And Delia?”

“She made it, but…well, things change after something like that. Sometimes it brings people together. This time it drove us apart.”

She shivers slightly, and I step closer, hoping I can warm her with my body heat. This girl, this woman, has brought us once again to a deeper level than I’d expected for the evening.

“That’s why water.” She gestures to the mural and then sticks her hands in her back pockets. “That’s why I changed my name, too.”

“It’s not Rian?”

“Rian…like ‘rain’ with a couple of flip-flopped letters.”

I grin at her. “So what’s your real name?”

“That is my real name. It’s who I am now.” She sighs. “But if you really want to know, it’s Charlotte.”

“Charlotte?” I don’t mean to laugh, but I do, and I get a flirty punch to the shoulder out of it.

“I know. Doesn’t fit, but it used to.”

I playfully snatch her by the waist and bring her close. Being invited into the raw parts of someone’s soul has never been so simple before. When it came to Theresa and me, every time she realized she had let me in, she cowered away, or shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal. After learning about Theresa’s sort-of ex I understood why she was so guarded. And after her, I know firsthand what it’s like to protect the most vulnerable pieces so that they aren’t beaten down again. Rian seems to have thrown all that out the window. Either that or she’s told the story so many times already that it’s just a part of her, and she doesn’t realize how much she’s sharing with a near stranger.

I pull her up tight against me, and the corner of her lip twitches upward. It’s not exactly a weird moment, but it still doesn’t feel natural. I should kiss her, but that’s just it. It’s something I feel like Ihaveto do, yet have nodesireto do. Something’s still in the way, preventing me from looking her in the eye. My gaze flicks over her shoulder to make sure no one’s watching, as if I’m about to make a mistake or do something that violates my moral code. My jaw clenches, and I internally curse myself for letting unjustified guilt cock-block me.

Rian puts her hands on my face, jerking my eyes back to hers. She gives me a wicked smile before pushing up and brushing her lips against mine. But before we can really truly kiss, before I can escape the whirlwind of thoughts in my head, I catch something flying toward us from the corner of my eye. I’m not quick enough to duck, and it pelts us both in the face.

My cheek starts throbbing, and curses drop from both my lips and Rian’s. If my ears weren’t ringing, I’d probably register the echoingplump, plumpof the basketball bouncing by our feet.

“What the hell?” Rian screams out to the shadows. She picks up the basketball and marches toward the shadowy corner where the ball came from. I quickly grab her back belt loop and yank her back.

“Get your ass out here!” she calls out, struggling against my grip. An amused grin plays on my lips, and I hold her tight against me.

“You’re not marching over there first,” I tell her. “Stay here or stand behind me. Could be some psycho.”

“Probably some punk-ass kid!” she yells at the shadows. I laugh and squeeze her elbow. She doesn’t relax in my arms exactly, but she doesn’t fight me anymore.

I take my phone back out and shine the light over, but I’ve got to walk a little bit to get the light to reach. The fire escape clangs, making my heart jump a little, but I’m proud to announce I keep my cool on the outside. Rian’s right—probably just some kid having a laugh at our expense. Landon and I would’ve done the same thing fifteen years ago. He would’ve dared me to, I would have, then we’d have taken off running.

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