Page 59 of Matched with Her Runaway Groom

We follow the crowd and get geared up. The trail is beautiful, sporting greenery and breathtaking views.

We walk through large sections of rock and I’m amazed by the shapes of the rock formations. Water drips down and up ahead there’s a bright blue pool of water with a waterfall flowing into it. The width of the falls is about five feet, which eases some knots in my stomach about sliding down one.

Because like an optimist, I told myself I would try anything on this trip. So far, I’ve held up my end of the bargain, even giving Landon a chance, which is saying a lot.

The tour guide continues forward, leading into several other sections. “All right, on this one, you’ll be able to go up top and slide down.”

I glance at the waterfall. The distance isn’t too far from the ground, which I’m grateful for. Because I won’t be a chicken and back out.

“Are you up for it?” Landon asks, his soft tone pulling on so many memories.

“I’m doing it. I’m not the girl you used to know.” I smile and take the few steps toward the small rock stairs that leads upward. My brain thinks over my words as I go, finally seeing some changes in myself.

I stood up to Ike and have been able to try things out to decide if they’re right for me before declining a second trip, i.e. the third waterslide. And it would’ve been easy to give up on the zip line or even being in Landon’s presence again. I’ve been able to do it.

It’s like I’m breathing good and deep for the first time in a long time.

Once at the top, I wait for the others in line to go first. After a few deep breathing exercises, I sit down where the guide directs and slide the ten feet of rock surface until I drop into the icy water below.

Landon grins and pulls me in for a hug, which gets the last remaining parts of his t-shirt wet. “That was awesome!”

“Are you not going to try it?” I ask, taking a step back. The adrenaline is pouring through me, and I glance at the slide once more. “I think I’ll go again.”

“I’ll try it out,” he says, waving for me to go in front of him.

I’m proud to say that in the time we spend at the waterfalls, I lost count of the number of times I slid down. Add that to my bucket list.

We finish and head back to the ship around late afternoon.

“You were on fire today, Rachelle,” Tiffany says, leaning forward to talk to me around Landon. She’s sitting on the opposite seat with Dani and I’m next to Landon, hand in hand. “Let’s just say the BBL definitely worked its charm.”

Dani laughs, glancing down at our intertwined hands. “Definitely not how we thought it would, but I love it.”

Landon frowns and glances over at me. “What’s the BBL?”

Dani sits forward, interest piqued. “Isn’t it a breakup bucket list?”

My stomach drops. “How’d you know that?”

Tiffany gives me a pained smile and says, “I might’ve involved her in the making of it. And talked to her occasionally. I couldn’t just cut her off.”

Dani gives a smile to match Tiffany’s and I nod. Tiffany’s expression is waiting for me to explode, but Dani wasn’t the one who’d hurt me. It had just been too much to continue our friendship when I was irritated with her brother. “What did you add to it, Dani?”

“My idea was the zip line. And the kick-boxing class.”

Landon’s gaze bounces among the three of us. “You made a breakup list of activities?” His jaw tightens and I sit back, trying to get a better view of him.

“Yeah, my roommates and, apparently, Dani, wanted me to get out of my rut, so we came up with a list of activities to help me get over you.”

I see the sadness cloud his eyes and he tries to give me a comforting smile, but it doesn’t have the same effect it usually does.

A few tense seconds pass and Tiffany and Dani begin a discussion of their own. I pull my hand away from Landon’s hoping to get a better idea of what’s going on in his head right now.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, leaning to where I can see his eyes. There are tears there, ready to spill over the edge. He blinks, allowing one of them to escape before he wipes it away.

He reaches over and covers my hand with both of his. “I’m so sorry, Rachelle. I didn’t mean to hurt you when I left. I just feel bad that you had to create a bucket list of things to get over me.”

“I don’t know, Landon. I think having those adventures and doing things outside my comfort zone have been good for me. It helped me not use you as a crutch for everything that made me scared.”

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