Page 4 of Fighting With Light
Focusing on my job, I hold on to the rope so I don’t let the Costa mob princess fall and split her head open.Though maybe I should. There is no way you could cover that one up, Liam.
She keeps climbing, faltering a few times, but the determined look on her face says she’s going to finish this climb even if she takes all night. Aelia lifts her leg and her foot slips, making her hit part of the rock, face first.
“Are you okay?” I call up.
She catches herself, bracing her feet on the rock, almost like she’s walking up it parallel to the ground.
She takes a deep breath, wipes her mouth, and spits to the side.
“Are you okay?” I ask again, gripping the rope and bracing my weight against it.
“I’m fine,” she calls out and then begins climbing again. I don’t know much about this woman other than facts that I could find in roundabout ways. What I didn’t expect is that she is tougher than she looks. She finishes the climb, hits the top of the rock, and begins repelling down.
Her feet hit the ground and she’s smiling wide as blood thinly coats her teeth. “You really nailed yourself. Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask her, not sure where the sympathy is coming from, even though I have been there and done that.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she says and I nod, unhooking her from the harness. “I’m Aelia, by the way,” she blurts.
I flash her a smile and her cheeks go a little pink before I un-loop the last of her rope. I feel her eyes linger on me while I prep for the next person.
“I’m Liam.”
“Nice to meet you, Liam. Thanks for catching me,” she says and those beautiful lips purse at me.
“No problem.” My next climber stands ready to be hooked up and Aelia walks away to sit with the others. While I belay people up and down, I search for the solution to my odd problem. The way she smiled at me and the look in her eyes gave me no indication that she knew who I was. Either she is the bestliar I have ever met, next to myself, of course, or she really doesn’t know who I am and this is all coincidence.
I untie the second to last person, then call for the last one. Trick is on his last and once the woman gets on the rock, she climbs like she’s done it before. She balances her weight, picking one of the harder treks up the stone face. While I belay her, I come up with an idea.
I’ll ask Aelia out, offer to show her Bali, maybe even throw in a surfing lesson if she doesn’t already know how to do that. She obviously has an adventurous spirit.
Trick and I pack everything up, but the hike back is always slower because everyone is tired. I keep up the rear while Trick leads and I stare at Aelia’s back, forming the plan in my mind.
I’m a nice guy, super charming when I want to be. I’m going to get her to trust me and then give her a reason to tell me what she’s doing here. She halts her steps and I almost run right into her back. Catching myself, I put my hand on her shoulder and she tenses. A monkey stands in front of her, unhappily staring at us as its little ones walk across the path. I don’t think and slide my hand around her waist, dragging her back slowly. If you let them pass and continue on their way, they will leave you alone, but Mama stares at us like she’s about to go ape.
Aelia glances up at me while I keep my eyes on the monkey. She watches her last little monkey go past and then stares at me for a while, like she knows what I have planned. It almost makes my heart stall in my chest. I see these kinds of monkeys hanging out around the temples, but they are around here, too, watching from the trees above.
She blinks and then lopes off after her babies. We stand still for a minute, waiting to see if there are any others or a Daddy monkey, but none come.
I let go of Aelia and she looks over her shoulder.
“Can we keep going?” she asks.
I clear my throat and nod. “Yeah, you’re good.”
She faces forward and continues down the small mountain. I fist my hands a couple of times and catch up with her. I need to get out on the waves or find another rock to climb because my mind is racing. But now is the perfect timeto ask her out because I can’t get her phone number from the form she signed. That would come off as weird.
We get to the main shack and everyone gathers their things. A few tourists linger talking to Trick, and because the ocean is just a little further down the way, I can feel it calling to me. I scan my surroundings again. There is still no bodyguard or people that stick out, so I take my chance.
“Hey, Aelia!” I call. Her bag is hanging off her shoulder and sweat glistens on her chest. She’s beautiful—I gotta give her that.
“Hey, Liam,” she says.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” I ask her.
She bites her lower lip, trying to hide her smile, and nods.
“I would. Give me your phone,” she says. I fish it out of my pocket and she calls herself. Hers buzzes in her bag and then she hangs up.
“Text me the details.”
