Epilogue
Six months later
“It’s essential to know exactly where you are in the air compared to the water you’re falling into,” Kruger Towns, the newly signed Wilder Sports diver explained to Chad. It was hard to know who was more excited about his three-day crash course into the world of amateur cliff diving, him or Kruger, but he found himself jonesing to take his first dive doing something other than tombstoning straight into the water.
He nodded his understanding, analyzing in his mind the fifty-foot pike jump he planned to make. As high as it felt standing there on the edge looking down into the water, it was considered a low dive to the professionals. Kruger jumped eighty feet and higher regularly.
“Keep your vertical position in line with the water. You’re gonna crush it,” Kruger encouraged. The diver stuck out a hand for a quick, encouraging dap-slap.
He and Ducky had arrived in Krabi Province, Malaysia, a little over two days ago. Chad had become a globe trekker over the last few months, running after all the talent he wanted to sign to Wilder Sports. This trip, though, had been planned strategically to add a couple of extra days so he and Ducky had time together to do what they wanted. He’d signed Kruger within a couple of hours of arriving then spent the remaining time using Kruger as a coach, learning how to cliff dive properly.
“I keep my chin even, like it’s on a shelf,” Chad said absently, mentally ticking off the movements he had to hit in the five or six seconds he was in the air. He took the time to stretch his back and shoulders before mimicking the super aligned pose of the divers he’d watched. “I’m doing a pike this time.”
“Correct,” Kruger said, back to all business as he moved closer to the very edge of the protruding cliff for a safer dive. “And he’s jumping today?”
Kruger’s chin tilted toward Ducky, sitting quietly a few feet away where he’d planted himself over the last several days. Ducky rarely spoke but this wasn’t like the moments of meditation by the ocean in Hawaii. Ducky stayed attentive and focused, watching and listening to everything around him.
His gamer was getting back to his old self, at least if his hair was any indicator. The curls were back, and Chad loved them. Ducky sat with his muscular arms wrapped around his knees. He had a deep tan—Chad’s doing. They spent more time in the sun than in the gym, just the way Chad liked it.
Ducky wore a ball cap and sunglasses today. The dark curls sprang out the sides and the brim, refusing to be contained.
“It’s high,” Ducky called out.
Chad gave a pointed stare over his shoulder, locking on Ducky’s pouty lips.
“You promised you’d do a jump. There’s seriously nothing to fear. You’ll love the adrenaline rush. All you have to do is what they taught us. We practiced this morning,” Chad said in a rush of words. Ducky had opened his willingness to try new things. His boyfriend was the whole reason they extended their time here on this trip. Ducky was a pro diving off the high board at the swimming pool. He could do this with no problem, and Chad wanted to share the experience with him. “This is your last chance. Trust me. You’re gonna want to be diving all the time after this.”
Chad turned back to Kruger and nodded on Ducky’s behalf. “He wants to try. He’s just nervous. Talk him through it like you do me. I’ll stay at the bottom and meet him down there.”
He’d already broken all professional boundaries, insisting this diving team teach him how to properly cliff dive. If they were home, Chad knew how to ease Ducky’s anxiety. He’d done those things early this morning. Ducky had this.
He extended a hand to Ducky, doing a quick motion with his fingers. “Come here. Watch me. Tell me what I need to change.” He heard the pleading in his voice and the not so silent chuckle from Kruger’s coach, standing in the distance. Whatever. Ducky wanted to dive. He’d help him with the courage part. “They’re going to bring our stuff down. Take off your shirt. Get ready. We got this. Come down right after me.”
Ducky stood, doing as Chad asked. He removed his ball cap and sunglasses. The tank top followed. “Be careful. It’s high. Watch the water,” Ducky said, handing his belongings to the coach.
“Pfft. It’s only high the first time,” Chad teased then swung back toward the ocean. He stared at the hypnotic motion of the small waves and cleared all thought from his head. His body vibrated with excited energy. His training took over, the actions drilled into him. He extended his arms, taking a deep breath.
“You got this,” Ducky encouraged quietly. His soul responded, giving a full body flush of adrenaline as he released the breath and jumped. A smile spread across his face as his feet left solid ground and the breeze flew over his body.
His life was perfect.
Ducky leaned over the rocky edge, watching Chad execute the roll he’d practiced before aligning himself with the water and dropping in. Of course, the dive was perfect. He’d been dumb to worry for Chad for even a second.
“Here you go,” Kruger said from behind Ducky, handing him back his shirt. Ducky yanked on the tank, stepping several inches from the edge, watching Chad get congratulations from those watching on the shore below. When Chad looked up, he gave a giant arm swing wave from the ocean, wanting Ducky to join him.
Yeah right, like that was ever going to happen. Ducky took the ball cap and sunglasses back. He added those to his face and head as he started for the jeep. Kruger followed behind him. “I thought when you asked if I was going to jump that you blew it.”
“Nah,” Kruger said as if he knew exactly what he was doing. “He watches you all the time. He’d have asked if I hadn’t. Then you’d have to lie. This way, you never really confirmed. It’s all on me.”
Ducky only grunted a reply. Nice try, but Kruger, and the coach for that matter, hadn’t watched as he’d beg for release this morning when Chad held him off until he’d promised to dive today. He let that bit of information go unsaid.
“He’s gonna be pissed,” the coach said, sliding into the driver’s side of the jeep. The whole experience seemed hilarious to both the coach and Kruger, based on the way they cackled. Pissed wasn’t quite the emotion he expected to get when he saw Chad next. Probably more like disappointment, concern, or super attention as he tried to pinpoint Ducky’s exact reservation and fix it.
“He’ll get over it. I do this all the time,” Ducky said, taking the front passenger seat. Kruger jumped in the back seat. “At some point, he’s gonna figure out I’m more a watcher than a participant.”
Kruger bowled over in the backseat, laughing uproariously.
“Don’t bet on it. My wife says I never learn,” the coach said.
