the cliff. Reid drove us in his pickup, and I was quiet most of the time. We chatted about his mom and her recovery, and my dad and his job, but we kept it to safe topics. I didn’t ask about whatever he did out in the woods, and he kept his dirty comments to a minimum.
I watched as Reid began to set up the gear, stepping into his harness and checking the ropes and the knots.
“I’ll lead, you just follow. I’ll do all the hard parts. All you need to do is climb.”
I frowned. I almost felt dizzy from staring up at the top. “I don’t know, Reid.”
He stood in front of me. “Trust me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. This is going to be easy.”
I nodded, feeling a sudden surge of resolve. Reid’s confidence was contagious.
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
He laughed. “That’s my girl.” I watched as he untangled the second harness and held it out to me. “Let’s get you in this.”
“I got it,” I said, but he was already grabbing my hips and pulling me toward him.
I felt a thrill run through my spine as his hands unbuckled and moved the straps around my legs and hips. His breath was warm against my neck as he fit it around me, tightening what needed tightening. I felt helpless letting him dress me like that, but part of me enjoyed it. He was so firm and sure of himself. Ever since we’d gotten near the cliff, it was like he’d suddenly switched into a new person, and he owned everything around him.
“Okay, you’re good,” he said, straightening up.
“Thanks. I guess.”
He tossed me a helmet and I buckled it on. He put his own helmet on and slipped on a pair of gloves, tossing me my own. Once we were dressed, he took the lead lines and nodded at me.
“Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
He stepped up to the wall and became exactly who he was supposed to be.
I watched as he climbed the first ten feet without any issue. It was almost like he was walking along the ground, his feet and hands moving in tandem. One second he was held down by gravity, and the next he was up in the air, clinging to the rock face.
“Come on, follow me,” he called down as he began to set the safety lines.
“You can do this,” I mumbled to myself as I stepped up to the wall.
“First handhold is a foot to your right,” he called down.
I looked up and spotted the deep divot. I reached up and grabbed it and then found spots for my feet. With a lunge, I pulled myself up, keeping my hips flush to the wall.
“There you go,” he called down.
I pulled myself up, following his path. A thick, blue rope hung between us, connecting our harnesses. I knew that if I fell, he would be able to catch and hold me. Years ago I had been a pretty strong climber, though I mostly stuck to indoor courses. Still, he was right, it was a lot like riding a bike. All those hours of practice came flooding back as I began to feel more confident.
I looked up and saw him moving farther ahead. I gaped at his strong legs and arms, muscles ripping along his skin, as the sweat began to trickle slightly down his back.
He was like an acrobat. It was like the wall was nothing to him. Meanwhile, I struggled along, always ten to fifteen feet beneath him.
“There you go. Foothold four inches to the left,” he called down, grinning at me.
I found the spot and pushed myself up. “Don’t be so cocky,” I called back.
“Just making sure you can make it.”
“How about you worry more about yourself?”
He laughed and let go of the wall with one hand, swinging his body outward. I almost screamed but choked it back instead. He cracked up at the look on my face, his laugh booming out over the forest.
“This wall is like the kiddie pool to me,” he said. “I could probably carry you up on my back.”
“Want to find out?”
“If you can catch me.”
I grumbled as he pushed himself back against the wall and began to climb again.
The sun beat down on my back as, foot by foot, we got closer to the top. I had no clue how high the wall was, and really didn’t want to ask, but I was pretty sure it was the highest thing I had ever climbed.
But he