Chapter 27
“Okay, guys, when I shout ‘paddle’, you give it all you’ve got. When I shout ‘down’, you need to sit on the bed of the raft. And if someone goes overboard, if we’re on flat water, we’ll pull you back in. If we can’t cos we’re in a white-water section, point your feet downstream, and we’ll catch you either along the way or at the bottom of the shoot. Got it?”
Dan—their guide for the trip—was handing out life vests as he spoke and leading them to the large raft at the edge of the Rio de las Vueltas. There were six of them, plus Dan, and Jayden looked as excited as Rhian felt. Her cheeks were flushed with it, her blue eyes bright and her grin as wide as Rhian had ever seen. While part of Rhian wished they were alone, she knew being with a group was much safer. She still felt raw from the morning’s exposure and unsure what to make of Jayden’s reaction. Seeing her so discombobulated had been confusing. Dwelling on it wasn’t going to give her any answers, but rafting was going to give her a hell of a great day.
She buckled the vest over her chest and grabbed a paddle before adjusting the length for her size as Dan showed them, before climbing aboard. Jayden helped steady her as Rhian got her balance on the floating craft.
“Thanks,” she whispered and took her place at the front of the boat. Jayden sat opposite her and quickly settled into place.
“You ready for this?” Jayden asked.
Rhian nodded and looked downstream. It looked quiet, calm, peaceful. She knew it wouldn’t last. In the distance, she could hear the rumble of roiling, angry water that would only get louder as they got closer. “Can’t wait.”
“Then let’s not,” Dan shouted as the final members of the six-person team took their positions, and he picked up the oars he would wield at the back of the raft. “We’ve a kilometre of calm water before we get to the first white-water section. A gentle one to ease you all into it.” He used the oars to push the boat away from the shore and edged them into the current at the centre of the river. Each of them tried out their own techniques as they ambled along at a sedate pace, slipping their paddles in and out of the water and testing the feel of the movements in their hands, the push and pull of the current against their muscles. The din of the water grew.
Cold drops splashed her as they hit choppy sections, making her gasp with frigid shock. “Christ, that’s cold.”
Jayden chortled alongside her. “Let’s hope we don’t go swimming, then.”
“You can say that again.”
“That.”
Rhian laughed. “Brat.”
“You can’t call me a brat for doing what you told me to do.”
“I didn’t tell—”
“Okay, everyone,” Dan said from the back of the boat. “We’ve got our first rough section coming up. Pull hard when I tell you to, and enjoy the ride.”
Jayden grinned and slid her paddle into water that rippled quickly about them. The pattern across the top of the river created a V shape into the rapids. Their entry point. Dan steered them straight for the centre of it. Rocks protruded from the riverbed to the right, a wall of rock loomed from the left, and the current dragged them along faster and faster.
Rhian’s pulse raced, her mouth dry. Even as they sped up, everything around her seemed to slow down as she became hyperaware of everything. Every bump against a wave rocked her from her seat and had her plunging her paddle deeper into the rough water. The energy in the boat skyrocketed to match the energy of the water around them. Laughter bubbled from each of them and danced on the waves along with the boat. It was exhilarating, and when they reached flat, calm water again, shrieks of satisfaction and accomplishment rent the air.
“Having fun yet?” Jayden asked as she reached over to tuck a lock of Rhian’s hair behind her ear. “You’ll paddle even better if you can see where you’re going.”
Rhian hid her face by wiping away the water from her eyes and cheeks. She didn’t miss the way her hands trembled, and her fingers ached with the desire to reach out and touch Jayden too. The surge of adrenaline had her hyped up and wanting things she couldn’t have. Her skin tingled from the merest brush of Jayden’s fingers against her forehead. “Yeah, but what if I’m too scared when I see what’s in front of us?” In truth, the water wasn’t what she was scared of.
“Nah.” Jayden stroked the water. “You’re not the type to scare easily.”
You scare me.
“Another set of rapids, everyone. This one is twice as big as the last one, so hang on to your paddles. And remember. If you go in, hold on to your life vest and point your feet downstream,” Dan called out.
Rhian didn’t remember shouting as they crashed through and bobbed over section after section of white water. She didn’t remember screaming as they tumbled over a waterfall, bounced high into the air, and landed on the tumultuous water below. But she must have done. Her throat was sore. Her shoulders ached. Her head swam with images of Jayden, her head thrown back, laughing, smiling, her eyes shining brightly with pure joy as they approached another set of rapids.
“Okay, people, this is the last set. It’s also the biggest!” Dan shouted over the volume of the rushing river to a chorus of shouts and cheers circling the boat. Rhian whooped right along with them. Her hand clasped with Jayden’s and raised them both in the air.
“As we get through the first twenty metres or so, you’ll see there’s a hole on the left-hand side. It looks flatter than the rest of the water. But do not be tempted by it. There’s a huge rock just below the surface, and it will rip the bottom out of this boat if we hit it. So keep right. Are we ready?”
Everyone waved their paddle to show they were and set themselves in position. Legs braced, paddles in the water, eyes front. The noise increased steadily as they got closer. The current picked up, dragging them along faster and faster, and Rhian’s adrenaline spiked again. She plunged her paddle into the water, drawing it through and enjoying the pull in her arms.
The first twenty metres raced by, and Rhian spotted the rock easily from her position at the front left-hand corner of the boat. They seemed to be heading straight for it.
“Hard right!” Dan yelled over the thunder of water. “Pull hard!”
Rhian dug her paddle in and shoved against the water, trying to push the boat away from the rock, but the eddy they were caught on was pulling them harder than their muscle power could counteract.
“Shit!” Rhian shouted. Her instincts were telling her to move to the bow and throw her paddle in to help Jayden’s side of the boat. But Dan had told them all to stay in their positions. Ah well, fuck it. We’re gonna hit the rock anyway. What’s the worst he can do? Toss me overboard?
She waited for the surge of water to pass and threw her weight from the side to the front of the bow, flattening her belly against the inflatable gunwale and bracing her legs across the width of the boat. She dug her paddle into the water and drew it across the front of the boat. The drag of the river was so strong, she almost lost it underneath the boat before she yanked hard and managed to lift it from the rolling, frothing water. It felt alive, writhing beneath them as she dug again and heaved with all her might.
“Keep pulling!” Dan called from the rear again. “Hard as you can, she’s turning!”
Rhian didn’t bother to look. She didn’t have the time or the energy. She smashed the blade into the water again and again until the noise of the rapids quieted and the writhing water slipped behind them.
Rhian flipped on to her back and drew deep breaths into her lungs. Dan caught her eye and offered her a thumbs up.
“Awesome!” he shouted down the boat. “We were hitting that rock for sure before you switched. Cool.” He grinned, and Rhian couldn’t help but grin back. She glanced over to Jayden to see her staring at her, mouth slightly agape.
“What?” Rhian asked self-consciously.
“Thought you hadn’t been rafting before,” Jayden said quietly.
“I haven’t.”
“Well, you sure saved us all from getting wet out there today.”
Rhian dipped her gaze. Her cheeks were burning. “It was a team effort. We all did our part.” Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jayden shake her head.
“If you say so. Personally, I think you were my own personal Wonder Woman this afternoon.” Jayden grinned at her and turned back to paddling the boat. All Rhian could do was stare. It wasn’t that big a deal.
A few minutes later, they pulled up to the shore, where a bus and trailer were waiting to take them back to town.
Jayden took her hand as Rhian stepped from the unstable craft and almost tipped back into the cold water.
“Nearly,” she said, tightening her hand about Rhian’s and reaching for her waist with the other. “Don’t want to break the run and go for that swim now, do you?”
Rhian shook her head, unable to tear herself from Jayden’s gaze. Excitement looked good on her. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.” Jayden’s voice sounded a little rough as a clap of thunder rolled over the mountains several miles away. They both looked up and half turned in the direction of the noise.
“Come on, then. Let’s get back to the conclave before the rain succeeds where the river failed today.” Jayden tugged on Rhian’s hand and pulled her behind her onto the bus.
She didn’t let go of my hand.