Trust me

Julie took my hand in hers and looked at me. “Do you trust me?”

Never had I attempted this, so my nerves were off the charts. Despite my fear of heights, I mustered up the courage to find myself 10,000 feet above ground level, on the verge of jumping out of a plane.

By luring me to the small airport and promising me a surprise, Julie skillfully manipulated me into doing it. Yes, she did, the little bitch.

Julie and I crossed paths when I first began exploring Australia. Our paths crossed unexpectedly at a hostel in Brisbane, and from that moment on, we hit it off. At the beginning, she had started out with a group of three friends, but because of an argument, they ended up splitting up and going off in separate directions. I have relied on her as my anchor during this phase of my journey, providing me with stability and guidance.

At the tender age of 22, I found myself amid a disastrous, failed relationship, prompting me to set off on a solo travel escapade. I do not know where I found the courage to do it, but surprisingly, my parents were very supportive of my decision. They believed it would be beneficial for me to pursue this before I settled into a stable job and started a family.

“I’m not sure now,” I shout out as the doors open. My nerves are firing all over my body.

Despite the fact that I’m hyperventilating over here, her infectious cackle never fails to make me smile.

“It’s going to be wild!” She says as her tandem instructor readies her.

The moment I feel like I might pass out, my tandem instructor’s voice reverberates in my ear, jolting me awake. “Keep your head tipped back and arms out.”

As we sit on the edge, a rush of emotions fills me and tears well up in my eyes. I am questioning my decision-making abilities and why I allowed her to convince me to take part in this. It’s too late now.

He jumps.

“Holy hell!” I lose my voice in the wind as I let out a cry.

All traces of nervousness have disappeared, replaced by a thrilling surge of adrenaline flowing through my body. Wind rushes past me and it is amazing.

The moment the instructor pulls the shoot, we are yanked up into the air, and then we gracefully glide down to the designated landing spot. As I take a moment to observe my surroundings, I suddenly catch sight of my friend during the fall, heading straight towards me. I raise my hand in a wave, uncertain if she catches sight of me.

I comply with the instructions by lifting my feet, and we effortlessly descend. When my feet are planted securely on the ground and I have detached myself from the harness, I waste no time in making my way back to the safe zone, savoring the adrenaline-inducing breeze beneath my feet.

Looking up, I see my friend gliding down shortly after me. She lands and lets out a cry of pure joy. “We did it!” She runs over to me and we hug.

“That was so freaking amazing.” I tell her in a laugh.

“See, I told you to trust me. Girl, we are going to have loads of fun.”

And that’s what we did. Every nerve wracking, adrenaline junkie thing you could think of. I think I almost died on some activities, but Julie kept me going

Six months of traveling, seeing sights and living life. It gave me time to reevaluate my life and what I wanted out of it. The rally driving career I always dreamed of, but never thought I’d have the balls to do. Well now I know I can do anything.

I’ve only a couple of weeks left before I head back home, and I want something chilled.

My friend has organized a boat trip for us but on arrival she never turned up, I thought she was running late and waited on the boat. There were ten of us on the trip out to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Little did I know you had to take a damn boat and the journey out there took at least an hour. I was terrified of the sea as I hated the fact I didn’t know what lurked beneath me, but she told me the waters were clear and you could see everything.

“We can’t wait any longer. Are you coming, or staying?” The man asks me.

I feel like I’m delaying the trip for everyone. “We go.” I made the choice to stay on the boat and have this last amazing experience you can only get here. Plus, there is a hot guy on here, but he is with a girlfriend or someone.

I lean back, the warm sun kissing my skin as I smoothly lower my sunglasses. The faint sound of laughter and chatter fills the surrounding air, mingling with the gentle breeze. I take a quick breath, catching a whiff of salt and sunscreen, as I discreetly steal a glance at him, careful not to get caught.

I find great joy in the experience of cruising over the waves in the boat while simultaneously indulging in the peaceful act of gazing out at the mesmerizing scenery. As soon as we reached the reef, I was instantly taken aback by the sheer beauty of the waters. But I was still not sure about going in.

They distributed the gear to everyone, and one by one, people vanished into the sea. I sat, nervously biting my lip. I could swim, and I felt a reasonable level of confidence. Being in the middle of the ocean was a terrifying experience, as the sheer vastness of the water made me feel small and insignificant.

“Hey,” a voice calls out next to me.

The handsome guy appears and rests on the ledge of the boat to go into the water. His goggles sit on top of his head and the snorkel hanging off the side.

“Are you coming in?” his bright blue eyes penetrate mine.

Sitting by the water’s edge, my feet gently sway, immersed in its cool embrace. His presence looms near, sending a shiver down my spine. In anticipation, I take a nervous breath, feeling the weight of his gaze glide along every inch of my being.

“I’m not sure,” I whisper out.

“Why don’t you come join me and my friend?” He accentuated the word friend with a gorgeous, beaming smile. My heart pounded slightly harder as his words were clear. She was not his girlfriend.

“Were you both traveling together when you arrived?” I politely asked without intruding into personal territory.

His cheeks reddened, and he let out a sigh. “We were traveling with our girlfriend and boyfriend, but our closeness as friends pissed them both off, always has. They both had a go at us one night, suggesting we had been secretly hooking up. Long story short. We separated from them and instead of quitting and going home, we carried on. To hell with what they thought. Jess and I are only friends.” He glances over at his friend Jess, but she is snorkeling away.

“I’m sorry for that.” And I mean it. I totally get him. “I split up from my boyfriend before I came here. He was obsessively jealous and abusive.” I wasn’t about to go into too much detail.

“So, you are alone?”

“I started off alone. But I met a girl who I became friends with. The intention behind this trip was for it to be our final one before I returned home.”

“She never turned up?” His brow pinches together.

“No.” I splash my legs in the water.

“Well, miss, all alone and sexy. How about you join me in these glorious waters?” He says with a cheeky wink.

“Lindsey,” I held my hand out for him.

“Shawn,” he takes my hand and smirks. “Come on in, I want to see you get wet.” He laughs and pushes back into the water. “Trust me, the waters are beautiful.”

He possesses a certain something that emits an incredible feel-good vibe. With a smile on my face, I reach down and pick up the snorkeling gear, taking a moment to wash it before putting it on. Now is not the moment to feel foolish or self-conscious regarding my appearance. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.

He swims next to me and starts pointing out things under the water. I’m not sure how long we were swimming for. He always checked where his friend was and how far away from the boat we were. Some others had had enough and gone back on the boat. Jess, Shawn and I kept swimming longer.

The captain rang the bell to say our time was up as he was serving lunch. It was all part of the package day trip deal. Jess was easy to talk to and I could see why Shawn and her were good friends. It was also obvious that there was no chemistry between them.

As we swam back towards the boat, we were laughing. Suddenly, a deafening blast erupted, shaking the air around us. In an instant, a searing flame erupted from the boat, casting an eerie glow on the water. The intense heat reached us, causing our skin to prickle with fear. And then, before our eyes, the boat exploded, sending shockwaves through the water and leaving behind a plume of smoke and debris.