Noah's Love

Chapter 29: New Life, Old Ties

"I think I am going to shit my pants." Noah looked at the guy next to him who had made that comment. He could feel the nervous energy around him as well as the pent up anticipation about what they were about to do. 

It was a clear day and the weather was perfect. Just as it should be.

Drowned in his thoughts, he caught himself bouncing his left leg in anxiousness and stopped immediately. Closing his eyes, he let the fear and the rush of adrenaline settle in. He had wanted to do this for so long. He was going to relish every second of it.

When the first group of divers jumped out of the plane, Noah's heart dropped for them. He watched as they fell, flew and floated in the air, all at the same time, until he lost sight of them. A minute later, the instructor nudged him, signaling that it was his turn to jump. He rubbed his hands together, stood at the edge of the door and took in the vastness of the space before him. There was so much, but also nothing. Every single thing that appeared like a big deal in his everyday life suddenly became insignificant. A mere speck on the fact of the planet.

Without letting second thoughts steal the moment, he took in a deep breath and jumped. 

He couldn't stop himself from letting out a shout as he fell. Laughter escaped his lips as he let the fear go and embraced the feeling of falling.

No, he was flying.

The air pressed against his body, resisting his fall. It was oddly comforting.

He shut his eyes for a brief second and realized that nothing else mattered in that moment. His brain was incapable of being anywhere else but the present. 

When his parachute opened, he felt the immediate change in his dive. While free-falling felt wild, gliding with the parachute open, he felt like he was floating. It was like meditating. He was alone and the earth was embracing him. Never in his life had he felt so close to nature, so minuscule in comparison to everything around him. 

It was a reminder that every single problem he thought he had, in the grand scheme of things, was just as small as he was. 

If he could jump out of a plane from 10,000 feet, he could very well deal with anything else that came his way. 

As the ground approached closer, he felt the panic of landing. But instead of giving into that panic, he focused on his training and stayed calm. 

When his feet were inches off the ground, he noticed someone from the skydiving center running alongside him to come to his aide if he needed it. 

But he was in control. He touched down on his feet and felt a deep sense of accomplishment and happiness wash over him. He had finally done something he'd wanted for so long.

Adrenaline pumped through his body as he high-fived one of the other divers.

"Wohoo! That was great, Noah. Generally people dive the first time with an instructor but you handled it pretty well," the diver said.

"Oh man, I know. I just really needed to do this on my own. That was amazing!" Noah exclaimed, unable to keep the grin off his face.

As he walked to his car to drive back home, he noticed a few missed calls from Natalie. They hadn't spoken much after he'd left New York for London. He wanted to pretend it was because he got busy with his new job and taking care of his dad, but they both knew it was mainly because he wanted to limit interaction with anyone connected with his past.

5 years had gone by. Part of him is still at the airport where he last saw Rebecca, but part of him - most of him - had moved on. 

He shook his head and sighed as he got in his car.