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My whole life in Houston and I’ve never crossed the Gulf of Mexico to get to Galveston Island. I never been to the beaches here, either. My friends tell me they’re crappy, so I haven’t had the desire, but this is actually kind of cool.
The bridge is massive and painted bright blue. I can see refineries to my left and open water to my right. People are out sailing, homes on stilts stretching over the shore.
As we come down from the bridge I see something totally out of place in a beach town. A pyramid.
“What is that?” I ask, pointing. I don’t expect Minji to know the answer, but he does.
“That,” he says, “Is where we’re going. Moody Gardens.”
Okay, now I’m even more excited. Seeing as how the secret is out, Minji turns the GPS on his phone and it takes us through stop and go traffic all the way to the shore.
I’ve been to a few beaches in my life. California and Florida mostly, and they’ve been great. This beach doesn’t look too dissimilar from those places. Sure, the water isn’t sparkling blue, but it’s not terrible either.
There aren’t many people out and about, which makes me think we Houstonion’s don’t take advantage of this beach enough. Now I wish I brought my swimsuit. I wonder why Minji didn’t tell me to pack one.
We pull up to Moody Gardens and park across from a huge yellow and green structure with ropes all through it.
Minji leans over me to point at it. “That,” he says, “Is what I’m afraid of.”
At first I think he’s just pointing at the weird building thing, until I notice someone flying on a zip-line over the waterpark. Holy crap that looks fun.
“Are you serious?’ I ask, feeling giddy. “We’re going to do that?”
He pales, sitting back in his own chair. “I guess it doesn’t look too high up.”
No way, Minji Park afraid of heights? But he’s constantly on raised stages, and he’s even done wires before. I had no idea.
Being high up gets my stomach feeling wonky, but I’m not afraid of it. Especially if I’m in a harness like the ones they’re going to put us in.
This is more than just a zip-line. It’s a ropes course first, but you have to zip-line across the waterpark in order to get down.
“Would you mind going ahead of me?” Minji asks as they strap us in. “That way if I’m scared I can hold onto you.”
I giggle at the thought. “For sure.”
The beginning of the course isn’t so bad. I even run over a few of the wooden obstacles that lead us to the top, but then Minji begs me to slow and stay close.
When we get higher up, it’s more tedious. Minji reaches out to cling to the back of my shirt now and then, and I keep hearing him tell himself not to look down.
“At the zip-line,” I say to him over my shoulder. “Close your eyes until you start moving, then you can look down all you want because there will be nothing to stop you.”
He grips my shirt harder, pinching the skin on my back. The last obstacle before the zip-line is open tight ropes with thicker green ropes to hold onto as we go across.
We’re standing at the platform, and I can see everything from here, all of the buildings at Moody Gardens, the pyramid, and the Gulf of Mexico in the other direction with colorful houses and loads of palm trees. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
“I think I’m ready now,” Minji says, his voice coming out a pitch higher than normal.
“You sure?” I double check. I can take in the view forever, and I want Minji to be comfortable.
“Yes,” he says, closing his eyes and breathing.
I step out first, clinging to the rope above and doing my best to balance. I can feel when Minji gets on the rope behind me because it sways a bit in the breeze.
“Corrine!” he calls.
“Yes?” I answer looking back.
He’s staring at the ground, his face drained of color. I back up, slow as I can so I don’t disturb the rope, and touch his arm. “Are you okay?”
His head shakes, but he still won’t look at me. I carefully half-turn, then lightly touch the edge of his jaw so he’s forced to look at me.
“Focus,” I say searching his eyes. “Right here, on me.”
He swallows, then nods. Those black eyes searching me face, depending on me for comfort and support. I want to give it to him, all I’ve done yet is take.
“I’m going to go forward now,” I explain to him. “Nice and slow.”
He nods again, his eyes huge.
“Okay,” I instruct. “I’m going to step.”
I put one foot in front of the other and the rope shakes, but only slightly. Minji wraps his arms around my waist and clings to me, giving me a full back hug.
“Can we go like this?” he asks, rubbing his cheek into my hair.
Of course we can. He has no idea how much I’m enjoying this, and by what I can feel, he doesn’t hate it either.
“Hang on tight,” I say, “We’ll be there before you know it.”
It’s not as easy to balance on this thing as it would be if Minji wasn’t holding on, but we manage thanks to the upper arm strength I’ve gained from cheer and gymnastics.
“Almost to the platform,” I call.
There’s an attendant waiting on the other side. She’ll unhook us from the course and hook us up to the zip-line. I try to step up, but the weight of both Minji and I makes that impossible.
“Minji,” I say in a tone that hopefully won’t scare him. “I’m going to need you to let go of me so we can get up.”
His arms squeeze my mid-section, forcing some breath out of me. “You can’t let go!”
So much for being an Invincible Boy Scout. “It’s okay,” I soothe. “I’m going to hand you this rope and you can stand still here while I get on the platform. Then I’m going to take your hand and ask you to open your eyes.”
I can feel him nod into my back. Lacing my fingers through his, I guide his hand to the rope, and carefully, carefully, let go.
“You got it?” I ask, holding onto it with him. Once I let go, I’ll have to balance on my own until I can grab the platform.
“Got it,” he says, his eyes shut so tight it scrunches his face.
“I’m letting go in one...two...”
I release the rope before saying three so he doesn’t have time to panic and grab me again. Jutting my arms out the sides I tighten my core and balance on the rope. It’s a good thing I’ve done the balance beam a lot, or else I might be as terrified as Minji.
As soon as I can bend over and reach the platform, I do.
“You can open your eyes now,” I say, laying stomach down on the platform and reaching out my hand.
Minji peeks one lid open, notices me waiting for him, then lets out a belly laugh. That causes the tight-rope to sway so he stops, clinging to the rope above him with both hands.
“Minji,” I say, as calmly and evenly as I can. “You can’t make it here if you don’t reach your hand to me.”
He closes his eyes once more, takes a deep breath, then locks eye contact with me. It’s a good thing I’m lying down already or I might be knocked over dead by his gaze. I stretch as far as I can while still staying stable, and he lets hesitant fingers reach back to me. The progress is slow, but the second our hands meet, both of us squeal.
With that, he leaves the rope he was holding behind and comes over to me. I help him onto the platform, then he helps me to standing. Both of us cheer, giving a double high five. Before I know what’s happening he sweeps me up in a hug and spins me around.
“You did it,” I say, not hiding my admiration of him. “Now we just need to do the zip-line.”
His smile flattens. “Right, we still have that.”
“Let me guess,” the attendant says, breaking into our conversation. “You two want to ride tandem.”
Tandem? As in both of going at the same time? “We can do that?” I ask.
The attendant shrugs. “I probably shouldn’t let you, but it’s possible.”
“Yes,” Minji answers before I have a second to think.
The attendant—Gloria according to her nametag—helps us out of our harness for the ropes course and into the zip-line ones. One thing she forgot to mention about tandem is that I have to sit directly in Minji’s lap to go down. Right now, both of us are standing. Granted, there’s no space between us, but once we take off we both have to sit.
“Lean back as you go,” Gloria instructs. “That way you’ll get the smoothest ride. Most importantly, make sure your feet land first.”
A sudden swell of nerves takes over. I might not be afraid of heights, but having nothing except Minji directly below me is a little scary.
It doesn’t help that Minji is hyperventilating right now.
“I can assure you,” Gloria says, “This is totally safe. Just enjoy the ride.” She pulls a couple more straps and checks the ropes. “I’ll push you off whenever you’re ready.”
“Alright,” I say, “let’s do this.” Experience has taught me that when I’m nervous, the best thing is to get it over with.
“Wait,” Minji says, his voice a panic. “Give me a minute.”
No way. If we wait around here. He’s never going to go. We’re strapped together so it won’t be hard for me to take the lead.
I reach behind me and put Minji’s arms around my waist again. “Hold tight,” I say. “And don’t speak. I’ll take care of both of us.”
Minji’s forehead rests on my shoulder. I know he’s completely trusting me. It feels good knowing I can do something for him, after he’s done so much for me. I look at Gloria and signal we’re ready without saying a word.
Luckily, she picks up on my cue and pushes. It’s hard to describe that rush of leaving the ground knowing you’re about to drop faster than you should.
There’s only one real way to say it. It’s like flying without wings.
Minji screams the second the wind picks up, rushing in our ears and deafening the real world. His arms contract around my waist, making it feel like I’m totally protected in his grasp. I lean into him and spread my hands so I can catch the current, pure excitement bursting from my lungs.
The world is totally different up here. Magical. Humans weren’t meant to see this perspective, which is what makes it so amazing. We wanted to fly, so we created ways to do so.
“This is the best thing ever!” I scream.
And then something incredible happens, terrified Minji lets go.
That’s when I see it all. No matter what life brings us, we’ll always have this moment. Because I gave Minji the courage to spread his arms.
“I’m on top of the world!” he yells.
We’re both laughing. Screeching as the adrenaline overtakes our systems. Win. So much win.
The ground is right beneath our feet and I brace my legs, knowing I’m going to take the biggest impact. We hit a few bumps as our coil goes over the slowing mechanisms before we reach the bottom.
Both of us hit the earth running. A new attendant is there, unhooking us the second we start to decelerate.
The moment were free, I turn to Minji, clapping.
His feet plant as he howls to the sky.
“We did it!” I scream. I can’t say anything in a normal tone. The excitement is too much.
Minji rushes over and grabs me in a giant hug. “We did it, we did it,” he echoes.
I squeeze him as tight as I can, jumping in circles with him, and not knowing if I’ll have a chance like this again. For the first time since I met Minji in person I wish that we were two high school kids who didn’t have anything between us. No deadline, no Korea, no fame to keep us apart.
Minji pulls away and looks at me, his smile fading. “What’s wrong?”
Shoot. I didn’t realize how hurt I was until he said something. Now I’ve ruined our perfect moment. I wasn’t supposed to do that. I keep my mouth closed, afraid to look at him.
“Are you injured?” he asks, patting me down.
I shake my head, covering my face with my hands. This is so stupid. Why do I have to do this now?
He takes my fingers and eases them away from my eyes. Both his hands tangle with mine as he holds firm. “I thought we were having a good time,” he says, swinging our arms.
I sniff. “We were. I was. I am.”
His forehead is all crumpled. “Then what is it?”
I don’t want to tell him, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to keep it in either. I’ve already ruined our triumph. My gaze flits to his. There’s not much space between us. Minji must realize it too because he stops swinging our arms.
We’re alone. I have no idea where the attendant went, but she must’ve left when we started hugging.
“It’s because I don’t want you to leave,” the words come out as a whisper. A confession of something I know can never be, but hurts all the same.
Minji steps closer so our upper bodies are touching. “Don’t,” he says, his breath caressing my lips. “You’ve already made this so hard on me.”
Hard on him? What about me? Everything was fine before when he was unobtainable, but now it’s gotten that much more complicated.
He feels so good. His warmth, the smell of leather in my nose. There’s no one else in the universe, I want to stand with me like this.
“I can’t help it,” I say, my throat closing. “That’s how I feel.” What I really want to say is that I love him. That I couldn’t handle it if he left me because my heart would break in two. It’s already shredding just standing here, knowing it’s not going to last.
His right hand releases mine, his fingers finding my face and wiping away a rogue tear that escaped without me knowing. Then his hand trails behind my ear, and warm shivers follow every place he touches. His fingers tangle in my hair, causing my head to tilt up—right onto his lips.
Tingles start at the point of impact until the chills are running down my arms and all the way to my feet. Our lips caress as both of us try out the most tender touch.
He pulls away, but our noses keep contact. “I don’t want you to go away either,” he says.
I can see the conflict in his eyes. It’s like he knows he’s supposed to be pushing me away, but it’s too late now. Both of us tried, as much as we could, to hold back and be friends, but that’s all been shattered with a single gentle kiss.
This time, I take the lead, leaning up to capture his mouth. Our lips naturally part and press together again. Moving as one.
He grips at my back, our breathing speeding up. My free arm goes around his hips, clutching at his spine. Each kiss begs for more, mixing with the longing for one another. Knowing it might end, and hoping it never does.
“Um, guys.”
Minji and I break apart, my face growing warm from the neck up.
“Sorry to interrupt,” the attendant says, “but I really need to pack this stuff up.”
I didn’t realize Minji and I were still standing on the harnesses. Awkward.
“We’ll just be going now,” I say as I drag Minji by the hand.
“Thank you!” Minji shouts as I tug him away.
“I don’t think I’m afraid of heights anymore,” he says with a laugh.
If more heights mean more kissing, I’m game.
