EXCERPT 2 from Maggie by Mya O'Malley

EXCERPT- #2

Sky high cliffs, the serene Hudson River, and blue skies surrounded them. Seagulls screeched overhead as they made their way up the wide, winding path. Maggie jumped out of the way as a cyclist whizzed past.

“Oh!”

He grabbed her waist, holding her tight. “You need to watch out for those guys. They can be relentless around here.”

Didn’t she know it. The local roads were dominated by the cyclists in the warm weather. More than once in the past few weeks, Maggie had to pull over to the side of the road to allow them to pass.

“This is nice.” Maggie followed the sound of the gulls’ cries overhead. Not a cloud in the sky.

“It is, but then again, anything would be nice with you by my side.”

“Thanks.” She snuggled her head against his shoulder for a moment as they walked hand in hand further up the path.

Walking in a companionable silence, Maggie was happy. This was nice, being here with him.

“Would you look at that?” He pointed up toward the edge of the cliff. Maggie could just about make out the tiny figures of two people. She swayed slightly. They had to be nuts to get that close to the edge. They had to be nuts period.

“Yeah, well if you ask me, they’re crazy.”

“Crazy? How do you figure?” His eyes bore into hers.

“Going way up there? They must have a death wish.” Maggie nearly shivered even though the temperature was mild.

He stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You’re afraid of heights?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous.”

“You are, aren’t you?” His eyes lit up.

“If I’m not mistaken, it seems as if you’re deriving some kind of sick pleasure from this,” Maggie mumbled, head down.

“No, honey. No.” He wrapped his arms around her as more cyclists scurried by. “I didn’t mean to react that way. It’s just that in my eyes you’re perfect. I didn’t imagine you’d have a fear in the world.”

If only he knew. She had plenty of fears, but Maggie figured most people did.

“Really? That’s nice of you to say. Untrue, but nice.”

“Come on. Say, what’s your greatest fear? Top fear of all time?”

Strange turn in conversation. “Where are you going with this line of questioning?”

He blew out a hearty chuckle. “Come on, it’s all in good fun. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

“Okay. Heights. My top fear is heights.” She wished to change the subject but wondered what his own fears were now that the topic was on the table.