He crouches down, getting ready.
“Two!”
My heart drops into my stomach.
“One!”
I take off running like my life depends on it, and Dylan braces himself. Every step brings me closer to either glory or humiliation. I lower my center of gravity and launch myself at him, shoulder-first.
The impact is immediate and jarring. My shoulder connects with his ribs, and for a split second, I think I might actually succeed. He takes a step back, and I’m convinced I’ve got him.
But then he doesn’t fall.
He’s still standing, and I’m just pushing against him like I’m trying to move a brick wall. He uses every muscle in his body to stay upright while I throw my entire body weight against him.
Finally, I give up and let go, and he stumbles forward from the sudden lack of resistance. That’s when I see my opportunity.
I jump on his back like a demented crazy person, and he goes down face-first into the grass.
“Got you!” I whisper in his ear, then stand up and plant my foot on his back like I’m some conquering hero.
The crowd goes absolutely wild, cheering and whooping like I just won. But Dylan doesn’t let it slide. He grabs the back of my knee and pulls, sending me tumbling down on top of him.
Instead of hitting the ground, I land directly on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
I burst into laughter, and he holds me down for a moment while he catches his breath. I press my hand against his chest topush myself up, and I can feel every ridge of muscle under my palm.
“Nice try,” he says, laughing.
“You’re like a cow,” I grumble, struggling in his grip. “A big, immovable cow.”
“Moo,” Rocky says from behind us, and suddenly everyone’s doing it.
“Moo!”
“Moooo!”
“Oh my god,” I say, but I’m laughing too.
Dylan stands and brushes grass off his body.
“Sorry, Moo,” he says with a grin. “Better luck next time.”
My eyes travel down his frame, and I have to remind myself to breathe. “You good?”
He nods. “Are you?”
“I want to go home now.” I turn around and head toward the house, suddenly feeling like I need some space to process whatever just happened.
But Scott catches up to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “Hey, Ce. Glad you made it out with us tonight.”
“Scotty, I need to pee, and I can’t carry your weight right now.” I try to shrug him off, but he won’t budge.
“Do you like Dylan or are you just naturally flirty?” he asks, still hanging on me like a drunk koala.
“What?” I stop walking and stare at him.
“Come on. You’ve been his trainer for a few weeks. We see how much time you spend with him. Is it just work or is it for fun? Look, we’re all just trying to figure out what’s going on between you two.”
