“Doesn’t work like that,” Max told him. His voice sounded far away. He’d already navigated through the string and moved onto the next task.
“Hey,” Weston blurted when I tried to go faster. My ankle grazed a thin edge, nearly getting my shoe tangled. I let out a yelp when my heel got snagged on a string.
“We’re falling behind,” I told him while as I wiggled my heel free.
“Let me worry about that,” he told me while placing a hand on my waist.
“Lead me faster.” I hopped over another string and again, nearly tripped because of a snag. I could hear the guys’ voices ahead of us.
“It’s a part of my plan,” Weston said while keeping his slow pace.
I groaned and bounced on the balls of my feet. “Don’t go easy on me because you think I can’t go faster. Sure, I’m not a division one athlete. But I can do this.”
Weston chuckled, but picked up his pace a little. His hand lingered on my waist, squeezing me when I didn’t lift my leg high enough and stroking me when I was at the perfect height.
“Getting to the end of the course is just as impressive as being first,” Weston explained when I lifted my foot over the last string. “Journey, not the destination, right?”
“I didn’t take you for a cliche advice type of guy,” I joked.
He sucked the back of his teeth. “Assumptions again. What’s it going to take for you to stop pre-judging me?”
“Get me through these water balloons completely dry,” I challenged with a grin. “And we’ll talk about it.”
“Deal.” He placed my hand on his shoulder and turned around. “Take my shirt and pay attention to which foot I’m moving first. They’re tightly packed so if you step down on one-”
“Holy crap,” Elena squealed. “Travis, itwasa goddamn balloon. Do you know how much these shoes cost?”
“I’ll get them dry cleaned,” he apologized in a frantic voice.
“Dropping like flies,” Weston informed as he moved gracefully in front of me. He made sidestepping the balloon easier than the string. When my sneaker connected with a squishy bottom, he paused and patiently told me where to redirect my step. Not once did Weston hurry. He never sounded annoyed when I made mistake after mistake. My heart stopped racing when we were halfway through the course. The anxiety in my chest disappeared, replaced with something much lighter.
“Ladder,” Weston said and brought my hand up to his lips. The kiss was light, almost unnoticeable. “We got this.”
I smiled and nodded. The use of 'we’ made my fingers grasp onto his tighter. Not from fear, but excitement. Even out of sight, Weston knew how to make himself feel close. I couldn’t read his expression, yet I knew he never rolled his eyes or twisted his mouth in dissatisfaction with my performance. Being kind was easy when one could be seen. Being kind behind a blindfold wasn’t always necessary.
“You’re doing a wonderful job with impressing me,” I shared while taking the first step.
“This isn’t me trying to impress you,” he said. His thumb rubbed the back of my palm. I took a few more steps. The ladder wobbled under my weight. In a second, it steadied.
“Wasn’t that the plan for bringing me here?” I asked as I continued forward. The top of the ladder was approaching. We couldn’t continue holding hands because of the height. He secured his hand around my calf. I let out a deep breath as I took the last step to the top.
“Shit,” David said from across the field. “Didn’t think she’d actually do it.”
I balanced carefully on the top of the ladder. The wind picked up for a moment, forcing me to freeze in place. I reached out, in hopes I’d find Weston, but was only met with air. My heart started picking up again in panic.
“Covee,” Weston said in a calm voice. “You’re fine. Wait until the wind slows and then bend your knees slightly. I’ll grab you.”
I gulped. “Um, I might have bit off more than I could chew.”
“Damn straight,” David agreed.
“Hey, busybody,” Kevin yelled. “Help your teammate. Lead me.”
“Don’t listen to David,” Weston told me. “I’m right here and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The wind continued to whistle at my side. I held out my arms to balance myself more. This felt like a stupid idea now. What had I been thinking? A big girl on a tall ladder blindfolded. It sounded like the beginning of a terrible joke. When I let out a whimper, Weston’s hand gripped my ankle harder.
“You’re getting in your head,” he said.
