Jake swallows, his jaw tensing. I can see Noah’s shoulders start to sink as well. She’s like a parent who’s taken away their shiny new toy. And she’s loving every second of having the control over these grown men.
‘What’s the second proposition?’ Jake asks. His bottom lip starts to jut out but he quickly pulls it back, resisting the urge to sulk.
Her eyes flit to me, showcasing a mischievous glint as she tries to hide an emerging smile. I know that smile very well. That’s the smile of a schemer. I brace myself for her next move.
‘My second proposition,’ she says, ‘is that we go, but we tag-team it. Me and Jake versus Noah and Amorie.’
. . .an obstacle
He grips my shoulders tightly between his hands, fingers sinking softly into warm flesh. His eyes are so narrow I barely see them, but they stare deeply into mine nonetheless.
‘You ready for this?’ he asks gravely.
I nod.
‘I need you to say it.’
‘I’m ready for this,’ I say softly, voice trembling under pressure.
‘Louder.’
‘I’m ready.’
‘Scream it!’
I try. ‘I’m ready!’
His lips curl instantly into a familiar smile. ‘That’s my girl,’ he says confidently.
I follow his eyes over to our left, where Jake is putting Ally through a series of pre-obstacle-course drills. He catches us staring and sweeps her off her feet to curl her like a weight. She shrieks and giggles in surprise.
‘They’re pretty cute,’ I say.
‘Yeah, I suppose.’ Noah rolls his eyes before sighing in agreement. ‘Jake’s annoying sometimes and too much of a show-off, but he’s always loved Ally with his whole heart.’
And studying Jake in this moment, I can finally see how he and Noah are friends despite the way they butt heads. The sheer awe painted on Jake’s skin as he looks at his girlfriend could have been pulled straight from Noah’s face. I have seen thatstare before,feltthat stare before, from the lens of the man standing right next to me. I glance back to him and find that he’s already looking my way with a soft, settled smile. It widens as our eyes meet and I mirror it back. This is it. This is the bubble that only two people will ever experience.
‘You think we can win this?’ I ask.
Noah shrugs. ‘He lifts more than me, but I run faster. And you’re...’
‘Athletically challenged,•’ I say. ‘How’s Ally?’
‘A previous National Track champion,’ he says through gritted teeth.
‘Oh.’ I wince. He notices and grabs my hand.
‘Let’s not worry and just have fun.’
I nod thankfully and place my hands on my hips as we step up to the starting line and Jake runs through the route once again. I memorise it the best I can, but something still sits on my mind and I hope the camaraderie of this moment may help it come to light. So, I turn to Noah.
‘Teammate to teammate, why does he call you Scholly?’ I ask.
His eyes drop. ‘I was a scholarship kid at our prep school. It was a “funny” dig they all had that just stuck.’
There’s a thick, sticky bitterness that coats each of his words, despite how hard he tries to disregard them. I think about the years he must have spent resenting the name, trying to prove he was more. How them ragging on his single status probably made him feel even more inferior. I nod, feeling my new positive perceptions of Jake sour just as quickly as they came on.
‘I’ve changed my mind. This isn’t for fun – we have tocrushthem,’ I growl.
