I like the way he thinks. So does everyone else because, as soon as they see us flip over onto our knees and begin crawling as quickly as we can, they all follow suit. My hands and knees are covered in thick soap bubbles by the time we push to our feet again.
“Last obstacle,” he says. “Time to pick up the pace.”
It’s a minefield. The lawn is littered with balloons filled with colored paint. If you step on one and pop it, you have to go back to the start of the minefield. We have to be extremely careful or we could be navigating this part for a while.
Testing one with the tip of his running shoe before we move forward, the balloon pops instantly. Milo curses under his breath and stares at the hundreds we’re going to have to move around.
“I have a plan. These things are overfilled and will explode if they’re even touched,” he whispers in my ear as Jace and Kyra approach followed by Callen and Natasha. “Let’s take our time. Try not to touch any of them.”
I nod once and take the first step.
“Slow, Presley. We have to be strategic.”
Two steps in and a pop causes me to freeze with my foot midair. Looking left, I notice Courtney’s ankles are covered in blue. She hangs her head as Gage pulls her back out of the minefield causing even more balloons to explode.
The finish line is in sight, and we have yet to pop a balloon. Jace and Kyra are a few feet in front of us. Lennon and Teegan are a few feet behind us. Everyone else is back at the start of the minefield, having popped balloons over and over again.
“Last leg,” Milo says encouragingly.
The only problem... I can’t see the grass in front of us. There are as many balloons in the next ten feet as there were in the last twenty.
“There’s nowhere to put my foot.”
Looking around, we scan the area for an alternative plan. Jace and Lennon appear to be doing the same thing, having come to the conclusion that there’s no way to step over or in without having to start over again.
A small smirk spreads across Milo’s face. He has a plan, and I nod, not even needing to hear what it is. I’ll go along with it for no other reason than I trust him as my partner.
I should have rethought that plan.
Milo pulls me to the ground, popping every balloon in our way before lifting me back up and running to the start of the field, continuing to step on balloons as we sprint back.
“What was that?” I ask as he turns us around.
“I had to make us a path,” he states, as we begin walking back in the minefield. Looking around, I notice that the grass ahead of us is fairly clear. “We won’t take first, but we’ll at least have a chance at top three. Let’s go.”
Lennon and Teegan take first place, with Jace and Kyra right behind them. Milo and I are third thanks to his plan. The guys high-five Milo, thanking him for his quick thinking as the rest of the teams follow our path, Gage and Courtney bringing up the rear.
She looks like she’s close to breaking down in tears, and he looks like he could strangle her. Well, that’s one way to find out you’re not meant to be together. Love, lust, or otherwise.