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And they were off. William let the rope slide between his fingers effortlessly as he gave his body over to space. Exhilaration raced through him as he dropped. He glanced over, and was surprised to see Poppy dropping at the same speed, if not faster. He watched her form with approval—it took guts to rappel that fast, especially considering her lack of experience. He increased his own speed. He was determined not to lose.
"How are you holding up, Wildflower?" he called over breathlessly after a few minutes. The rush of wind past his face and down his neck was unlike anything he experienced at the gym. He really needed to get out and do this more often…
Poppy was silent on his right. William glanced her way, curious. He was about to overtake her, but she didn't appear to be actively descending anymore. Her eyes were fixed on something just above her.
"William…" There was panic in her voice. William's eyes snapped to the source of her attention. The knot above her was unraveling. The rope slithered in on itself like the coils of a snake. It would release her in the next moment
He reacted instantaneously. He shoved off with his boot and flew to her. He slung an arm around her waist, and Poppy's own arms came up; she gave a half-strangled cry of fear as the rope unraveled, but he was there, and he wasn't going to let her fall. She held onto him as he executed a quick series of maneuvers that ended in him clamping her harness to his with a spare carabiner. He glanced up, but they were too far down for him to see what the reaction was on the faces above.
"Going down!" he shouted up to the instructor. He didn't wait for a response; he assumed immediate charge of the situation. He needed to get them safely to the ground, now. They descended together, Poppy secured to his side, her arms wrapped around his neck. He didn't stop until they reached the ground, and he was forced to do so out of necessity; only then did he allow his grip on her waist to loosen. After a moment, Poppy unwound her arms from around him.
"Are you all right?" He stroked a stray piece of her hair aside. Her hands settled against his chest. She was breathing hard; if he took her in his arms now, he thought he would feel her racing heart for himself. He was sorely tempted to do just that, but he knew they were being watched above.
"Yes," Poppy replied finally, shakily. "I think you just saved my life, William."
"Don't think any more about it," he replied. He hadn't for a second questioned what he would have to do to ensure her safety, and he didn't think he deserved any gratitude. Still, if his split-second decision was the reason Poppy stayed so close to him now, he wouldn't try too hard to talk her out of her feelings. She stepped back finally, away from him, and William gave her a moment to compose herself. She unclipped her harness and let it drop; before it hit the ground, she caught the frayed rope and held it. Her expression was an impenetrable mask. She let it slip from her fingers eventually as William shimmied out of his own equipment.
"I'm all right! We're all right!" she called up to her team. She waved, and several figures waved back. At least, William thought they did, but they were so far overhead it was hard to be sure.
"Looks like we're stuck down here for a bit," he said.
"Alone," Poppy added.
Together, he thought. But he didn't say it.
The word hung in the air between them as loudly as if he had.
"William…" Poppy began.
William knew what was coming. But he let her say it anyway.
"I am so sorry," she said. "This is all my fault."
"Not all your fault," William allowed. They sat together against the base of the wall. He would never admit it out loud to his fiercest competitor, but he needed a moment to regain his breath—not because the climb down had been arduous, but because his heart still raced with the memory of seeing Poppy in trouble. If he had frozen, even for a second, to debate the logistics of what he needed to do, she would have unraveled and fallen out of reach. He wasn't used to letting outside forces get the better of him, not even gravity.
Only Poppy had ever really challenged his authority and won.
"It might all be my fault," she pressed. She watched him as he pulled out his cell phone to text for a car to come get them. "I…so there's this intern. He's…"
"Dyed black hair, illogical haircut, piercings inappropriate for any workplace?" William stared hard at her, and Poppy ducked her head and blushed. He reached out to push the curtain of her blonde hair aside. She was the last woman he would allow to hide herself from him. "I remember. You had a name for him."
"His name is Duncan. We usually just call him Emo Kid." Poppy sighed. "I think he prefers his nickname, actually. Well, I would if I believed he had many preferences outside of the ones he harbors for disruptive music and the color black."
"What does an intern have to do with any of this?" William asked. "Not that I don't expect you to take full responsibility for the shortcomings of your team members."
"Thanks for that!" Poppy winced a smile. William realized his hand remained beside her ear, caressing her temple, but she didn't comment on it. He drew it away onl
y when she continued speaking, hoping she wouldn't have noticed the lingering touch…almost ready to dare her to mention it. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through his veins that made him feel so reckless. "That's what I'm trying to do, though. Take responsibility. I let Emo Kid tie the knot. I thought it would inspire him to focus."
Poppy sighed again and dropped her head back against the wall, letting her wrists dangle loosely on her knees. William watched her every move, still assessing her for any sign of injury, but his mind raced to process what she was saying. "You need to fire the kid," he said pointblank. "His oversight was inexcusable. I have a feeling it's always been, and you've just been too nice to say anything."
"I'm not too nice!" Poppy fired back. "I'm just not totally ruthless like the rest of you macho ad execs. And you are all men, need I remind you. Just because I prefer to fill a supportive role doesn't make me a doormat."
"If you say so," he replied. He wasn't convinced.
Poppy shook her head. "You don't understand. Not acting supportive is what got us into this mess today. I like to promote the best in everyone, and I don't normally hesitate to act when the best idea is presented to me." She surprised him by reaching between them to pick his hand up out of the dirt. "But I let the spirit of our competition get the best of me," she admitted. "I've never gone head-to-head with someone so…well, like I was saying. I let my feelings get the better of me. I haven't been myself since this whole thing started."
Neither have I, William wanted to say. Despite my best efforts. And despite what you think.
