“It absolutely is.”
“That is under-over-over.” We both lean in like we’re trying to review game tape as we try to replicate it, and within seconds, the rope is tangled in three separate places and one side is visibly shorter than the other.
“It’s twisted,” Blake needlessly points out. He reaches forward to flatten the rope again where it’s messed up, and we somehow tangle ourselves more. “Stop moving, Chad!”
“I’m not moving,” I shout back.
“This is ridiculous,” Blake huffs, shaking his head, face breaking out into a smile just as Jenny comes over and nudges him with her snout like she’s checking in on our progress.
“She’s totally judging us.” I laugh now because I can feel this unraveling faster than we’re fixing it.
“She absolutely is,” Blake agrees, letting his hand fall from the rope to pet her and, of course, a part of the rope slips.
He steps back to assess the situation and immediately starts laughing harder because the front cross now looks nothing like a butterfly.
“Why is this side higher?” He wheezes as he asks.
“I don’t know! This is your handiwork,” I remind him through my laughter.
“Okay, okay,” Blake says, taking a calming breath. “We can do this. We’re grown-ass adults. We just need a reset.”
“Right, we totally can. We have men to impress.” I agree even though I’m not exactly sure how this will benefit Blake or Liam, but it probably makes him feel better about being involved.
He steps in, serious now, adjusting the tension along my back, trying to even out the loops on my chest.
“Under,” he mutters to himself. “Then over. Then—nope, that’s wrong. Uh-oh.”
“Why did you just say uh-oh? Did you tie a knot we can’t undo?”
Blake flashes me an innocent smile that is absolutely not innocent and shrugs. “Maybe?”
We both stare at the rope that’s wrapped around my torso, and I’m just thankful my arms are free and we didn’t attempt one that had me hogtied.
“John is going to take one look at this mess and realize we had no idea what we’re doing,” Blake mutters, pulling out his phone to take a photo.
“Not if we fix it first,” I insist, determined to figure this out. I focus back on the screen, but the girl in the video is, like, ten steps ahead now. I rewind and try to pay attention, but suddenly the rope is getting tighter. “Blake, are you yanking it?”
“No, I’m texting Liam. Why?”
I turn to see Jack with the rope in his mouth. “Jack! No! Don’t eat that!”
Jack freezes with the rope clenched between his teeth before he starts walking away. The rope continues to tighten, and Blake is still on his damn phone.
“Blake!” I shout. “Get the rope out of his mouth!”
“Oh shit! Sorry!” He lunges for the rope, but Jack must think this is a game and gives it an enthusiastic tug. The rope pulls me forward, Jenny starts braying, and it’s complete chaos as I fall to the floor.
“Blake!”
“Not you too,” Blake yells to Jenny.
“It’s gotta be the rope butter!” I yell out as Blake falls into a fit of laughter.
I’d laugh too if I wasn’t being strangled by my donkeys.
“I thought you both loved me,” I cry out, and finally, Jack releases the rope, but only after tightening whatever accidentalknot Blake created as the video still plays in the background, reminding me we absolutely fucked this up.
“What the hell is this?” John’s booming voice cuts through the rest of the noise, and I manage to roll over to find him standing in my living room next to a very amused-looking Liam.
