Free Climb Flirtation

Hannah

“Jordan. Hey.” I smiled genuinely as he dropped his backpack to the mat and came up behind me.

“I’m glad you could make it today, Hannah. I was hoping you could. This is a good way for you to show off those new biceps of yours.” Jordan smiled as he cupped the outside of my arm.

“You and I both know that the size of the biceps doesn’t matter, Jordan,” Javi teased. “It’s the power in your fingers that gets the job done.”

“Still trying to convince yourself that lean is better than cut?” Jordan shot back, flexing his arms a little. He was wearing a sleeveless compression shirt that showcased exactly how much bigger he was than Javi.

“Hey, old man. My leanness makes it easier to smack that ceiling up there,” Javi taunted. “When was the last time you got it all the way up?”

My head moved back and forth between the two of them. They obviously knew each other well based on the joking tone of their voices.

However, Jordan’s had a bit of an edge. He didn’t like that Javi had been flirting with me.

Well, too bad, Jordan. I was not going to discourage the hot rock climber from pulling a harness up my thighs.

“You sure you’re all right with this Neanderthal, Hannah?” Javi asked as he looked into my eyes. “I can stay if you’d like.”

I made eye contact with Jordan over my shoulder, and his look was smoldering as he gazed at me.

“I’m sure you’ve got other things you need to be doing. I don’t want to distract you from your job.”

“You heard her, Javi. Go do your job.” Jordan raised an eyebrow.

The younger man nodded at me and raised his own eyebrow at the territorial older one over my shoulder.

“I’ll start getting people clipped in,” he told Jordan, and then looked toward me. “Hannah, check back with me in a few minutes, and I’ll make sure your straps are correct.”

He turned and started to guide people toward the wall. There were several teens in climbing harnesses waiting to help guide people up using the rope system.

“You don’t need to go find him,” Jordan said quietly as he knelt next to me and helped me get my legs into the harness.

“Is there some kind of history between the two of you?” I asked curiously. “If you don’t get along, why did you bring us here?”

A dry laugh escaped his lips as he helped me draw the straps up to my thighs, and then his large hands cinched the straps down.

My thin shorts did nothing to insulate me from the feeling of his fingers, and I found myself blushing as I looked down at him.

“Javi likes to flirt,” he told me with an edge to his voice. “I wouldn’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean he’s interested.”

Well, that was a little harsh.

“Because why would someone be interested?”

His head shot up in my direction at the venom in my tone, and his fingers paused on the straps they were cinching down.

“Hannah, you know that’s not true. I...

“You going up today, J?” Tatum winked at me as she interrupted. Bless her. She must have recognized the building tension and decided to be a distraction.

“Yeah. I was thinking about it.” He nodded as he finished up with my adjustments.

“Are you afraid Javi is right? You haven’t been up in a while,” she mused.

He narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips.

“I can free climb just as well as mister monkey face over there,” he replied with a dramatic eye roll.

“Well, you mean you used to. He’s still actively competing. It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?” she asked, and I could sense the tension radiating off of him.

“Geez, Tate,” he groaned. “I don’t need you busting my balls. I just got here, and you’ve already tortured me enough this morning.”

She started laughing, and Parker wandered over to see what the fuss was about.

“Uh, Coach J, I think Hannah’s straps are good,” he said, nodding toward my legs.

Jordan looked down to where his hands were still resting on the buckle of the straps between my thighs. He had already finished tightening them, but his hands had lingered.

“Yeah, right. Of course,” Jordan quickly agreed.

My cheeks flamed as he stood up and gave an experimental tug to the sides of my harness. “It’s not too tight?”

“Uh, no. It’s good,” I mumbled nervously, blushing intensely under his gaze. “Thank you.”

“I need to go put my pack in a locker and change into my shorts. Wait for me?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah…” I nodded as I watched him grab his bag and head for the locker rooms.

“You’re welcome,” Tatum chimed in once he was out of earshot, with a proud look on her face.

“What?”

“For distracting him. Sounded like he was about to cram that size fourteen back in his mouth,” she laughed.

“Are they really that big?” I laughed as I processed what she had said.

“Yeah,” she laughed and nodded. “And now I’m sure you’re wondering if other things are proportionally large.”

“I know I am,” Parker confirmed with an exaggerated nod.

“I’m sure I could ask Mallory,” I frowned.

“Oh my God, no. Ew,” Tatum made a disgusted face.

“But I thought they…” I trailed off. I thought that was why they spent so much time together.

“No... gross,” Tatum gagged with a shudder. Before she had a chance to elaborate, Javi was there guiding Tatum and Parker toward two spaces on the wall.

“Left all by yourself again, gorgeous?” he asked as he stepped in beside me.

“Well, you just tied my friends to a wall, and Jordan went to change,” I responded.

“Well, I’m glad we’ve got a few moments to ourselves before mister cranky returns. He sometimes forgets it’s alright to relax and have fun,” Javi said quietly as we watched Tatum and Parker start to climb.

“He is a serious one,” I agreed.

“He does not like being forced out of the alpha position.”

“Are you dogs now?” I asked him with a smile.

His eye twinkled as he looked over at me with an answering grin.

Let’s hope neither one of them planned to mark me.

I laughed as I watched Tatum and Parker taunt each other from their spots on the wall. It seemed that they were using this as an opportunity to see who could climb faster.

“They’re going to get us kicked out of here.” I sighed.

“Oh, let them have their fun. The small climbers are all around the corner. They can’t hear all the profanity coming from back here.”

“Tested out the acoustics before?” I bit the corner of my lip.

“We host a lot of corporate team-building events,” Javi explained. “They get a little rowdy sometimes. Thankfully, we do not serve alcohol.”

“Yeah, drinking and climbing does not sound safe... at all.”

“Not so much.”

We watched as Tatum managed to hook her last handhold and tap the top of the wall just seconds before Parker. She was surprisingly agile.

“Looks like your friends are done. Are you ready to try the wall?”

“Do I really have a choice?” I laughed.

“There are always choices to be made in life, Hannah,” he responded wisely.

I had a feeling that didn't just apply to rock climbing.

“We make our own futures,” he grasped my hand gently as he began to walk toward the wall. Parker and Tatum were getting unclipped as we arrived.

His fingers were rough, but his touch was gentle, and I found myself enjoying his company. He may have been a flirt, but he also seemed to be a genuine person.

“Would you feel more comfortable with me on belay?” he asked as we approached the wall.

“Jordan wanted me to wait for him to go,” I responded cautiously, scanning the direction Jordan left.

“He can catch up with you.”

I looked back toward the locker rooms again and didn't see anyone coming out. He seemed like he wanted to talk to me, but I didn't want to hold up the group.

“I'll be right here at the bottom, guiding you if you need some help. But I'm sure you'll do great. Just make sure to find your next set of handholds before you move up,” Javi encouraged.

“Okay, all right. Let’s do this,” I nodded with faux enthusiasm. I would never know if I could handle this if I didn’t try.

“That’s the spirit. Let’s get you clipped in,” he gently steered me toward the wall with a hand on my back.

We stopped where a rope with a carabiner was hanging. Javi reached forward and tugged on my thigh straps. “The straps don’t pinch anywhere, do they?”

“No, they feel snug but not too tight,” I shook my head.

“Good. I’m going to clip in your guide rope. I’ll tighten this as you climb. If you happen to fall, it’ll catch you.

“Try to concentrate on keeping your center of gravity close to the wall. It’ll help with balance. I’ll call out directions if you get stuck.”

“Sounds good,” I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out as I rolled my shoulders.

“Any questions?”

“No... I don’t think so.” I shook my head.

“Then let’s do this, Hannah. I want to see you get all the way to the top.”

“Don’t expect any ceiling slapping from me,” I warned.

He laughed and clipped the rope into the loops on the front of my harness.

“If you need to come down, just holler, and I’ll help you get down. You’ll put your feet flat to the wall and lean back. I’ve got you.”

“Thanks.” I smiled.

My pulse jumped as I watched him walk to the teen holding the other end of the rope a few feet away.

He grasped it and fed it through the loops on his own harness. He tightened the slack with his right hand, and I felt a gentle tug on the rope attached to me.

“I’m ready when you are, Hannah. Belay on.”

Shit. I was supposed to say something.

“Climbing.”

“Climb on, beautiful.”

My trembling hands reached for the handholds that were a little above eye level in front of me. I gripped them as I glanced down and put my feet on the bottom set of holds.

For the next few minutes, I slowly worked my way up the wall, hold by hold, trying to keep myself moving upward.

The higher I got, the more spaced out the holds were, and I had to really concentrate on trying to find my next one before I committed to a move.

The noise from the group faded the higher I got. Every once in a while, I’d hear Javi call out a recommendation for a hold I couldn’t see.

By the time I was over halfway up the wall, I was tired. It took a lot of balance and concentration to keep myself moving forward.

I may have improved my fitness level and muscle tone, but I was still moving a decent-sized body up a wall on my own strength.

“Take as long as you need, Hannah. I’ve got you,” Javi hollered as I paused about two-thirds of the way up. I saw a few routes that would work, but I wasn’t sure if I was tall enough to reach some of the higher holds.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths as I leaned my hips forward to use the wall for balance.

“Hannah?”

My eyes shot open at the gentle voice to my right, and there he was.