Daniel wobbled and the grip slid out of his hand. He dropped only a few inches,...

Daniel wobbled and the grip slid out of his hand. He dropped only a few inches, but by the time he'd recovered, I was pulling myself over the top. Brooke and Nicole were cheering. The others below called up good-natured boos.
I took a breather as I hung off the ledge. I could hear Daniel panting beside me, but I didn't look over.
There was no way he'd lost his hold on that grip. He'd let go. Given me the win at the last second as he realized what was coming if he'd won. A kiss he didn't want.
The ego bruise lasted only a moment. Was I surprised? No. How awkward would that have been? Neither of us wanted that kiss. As always, Daniel had done the right thing and, if I'd been in his place, I'd have done the same.
After a moment, I grinned over at him. "Loser."
"The rope slipped," he said, tugging at it, like he was testing the belay system.
"You just keep telling yourself that. It'll keep you busy while you're building those new holds."
"You still need to beat everyone else. You haven't won yet."
"Just keep telling yourself that, too."
He laughed and gave me a shove. I returned the favor, sending him swinging, then belayed down before he could retaliate.