Suddenly, I’m tripping over a fallen branch that was hidden beneath the leaves—and taking Cooper down with me. We land on the ground in a heap of tangled and twisted limbs, Cooper grunting as he falls on top of me. His cheek is pressed to the side of my head when his whole body begins to shake with his contagious laughter. We lie there, chest to chest, cracking up until our stomachs hurt. Teams pass us by, and finally Cooper leans to the side and hovers over me. His eyes are watery but bright, crinkling at the corners as he looks down at me with a smile that nearly knocks the wind out of me.
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