Chapter 164

He stood at the base of the rock, with Leanne perched above him. The height of that boulder made her the more elevated of the two, a physical metaphor for their current. dynamic.

Curtis craned his neck slightly, his gaze locked on her with an intensity that seemed almost religious in its fervor, especially given the dim light filtering through the dense forest canopy.

Leanne turned her head away, continuing to forge ahead.

Before long, their odd little group expanded to four.

Jeremy took the lead, with clueless Devin wedging himself between him and Leanne.

Curtis slowed his pace, casually trailing behing Leanne. After a few steps, Curtis asked, “Heavy?”

Leanne didn’t catch his words. “What?”

Without waiting for her to respond, Curtis reached for her backpack and gave it a heft. “What’s in here? Bricks? Are you planning on building a house at the summit?”

“Water and a camera.” Leanne reached out. “Give it back.”

Instead, Curtis slung her pack over his shoulder and nudged her forward. “I’m helping you, and you’re not even happy about it. You should be thrilled to have me as your pack mule.” She couldn’t immediately come up with a counter-argument to his twisted logic, which frustratingly, seemed to make some sense.

Whenever they approached a steep incline, Curtis would offer a helping hand before she could struggle.

waist, sometimes her elbow, and occasionally he’d steady the backpack. He always seemed

want his help. “I can walk on my own.”

teasing; it was hard to

said.

her teeth

a difficult spot, as he reached out, Leanne spun around defensively, blocking him with

the stick, and drawled, “Thanks,

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11:30

MChapter 164

pulled it back. “If you

the ground, used a nearby tree trunk for additional

trail, and three-quarters of the way was relatively easy

100

base, the early arrivals had

stopping?” Leanne asked.

steps up ahead are slick, and it’s not safe to go on. If we want to reach the summit, we’ll

enthusiasm, “I’ll lead the way.

paths to the summit, but the smaller trails were less maintained compared to the main tourist paths. In such situations, it was safer to

and continued their ascent.

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