Angela had been wiping the corners of her mouth when Richard took the canteen wordlessly and gulped down some water.
She paused and gaped at him incredulously as a fleeting thought crossed her mind, Does that mean we indirectly kissed? A pink flush crept over her cheeks, and she wondered how he could so readily drink from the same canteen she had used mere seconds ago.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Richard shrugged on his backpack and pointed to the tallest summit in the distance. “That will be our destination, so lets move!”
Her eyes widened at the sight of the summit, which looked grayish-blue under the thin layer of mist that shrouded it. “I’m sorry. Are you suggesting we climb all the way up there?”
“Yes, how astute of you,” Richard drawled sarcastically. He raised a brow at her and asked snidely, “You’re not scared, are you?”
Falling for his trap, Angela snapped, “Of course I’m not scared! Ill climb that mountain without a problem!”
He smirked. “Then, shall we go?”
She watched him turn and memorized the silhouette of his back as he trekked forward. Though her legs were already wobbly and her clothes soaked through with sweat, Richard did not look the slightest bit out of breath. If one didn’t know better, they would think he had been walking on flat ground all this time.
“Richard, wait up!” Angela cried out as she tossed aside the wildflower bouquet and ran up to him.
Hiking was, she decided, absolute torture at this point. But she refused to give up; her pride and determination did not allow her to even though she was on the brink of collapsing.
Before long, they reached a slope that inclined at a sixty-degree angle. Just looking at it made her weak.
As though sensing her reluctance, Richard threw an amused look over his shoulder at her, taking in her defeated expression.
“Captain Lloyd, pull me up,” Angela said, reaching out her arm toward him
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