Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 247

She did a double-take. For one, his silhouette seemed strangely familiar. Secondly, he looked entirely out of place.

The lobby's heating was cranked up so high that the staff were walking around in thin dress shirts, yet this guy was bundled up like he was about to face a blizzard. He was covered from head to toe without an inch of skin exposed.

He wore a black fleece beanie—the kind snowboarders usually wore under their helmets—along with dark sunglasses, a thermal face mask, a black tactical winter jacket, matching snow pants, and heavy-duty hiking boots.

He even had thin gloves on his hands.

Her gaze lingered on his outstretched legs, and that nagging sense of familiarity flared up again. Then again, this kind of tactical winter getup was a dime a dozen in a ski resort town.

Thule boasted the country's only alpine ski resort located right in the city center. It offered panoramic views of the entire town, breathtaking sunsets, and wild mountaintop parties.

It was a massive tourist draw.

He was probably just an eager tourist waiting for the earliest shuttle up to Verto Peak.

If Aiken hadn't been on such a tight schedule initially, she would have loved to visit that mountain to experience its legendary sunlit trails. Unfortunately, her transit was already locked in, so she'd just have to miss out this time.

Pulling her attention away, she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, pushed through the hotel's heavy glass doors, and made a beeline for the adjacent convenience store.

The moment she walked out, the man on the sofa snapped his eyes open.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the first hints of dawn were barely visible. A faint, dark smudge of orange bled into the horizon, reflecting in his exhausted, bloodshot eyes.

Thank god he had made it in time.

.

The air in Thule was even more brutally dry than back in Cabinda; it was enough to make even a northern girl like her uncomfortable.

Shaking off her curiosity, she hauled her luggage downstairs and waited for Victor. The seating area had a few couches and a long communal table. She had barely taken a seat when she felt a heavy stare burning into the side of her face.

She shot a glance over her shoulder, but since the stranger was wearing dark shades, it was impossible to tell if he was actually looking at her.

Figuring she was just being paranoid, she turned away. A few minutes later, the front doors swung open and Victor strutted in, scanning the lobby before zeroing in on her.

"Hey! Over here!"

She recognized him immediately. When they had finalized the booking, he had sent over a picture of his ID and his vehicle details. He looked exactly like his photo, just a bit more weathered and deeply tanned than a typical guy in his twenties.

She handed her bags over to him. Victor glanced past her, looking a bit uncertain, before hesitantly calling out, "Hey man, are you the one who hit me up this morning about heading out?"