Unwilling Bride: The 1V5 Love Drama novel Chapter 287

Chapter 287 A Shared Snapshot

Ava slowed and glanced back at Ethan.

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They had been climbing for quite a while, yet he still looked composed. His breathing was even, his pace was steady. There was not the slightest sign of strain on him.

She could not help asking, “We’ve been climbing this long, and you’re still not tired?”

Ethan paused a couple of steps below her and looked up. “Are you?”

Ava shook her head. “Not really. It’s just… You make it look ridiculously easy.”

Her coat was still draped over his arm. A faint smile touched his lips. “I exercise a lot. I also hike fairly often, so this kind of climb doesn’t really feel like much.”

Ava turned back toward the trail. “I used to go hiking pretty often, too. Back at Larkwell Academy, if the weather were nice, I’d head out about once a week. The only difference is that the mountains there were nowhere near this high.”

They kept making their way uphill.

By the time nearly two hours had passed, Ava could finally feel the effort catching up to her. Most of the route had been a steady incline, and her legs were beginning to feel heavy. When they reached a rest stop partway up the trail, she dropped onto a bench to recover.

After sitting for a moment, she pulled a small candy tin from her pocket, chose a red one, and tossed it into her mouth. Then she held the tin toward Ethan. “Want one?”

He glanced down at the candies and picked one without much thought.

The second the flavor hit, his expression changed almost imperceptibly.

Ava noticed at once and laughed. “That bad?”

“A little sour,” he replied.

She tilted her head, amused. “You don’t like sour candy?”

Ethan did not answer.

That was enough for Ava.

A mischievous light flickered in her eyes as she searched through the tin again and selected a

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Chapter 287 A Shared Snapshot

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yellow piece this time. Holding it between two fingers, she raised it toward him. “Try this one. It should be better.”

Ethan looked at the candy, then at her. “You want me to trust you?”

Ava smiled, all innocence on the surface. “What, are you scared?”

The next second, before he could say anything else, she had already popped it into his mouth. A little dusting of sugar brushed against his lips as it went in.

The tartness spread instantly.

He looked at her in silence.

Ava met his gaze with bright, shameless eyes.

“Lemon,” he remarked at last. “And this is your idea of better?”

Ava looked completely unrepentant. “So you really do hate sour things.”

Ethan could tell perfectly well that she had done it on purpose. Still, he only swallowed and gave her a warning. “Next time, don’t hand me lemon candy. I’m serious.”

Ava gave a little hum. “The red one’s sweet. Want to try it?”

Ethan met her eyes and stayed silent, but his gaze seemed to say more than words could.

She searched out another red candy. “This one’s sweet. I’m not messing with you now.”

She raised it toward him again. “Want it?”

This time, she moved more slowly, clearly testing his reaction. When he made no effort to stop her, she placed the candy into his mouth as well.

Ava watched him closely. “Well? Better?”

Then she chose a pink one for herself and popped it into her own mouth.

After tasting it, Ethan admitted inwardly that the red one was indeed sweeter.

Then he asked, “You like candy that much?”

Ava shook her head. “Not really. I just buy random ones sometimes and try them out. I got these last night, and before I left this morning, I stuffed them into my pocket.”

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Chapter 287 A Shared Snapshot

Once they had rested enough, they continued the climb.

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Half an hour later, the trail broadened into a more open area where several hikers had stopped to rest. An elderly man among them spotted Ava and smiled. “Miss, would you mind helping us take a group photo?”

Ava walked over and took the picture for them without hesitation.

When she handed the device back, she could not help saying, “You’re in amazing shape.”

The old man laughed and waved it off. “Not like before. At my age, I can’t compare to how I was when I was younger.”

Then he reached into his backpack, pulled out a small bag of bread rolls, and offered them to her. “You two should take a break and eat something. We need to get moving ourselves again, or we won’t make it up in time for lunch.”

Ava quickly tried to refuse, “It’s alright. I’m not hungry.”

The elderly woman beside him smiled warmly. “Take it, dear. Even if you don’t eat it, you can use it to feed the monkeys later.”

At that point, Ava could only accept their kindness.

She watched the two of them continue on up the mountain, then sighed softly. “I hope I’ll still be that healthy when I’m their age.”

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