Chapter 1Climbing for Love, Watching Her Stray

Climbing a snow mountain is the engagement trip Amber Garcia and I planned together.

The night before we set out, our guide, Mike Marlowe, found an extra set of thermal gear while taking inventory. "Captain Garcia, who's this for?"

Everyone's eyes turned to me. After all, the whole team knew this climb is supposed to be a special trip for the two of us.

Amber glanced at our junior teammate, Theo Yorkson, who was crouched in the corner, shivering from the cold. Her voice was gentle and casual.

"Give it to him. It's his first time at high altitude. The gear will come in handy for him."

Theo awkwardly took the gear with both hands. "Thank you so much, Amber."

Mike paused, then said nothing more.

When my friend, Charlie Jameson, called on the satellite phone, he sounded so furious that it was as if he could crush the phone in his hand.

"Aren't you two supposed to propose to each other at the summit? Why is she bringing Theo along again?"

I smiled and swallowed the bitterness in my throat. "Don't worry. The plan hasn't changed."

I'll make it to the summit, and I'll wait for her to propose.

If Amber doesn't want to give me that moment, then so be it.

* * *

Skyler's POV

The moment Theo Yorkson took the thermal gear, his eyes reddened slightly. He looked up at my girlfriend, Amber Garcia, sounding rather embarrassed.

"Amber, you really want me to have this? But, Skyler… He—"

As he spoke, he glanced at me awkwardly. Amber waved a hand, clearly unconcerned.

"He's climbed three mountains over 13 thousand feet. His stamina is much better than yours. It's your first time at high altitude, so you need to be looked after."

Theo pressed his lips together and hugged the gear to his chest. He lowered his head and murmured, "Thanks, Amber."

A note of delight peeked through his voice.

One of our guides, Mike Marlowe, glanced at me from the side. He wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to.

I rummaged through my duffel bag and pulled out a spare heat patch. I tore it open and stuck it to my stomach. It wasn't enough to keep me warm, but it would have to do.

Amber and Theo stood outside Theo's tent for a long time. She bent down to help him put on his gear, then patiently taught him how to adjust each strap and buckle.

He listened with his head tilted up, nodding eagerly now and then. The admiration and dependence in his eyes were impossible to miss.

From a distance, they looked like a picture-perfect couple. Except I wasn't in the picture.

The satellite phone rang. My friend, Charlie Jameson, was practically screaming into the phone.

"Skyler, you asked me to get that gear for you from Ritzland! You wouldn't even use it yourself! How could she just hand it to someone else?"

"Charlie, calm down."

"Calm down? I'm pissed!"

He lowered his voice, exasperated. "Didn't you two have a plan? You two were supposed to propose to each other at the summit. If it works out, you two would hold the engagement party when you come back.

"Now look at this! One junior teammate comes clinging to her, and she's handing him your gear like it's nothing! Is she proposing to you at the summit, or to Theo?"

I leaned against the tent frame and gazed at the snow peaks in the distance. The night was dark, the wind bitterly cold, but the moonlight made the peaks gleam against the sky.

"Charlie," I said softly.

"Yeah?"

"She knows what she's doing. She's just soft-hearted. You know that."

He fell silent for two seconds, but his anger didn't subside. "Skyler, stop making excuses for her. Let me ask you this—whose idea was it for Theo to come on this climb?"

I said nothing. Of course, it had been Amber's idea.

Two months ago, when she and I first planned the climb, everything had been perfect. We picked the route and ordered our gear. She had even secretly written out what she would say when she proposed.

She had drafted it three times, filling page after page with words, crossing each version out and starting over. That night, I stared at the piece of paper until my eyes grew hot.

She rushed in, flustered, asking what was wrong. I hid the paper behind my back and told her the wind stung my eyes. She believed me.

Things changed a month ago.

Theo was transferred from another city to Amber's research institute. His advisor said he needed her guidance for a research project and sent him over without giving her much choice.

Theo was 23, fresh out of university, soft-spoken and bookish, with a pair of glasses perched on his nose. Whenever he ran into trouble, he would call out to Amber for help, as if it were natural.

To be fair, Amber also went to extra lengths for him. She stayed up late helping him revise his papers, took him out to collect data, and even brought an extra serving back from the cafeteria at lunch.

I once asked, "Don't you think you're a little too nice to Theo?"

She laughed and playfully punched my shoulder. "He's just a rookie. Are you seriously jealous?"

Later, she told me Theo had always wanted to see a snow mountain and asked if he could tag along.

"Well, think of it as having one more companion. He just had a falling-out with his family and could use a little time to get away and recharge."

I agreed. I thought I was being generous. I thought this trip would still, in the end, belong to the two of us.

My tent zipper was pulled open from outside, and Amber poked her head in. Her face was flushed from the wind, the tip of her nose just as red. Each breath came out as a cloud of white vapor in the darkness.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

She ducked inside and sat beside me. I slipped the satellite phone into my sleeping bag.

"I'm too excited to sleep."

She smiled and rested her head lightly against my shoulder. "Tomorrow, we push for Camp Three. If the weather holds, we'll go for the summit the day after. When we reach the summit…"

Her voice turned gentle. "There's something I want to tell you."

My heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

Outside the tent, the wind howled like the entire mountain was crying out into the night. I slipped an arm around Amber's shoulders.

At that moment, the whole world felt warm.