Chapter 2Climbing for Love, Watching Her Stray

Skyler's POV

The next morning, the team broke camp and started climbing higher. At 19 thousand feet, the air was painfully thin. Every step felt like I was dragging a mountain behind me.

We split into three groups. I was in the second group, and Amber was originally supposed to be with us. But right before we set out, she switched groups.

"Theo's not doing well. I'm going to the third group to keep an eye on him," she told me. "Stay close to Mike. Don't fall behind."

I nodded.

All morning, all I could see of her was a distant figure behind us. She stayed beside Theo, steadying him now and then.

When we crossed a stretch of loose scree, Theo suddenly slipped and stumbled sideways. Amber grabbed his arm and pulled him back to safety.

Shaken, he breathed heavily and turned to her with a nervous smile. "If you hadn't been here, I would've gone straight down, Amber."

She smiled back, her voice patient and gentle. "Shorter steps. Make sure your footing is solid before you move. There's no need to rush."

Mike glanced back and frowned when he saw me. "Your girlfriend sure is something. Always looking out for everyone, huh?"

I didn't answer.

At noon, we stopped to rest beneath a rocky outcrop sheltered from the wind. I sat on a rock, chewing on a rock-hard ration bar.

Amber came over and handed me a cup of hot water. I took it and wrapped my hands around it.

"Theo was feeling the altitude a little earlier. He threw up twice."

She sat down beside me, frowning. "At this rate, going for the summit tomorrow could be dangerous for him."

"Then tell him to stay at camp and wait for us," I said.

She hesitated. "He came all this way just to reach the summit. It wouldn't be safe to leave him alone at camp, either."

"We can have a guide stay with him."

"We don't have enough guides," she said, then paused and looked at me tentatively. "How about… You wait for me at Camp Three? I'll take Theo back down to Camp Two, then come back up and summit with you."

I stopped chewing. "You want me to wait at Camp Three by myself?"

"It'll only be half a day," she said, patting the back of my hand. "There are tents and supplies at Camp Three. You'll be fine."

After a few seconds, I folded the wrapper from my ration bar and tucked it into my pocket. "No. I don't want to propose at camp. I want to do it at the summit."

Amber froze, then smiled. "Okay. We'll do it your way."

We kept climbing that afternoon. The sky grew darker by the minute. Clouds rolled in from the west. Heavy, gray clouds clamped over the mountain like a devouring monster.

Mike looked up for a long time, his expression grim.

"Captain Garcia, the clouds don't look right today. Based on what we've seen in previous years, there's a high chance a blizzard will follow. I suggest we make camp here and reassess tomorrow."

Amber nodded and was ready to order the team to set up camp.

Out of nowhere, Theo ran up from behind, panting. "Amber!"

His face was pale, and his lips had turned blue, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. "I just checked the weather forecast. It's supposed to be overcast the day after tomorrow and the day after that.

"Tomorrow morning is the only window we have, and it's only six hours! If we stop climbing today, we might miss it!"

Mike frowned. Amber hesitated.

"Amber." I tugged at her sleeve and reminded her, "Mike said the weather is unstable today."

"It's fine, Skyler!"

Theo suddenly turned to me, looking so earnestly hopeful yet desperate. "I've been reading a lot of climbing forums. Clouds like these don't always mean snow. And we're already at 19 thousand feet.

"Camp Three is only another 1300 feet up. It'll take two hours at most. If we miss this window, the whole trip could be for nothing!"

His words hit directly at Amber's hesitation. She looked at Theo, then up at the clouds overhead. "Keep going. We push on to Camp Three today."

Mike gave her a long look, but said nothing. I stayed in the middle of the group as we continued upward.

Those gray clouds slowly swallowed the last traces of sunlight.