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
He looked at her hand and naturally gripped it. For some reason, this gesture warmed her. At least he’s
not leaving me out here to perish on my own, she thought, cheering up considerably. “You know, you
didn’t have to apologize to me last night,” she began hesitantly, her exhaustion compelling her to re-
evaluate her conscience. “I should be the one to say sorry instead.”
Richard stared at her in surprise, only to see her grinning sweetly back at him. Her face was flushed,
and her eyes were twinkling with mischief. She looked so bright and beautiful at that moment that even
the wildflower field around them could not compete with her smile.
Just as Richard was lost in her eyes, she playfully tugged on his arm and pulled him close to her. The
poor man was already in a daze, and the sudden pull made him take one step closer to her.
They ended up standing so close together that the tip of Angela’s nose nearly pressed up against his
chest. She had only wanted to tease him for fun; this proximity was not what she had planned for at all.
Her breath hitched, and she narrowed her pretty doe-eyes for a second before looking up to see the
perfect, sumptuous curve of his lips. Abruptly, she found herself thinking audaciously, What if I kissed
him?
Mind and body coordinated, Angela rose on the tip of her toes, and before Richard could react, she
gave him a quick peck on his lips.
Startled by the unexpected kiss, Richard looked at the girl incredulously, but she had already pulled
away from him and ran away like a kitten that got caught scratching up the furniture.
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