Mila was stunned.
Even after climbing into the car, she sat there in a daze, her mind elsewhere.
Archie, noticing her distracted state as he drove, asked curiously, “Hey, Mila, what’s up? Did you get anything out of your trip to church today?”
Mila just shook her head, still not sure what to say.
Archie didn’t press. He’d only asked out of habit, and now that his altitude sickness had finally worn off, he was in high spirits, munching happily on beef jerky and humming along to the radio.
The black SUV rumbled steadily down the road.
Not long after they set off, Mila started feeling a little lightheaded. She’d done most of the driving the previous day, and after heading out again that morning, exhaustion was catching up to her. Worried she might be coming down with altitude sickness too, she took a few breaths from the oxygen canister, bundled herself up in her down jacket and a small blanket, and closed her eyes to rest.
Before she knew it, she’d drifted off to sleep.
......
Winter came around again.
It was a rare weekend break from work, and Mila and Forrest had made plans to escape to the countryside for a little food adventure and some much-needed camping.
They weren’t alone—there was a lively group of friends along for the trip.
Someone even brought fireworks.
As Mila tilted her head back to watch the bursts of color light up the night sky, the glow painted her face in brilliant hues, her eyes shining with excitement.
Suddenly, a spray of silver sparks flared right in front of her, making her jump.
She turned to see Forrest standing beside her, holding out a handful of sparklers with a bright, lopsided grin. “Wanna give it a try?”
“Wow! Where’d you find those?”
She’d assumed there would only be the big fireworks tonight, not these little hand-held ones. Growing up, she’d always watched other kids play with sparklers but never had the chance herself.
Thrilled, she took them from him and lit one.
“What’s wrong? Who is that?” Forrest asked, following her gaze.
Mila frowned slightly, shook her head, and replied evenly, “No idea. Don’t know him.”
“Hey, I’m gonna head back to my room to drop off my stuff and rest for a bit. I’ll text you when I’m ready for dinner,” she said, her tone casual.
To Mila, whatever she and Lysander had ended a year ago. As far as she was concerned, he was a stranger now.
Not even an acquaintance.
After unpacking her camping gear and taking a short break, she called Forrest and they met up for dinner. Later, they’d head to the lab together to keep working on their project.
Feeling cheerful, Mila left her dorm, but as she rounded the corner, she nearly collided with someone.
She looked up—
And found herself staring straight into Lysander’s eyes. His gaze was icy, a faint, sardonic smile playing on his lips. “You look happy. Who are you off to see?”
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