He Promised Me Photos, She Got Them Instead Chapter 06

He Promised Me Photos, She Got Them Instead Chapter 06

I did not block Dylan again, but neither of us contacted the other for the entire summer. We simply continued

on our separate trips.

I climbed Mount Washington through the night and watched the sunrise over a breathtaking sea of clouds.

On the way down, my legs shook so badly that I could only inch forward one step at a time like a snail.

Chloe Hayes, a fellow traveler I had met by chance, never complained about how slowly I moved. Instead,

she waited for me and kept cheering me on.

“Hannah, you’re amazing!”

“Your legs are shaking that badly, and you’re still making it down on your own. You’re officially my hero!”

Her praise made my face turn red.

“You could go on ahead,” I said awkwardly. “I’m moving so slowly. I don’t want to hold you up or mess up the

rest of your plans.”

Before Chloe could respond, her older brother, Nathan Hayes, smiled.

“Don’t worry. You’re not holding us up.”

“She probably wishes you’d move even slower so she can use you as an excuse to rest.”

Chloe rolled her eyes at him.

“Shut up. Stop ruining my image in front of Hannah! We’re both going to UT Austin.”

She paused, remembered that Nathan was at UT Austin too, and quickly added, “We’re both incoming freshmen. That’s completely different from someone who’s two years ahead of us.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He simply picked up the backpack I had set on the ground.

“Fine. Since it’s so different, I’ll carry Hannah’s bag. You can carry your own.”

Chloe gritted her teeth as she watched him walk away.

I offered to help her, but she rejected me without hesitation.

“No way! If Nathan can carry a backpack, so can !!”

Their bickering gradually eased my embarrassment.

After we finally made it down the mountain at a snail’s pace, they learned that I planned to hike four more

peaks.

The siblings immediately decided to join me.

“What a coincidence, Hannah!” Chloe exclaimed. “How did you know my dream was to complete a five-peak

hiking challenge?”

I was happy to have company.

Still, I could not help remembering the past three years. Whenever I went anywhere with Dylan and Madison, they complained about how slowly I walked or ate, then left me behind.

The memory made me hesitate.

“But hiking isn’t the only thing I’m slow at. I eat slowly, I walk slowly, I’m forgetful, and I have absolutely no sense of direction. I’m a lot of trouble to travel with.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I nervously tightened my grip on my backpack strap.

I hated how slow I was, and I was terrified that the companions I had finally found would change their minds

about me.

Nathan and Chloe merely stared at me for a moment before exchanging smiles.

“That’s perfect!”

When I looked at them in confusion, Chloe linked her arm through mine.

“My brother has absolutely no sense of direction, and I’m a chronic late riser.”

“The three of us are a perfect match. We were made to travel together!”

A breeze swept past us.

I squeezed her hand and laughed, feeling relieved and completely at ease.

There was nothing to fear about moving a little slower.

I, too, would meet people who were headed the same way.