Selene's POV
————————Day Four:Into the Forests of Rhododendrons—————————
The trail curved into a quiet, moss-draped forest. Tall rhododendron trees painted the path in blushing shades of red and pink, their petals fluttering around us like confetti from an unseen celebration.
The altitude was beginning to bite. I could feel it in the weight of my breaths, in the ache behind my eyes. Ayra had gone quieter today, her steps a little slower, hand frequently brushing Eliot's. She smiled at him even when she looked exhausted. There was something unspoken between them—still new, still blooming.
Antonio walked ahead of me, a steady figure in charcoal layers. His silhouette through the fog looked like a painting I would one day try to capture. He turned often, never letting me lag far behind.
"I can carry your pack," he offered once.
"You already carry half my heart," I replied, teasing.
He raised a brow. "Only half?"
We reached the next lodge by twilight, tucked against the slope like a secret. Inside, we sipped warm ginger tea, our fingers chilled but spirits high. Antonio slipped his arm around me, and I leaned into his chest, the rhythm of his breath anchoring me.
"Tomorrow," he murmured, "the real ascent begins."
—————Day Five: The Ascent to Ghorepani – Where the Air Thins and the Truth Thickens—————
The climb to Ghorepani was brutal.
Stone steps stretched like endless teeth into the mountain's side. My legs burned. My lungs felt like paper. But we kept going, driven by something that wasn't just the trail—it was the quiet knowing that the summit wasn't just a place. It was a feeling.
Ayra stumbled at one point. Eliot was there before she hit the ground, arms catching her with more fear than finesse.
"You okay?" he asked, panic in his eyes.
"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "Just… got caught in my own thoughts."
Antonio took my hand without a word. We didn't speak for hours—just walked. Up and up, through whispering trees and the occasional flutter of prayer flags that told us we were not alone in our seeking.
At the lodge in Ghorepani, the rooms were colder. We wore layers to sleep. Eliot played soft music from his phone, and Ayra hummed along, curled beneath thick blankets, her eyes always drifting to the window where the peaks waited—shadowed and silent.
Antonio sat beside me on the wooden bench near the fireplace. "You doing okay?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek.
I nodded. "Strangely… better than I've ever been."
He kissed the top of my head, and for a moment, the world didn't hurt.
———————Day Six: Poon Hill — The Summit Before Sunrise———————
We woke at 4:30 a.m.
Wrapped in layers and silence, we hiked by headlamp and starlight to the famous Poon Hill. The climb was steep, but my heart beat louder than the altitude.
We reached the viewpoint just as the horizon began to bloom. The Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges revealed themselves like ancient gods rising from sleep, snow-capped and bathed in gold.
Ayra gasped. "It's like the world is being born again."
Eliot slipped his arm around her waist. "And I get to see it with you."
Antonio stood behind me, arms circled around my shoulders as we watched light spill over the highest peaks.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?" he asked.
"For walking through the dark with me to find this."
He didn't reply. He didn't need to. He just held me tighter.
———————Day Seven: Descent and Realizations———————
The journey down felt different. Not easier—our bodies ached—but lighter somehow. Like something in us had been unlocked and left behind on that ridge.
That night, our last in the mountains, we built a small bonfire near the lodge. Locals brought sweet rice and played wooden instruments. Ayra and I danced under the stars, laughter shaking free the exhaustion.
Later, sitting beside the dying embers, Ayra leaned into me.
"I think I love him," she confessed.
"I know," I whispered. "And it's okay to let yourself."
She smiled. "Like you did with Antonio?"
I looked across the fire where he sat, laughing with Eliot, moonlight turning his profile silver.
"Yes," I said. "Exactly like that."