[It's just something we organized for fun. Why is this affected?! Ivy Foster was in second place the last time I checked! She is number one to me, but the one ranking first comes from a wealthy background and practically bought the votes.]...Ivy blushed.She did not know about the poll, nor had she expected to be so famous among students.Though she did not care much about fame, she was still happy that there were so many people who voted for her.Although she had not asked for the admin to remove her from the poll, she assumed that they had decided to do so for their own sake. Since she did not wish to draw the attention of others and the troubles that came with it. She felt glad that they had decided to remove her from the poll. After a while, Layla responded to her message. [I will be back in a few days. I still haven't climbed the mountain here!]Ivy had messaged Layla earlier asking when she would be back.[Layla, are you going to climb the mountain on your own?][I'm
Eric had arrived the night before and rested the night at a hotel, so he had recovered from the jetlag."Go buy a thicker jacket later!" Layla glanced at the jacket he was wearing and noticed that it was a brand from Aryadelle.The temperature in Cambrode was much lower than that of Aryadelle, and jackets from Aryadelle would not be enough to fend off the Cambrode's freezing cold. The temperature on the mountain would be lower than where they were, and Eric would fall sick if he went outside wearing just a thin jacket."Yeah," he said."There's a store near this hotel. I bought my jacket there." Layla arrived a few days earlier than he did and already knew her way around."Sure. Are you done with work?" he asked."All done. I would have stayed a few more days even if you hadn't come. The view here is great." She glanced out the window as she spoke.It was white as far as the eyes could see. The glittering snow seemed the contain a magic that washed away all the unwanted thoughts
"Are you that afraid of the cold?" Layla chuckled."You said that we are going to climb a mountain, right?""Yeah! Just get the long one! I'm not teasing you. You are tall, so you won't look chubby even if you wear long jackets."Eric slid the jacket on and instantly started to feel hot as the store was equipped with a heater that was turned on. "I'll get this one, then!" Eric took it off."Buy a pair of winter trousers, too, or your legs will get cold." Layla stood in front of the shelf and handed him a pair of trousers.He accepted it and checked the size."Is the size right? I took a random one." Layla did not know his measurements."It's perfect." He went into the fitting room with the trousers, while Layla went to the ladies' section and looked at a few clothes that were of a similar style to the ones Eric had chosen. "Miss, would you like to try this one here? It's the same style as the one your boyfriend picked. A lot of couples buy these and wear them as couples wear
Layla's words insinuated that even if he continued to stay in Cambrode, she would not be with him. Eric understood what she meant but kept his composure. "I will check to see if there're any other tourist spots after this.""My assistant made a travel plan. I will get her to send it to you," Layla said."Sure. Why didn't your assistant come with you?" Eric asked."She is coming here today as well. I told her to come with us, but she said she's going there by herself as she doesn't want to get in our way."An hour later, the car stopped at the bottom of the mountain.It was a famous spot for tourists, so it was swarming with people."The snow isn't that heavy here," Eric said after getting out. "Wear your hat and scarf properly. The temperature is lower here."Layal put on her hat and scarf, covering everything but her eyes. Though she was already twenty-five years old, her eyes still looked as innocent and pure as that of a child's."Gloves." He glanced at her eyes and remi
Layla was clearly not interested in the snacks he bought. "I don't like these.""You didn't eat enough during breakfast," Eric said. "There are no expensive snacks here. You can eat these if you get hungry later.""I never said that I want expensive snacks," she retorted. "I just don't like snacks in general.""You like fruits, but they don't sell those here." Eric knew what she liked but was not sure if her preferences had changed."I wouldn't buy fruits even if they sell them here. It's too heavy. It's not like we are spending the night there." She glanced at the line in front of her. "It's quite fast to get there by cable car. It's really cold up there, so anyone who manages to stay there for over half an hour should consider themselves heroes.""Have you bought the tickets for the return trip?" Eric studied the cable car moving in the distance."I bought round-trip tickets."Soon, it was their turn, and Layla took off her gloves to unlock her phone and showed her reservation
Layla thought about it and took out her phone, unlocked it, and handed it over to him."Where are we going to stand?" Layla asked.As more and more tourists arrived, the small piece of land soon began to feel crowded.Some of the tourists even started to walk up the slope to find a better spot to take pictures.Eric looked around while holding her phone and Layla searched around as well."Everywhere is packed," she said. "Just take a few photos here!""Come here." Eric waved his hand at Layla. He had found a corner with fewer people.Layla immediately walked toward him.He found a spot lower down the gentle slope. "The view isn't as great, but we only need to capture the side that looks good on the photo."He meant for them to climb down and go back up once they took the photos.Layla observed her surroundings and realized that it would not be an issue for them to climb down as there were footprints leading down. "Are we really going that far for a few photos?" she said as
"The light seems a bit dim." She glanced at the photo before looking up at the sky. "It's windy here.""You can always edit the photo afterwards," he said. "Are you cold?""A bit. Let's not take any more photos." She took the phone from him. "Eric, I asked you to come here to tell you that we should stop seeing each and contacting each other."She summoned the courage to speak her mind. Her heart was racing by the time she was done, and she immediately bowed her head to avoid looking at him."I can't restart my life until I cut all ties with you." She stared at the snow at her feet. She felt a lump in her throat. She had not felt the urge to cry since she had come to a decision a few days ago."Of course, Layla," Eric said calmly. "If this can help you turn over a new page in your life, I won't object to it. I will never bother you or your family."She immediately looked up. "That's not what I mean. You are a close friend of Mom. I don't want your friendship to be affected by me.
"Let's search for a place to brace for impact!" Eric had acted in movies which had scenes similar to the situation they were in, and he knew the basics of what to do in an avalanche. "If we can't run, we need to wait for rescue to come."There was no way to predict natural disasters, and though the screaming had not ceased, Layla felt much more at ease.In the worst-case scenario, she would die with Eric. Her parents had other children, and they would not need to mourn for long over them. The only regret she felt was that she had asked Eric to come to Cambrode. Had she not done it, he would have never come, and he would not be in this disaster."I'm so sorry, Eric." Layla could not see how they would make it out of this alive, and she had to say what was on her mind while she still could. "I shouldn't have asked you to come here. I put you in this situation.""It's not your fault, Layla! We aren't the only people here; no one can predict something like this! Don't feel guilty! Do