Page 42 of An Italian Wedding Adventure

‘To be honest,’ he said quickly before panic gripped him, ‘we probably would never have got to know each other. That’s what you thought? You’re right. You’ve got me.’

Her lips thinned. ‘And then I got a little hooked on the adrenaline high and mixed it up with you.’ She nodded slowly, as though the realisation comforted her.

It didn’t comfort Andreas even though it should have. The wash of guilt at hurting her he’d felt when he’d seen her again – guilt he should have shed in the course of eight years – could be assuaged if her feelings for him hadn’t been so deep after all. But he wanted her to insist there had been something more.

‘I’ve told you before I didn’t want to end our relationship.’

A nod. A hint of a smile. ‘Just pause it while you climbed another mountain and we waited to see if you’d come back down alive.’

Which was exactly why he’d never risked another relationship. He’d had no right to send her that message when he got back. It wasn’t fair to leave her figuratively hanging and she’d been right to ignore it, even though he’d blamed her for a few years afterwards.

‘But it’s not your fault if I didn’t realise things were casual,’ she said lightly.

‘They weren’t! I mean… you were important to me.’ More important than he could tell her without starting the whole cycle again.

‘I know, I know. I bet you love Kira, too, in your way. You told me what your limits were and I shouldn’t have tried to cross them – or got angry at you eight years later. I can see now…’ Her throat moved as she gazed at the exposed traverse before her. ‘It’s powerful stuff, adrenaline.’ Her smile gained a little strength.

‘It is,’ he agreed emphatically.

She studied him, her expression this time enigmatic. ‘Okay,’ she said quietly, loosening her body. ‘Let’s do this.’ And she stepped towards him into the small cleft in the rock.

He waited until she reached the first bolt and clipped her carabiners over one at a time. She glanced up with a hint of uncertainty as he shuffled further along to give her space.

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he murmured.

‘Except Manaslu,’ she added through gritted teeth.

Before he could work out what was behind that comment, she was moving again, sideways along the rock, her feet scrabbling for the steel brackets when the sheer limestone had no natural footholds.

It was a long traverse and they inched across, Andreas always one bolt ahead of her. Her chest rose and fell; he could almost hear her heart racing. He’d loved watching her learn years ago, but his memories were coloured by her admission that she’d forced herself through some difficult moments simply to keep him in her life.

The thought made him weak. He’d lost her devotion, never even mourned it because he hadn’t recognised it. He was mourning it now, but with a curious feeling of detachment. They’d both screwed up eight years ago. But she was here, now, and she wasn’t pretending any more.

Perhaps this new phase of their relationship, even if it wasn’t romantic, was better.

‘Want me to take a picture?’

‘Right now?’ she groaned. ‘I suppose we need to show this part to the bride and groom, even if I look half-dead.’

‘You’re hanging off a mountain, Fini. You look amazing.’

She laughed and he managed to capture the image on his phone. ‘That’s your fantasy, huh? A sweaty woman in a harness? You will definitely love these extreme weddings!’

‘Give you a crown of flowers and I’ll fall at your feet,’ he joked.

‘The flowers looked better on you!’ she shot back, still making slow progress in his direction while he stowed his phone again.

‘You don’t look half-dead,’ he said with a smile. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Wildly alive,’ she answered drily.

She climbed doggedly, up and down and across, gaining confidence with each step. By the time she scrambled down the last gully to the next section of hiking trail without safety cables, she was glowing with energy.

After waiting for her to descend the last few steps and unclip her straps, he should have pushed on, set a fast pace to the summit, which was their goal after all. But she stood close on the narrow path and he paused.

Should he give her a high five? A friendly slap on the back? A hug? Her chest heaved as she stared up at him, almost as though she were wondering the same thing – and coming to the same conclusion.

She moved before he did, slipping a hand around his neck. He only had a moment to accept that this had to happen before she tugged him close and kissed him.

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