Chapter 32

As they hiked further, they turned a corner where a steep rock jutted out—it looked a bit too tall for Elsie. Lucas hopped up first and instinctively reached his hand back to help, but pulled it back at the last second. Elsie noticed but didn’t react much, just placed her left foot on the rock and was about to push herself up, when a steady hand landed lightly on her lower back and gave her a gentle lift up. She glanced back—William had caught up at some point without her noticing. He was standing below the rock, while she stood at a higher spot. Because of the angle, he had to look up at her, his brown eyes focused on her face. In the dim forest light, they looked especially deep, making his expression feel almost reverent. Elsie quickly looked away and kept going. William slowed his pace, trailing behind her at a steady rhythm. After a few steps, he asked, “That bag heavy?” Elsie didn't catch it clearly. “What?” He reached forward, slipping her backpack off and giving it a light boun