Chapter 842: Uncontrollably Moved
The mountaintop was jam-packed with folks.
Clearly, everyone was there to catch the sunset.
Everyone was bundled up in down jackets, and some had even pitched tents, snoozing while waiting for the sunset.
Some had brought grills, enjoying the view while barbecuing.
But they had zilch.
And the place to rent clothes was already cleaned out.
The smell of grilled meat hit their noses, making Stella and Hannah's mouths water.
Both of them gulped hard.
Climbing up from halfway up the mountain, they were beat and starving.
Stella scoped out the area and quickly found the grill rental spot. She snagged a grill set right away.
Hannah hesitated, "Stella, are we really sticking around? It's only the afternoon and it's already freezing. It'll be way colder at night! And we didn't rent any clothes! How about we head back down? We can come back better prepared next time."
This time, they were total noobs. Plus, it was a newly developed resort, and their lack of planning led to this mess.
But Stella didn't care about any of that. Since they were here, they had to see the sunset.
Stella said, "If it gets too cold at night, we'll just huddle around the fire! It won't be cold by the fire, trust me!"
Hannah asked, "Are you sure?" She wasn't buying it!
Stella patted her chest and assured, "We're besties. I wouldn't steer you wrong. Trust me!"
After all, that's how it always went on TV. When it's cold, you warm up around the fire.
Seeing Stella so confident, Hannah didn't have the heart to kill her vibe and reluctantly agreed.
The spot to watch the sunrise was a big artificial terrace, with a wild forest behind it. The forest led up to a small peak about ten meters high.
Stella quickly picked a prime spot. They could see the sunset and had enough space to set up the grill.
Seeing her fumbling with the grill, Charles couldn't take it anymore and stepped in to help.
Hannah also jumped in to help.
Only Austin sat there with a blank face, watching them work.
Stella could talk the talk, but when it came to actually doing stuff, she was totally useless. In the end, it was Hannah and Charles who set up the grill together.
The grill was set up, but they couldn't get the charcoal to light.
Charles and Hannah huddled in front of the grill. Hannah said, "The owner gave us a charcoal starter earlier. Maybe we should use that?"
"Let me try!" Charles took over the charcoal starter.
Hannah carefully placed the charcoal inside.
Charles instructed, "Don't pack it too tight, leave some space for it to burn."
"Okay!" Hannah nodded and spaced out the charcoal like Charles said.
Seeing them work so well together, Stella nodded in satisfaction and quietly stepped back to give them some alone time.
Even though Austin's sudden appearance had thrown a wrench in the original plan, seeing them get along so well now made her feel the trip was worth it.
She was happy, but Austin was not.
Seeing the two of them working so closely together like an old married couple who could read each other's minds and get stuff done perfectly, he felt a pang of jealousy. He was about to step in between them when Stella pulled him back.
Stella said, "Dang, I forgot to grab water earlier. Come on, let's go get some! And maybe snag a couple of blankets from the store, just in case we need 'em tonight."
Austin impatiently shook off her hand.
Austin refused, "You go by yourself. I'm not going!"
Stella didn't care if he wanted to go or not and yanked him towards the small supermarket.
Stella insisted, "I can't carry everything by myself. You gotta help, come on."
Once they left, they wouldn't be able to bug Charles and Hannah.
"You're so annoying..." Austin was fed up and tried to shake off Stella, but she was surprisingly strong and ended up dragging him away.
Charles and Hannah focused on lighting the fire.
Once it was lit, Charles fanned it gently with a fan.
Hannah also blew on it, but ended up blowing black ash all over her face and body, even getting some in her eyes.
She rubbed her eyes in discomfort.
Charles noticed and immediately pulled her hand away, "Don't rub. It'll only make it worse! Use water to wash it out."
Hannah anxiously asked, "Where's the water?"
Charles said, "There's a faucet up ahead for washing veggies. Come on, close your eyes. I'll guide you. Be careful."
Charles naturally took Hannah's hand and carefully led her to the faucet.
Charles asked, "Which eye? Can you see?"
Hannah tried to open her eyes but quickly closed them again in discomfort.
Hannah said, "No, it feels like both eyes have ash in them! I can't open them; it hurts when I do."
Charles gently said, "Let me wash them for you. Lower your head."
Hannah obediently lowered her head.
Charles placed his large hand on the back of her neck, guiding her head towards the faucet, while his other hand cupped some water to gently wash her eyes.
The mountain water was icy cold and very soothing.
Her eyes, which had been burning with pain, felt much better as soon as they met the cold water.
Charles said, "Try to open your eyes and blink. Let the water wash out the ash."
Hannah obediently opened her eyes and washed them in Charles' cupped hand.
Charles not only washed her eyes but also kept an eye out to prevent anyone from bumping into her, always aware of their surroundings.
"How does it feel? Still hurt?" Charles asked with concern.
Hannah replied, "Much better!"
Charles cupped another handful of water and continued washing her eyes.
Because she was bent over, Hannah's shirt had ridden up, revealing her fair, slender waist. Charles' gaze unintentionally fell on her waist, and he was momentarily stunned, unable to look away.
The warm sunlight shone on her, making even the fine hairs on her body visible.
Charles couldn't help but swallow, feeling a tingling sensation all over his body.
Hannah, with her head down, didn't notice his reaction. After a while, her eyes were finally clean, and she slowly raised her head, wiping the water from her face. Hannah said, "Thank you so much! Do you think I'm really clumsy?"
Noticing Charles didn't respond, she saw him staring blankly at a spot and waved her hand in front of his face.
Hannah worried, "Mr. Watson? What's wrong? Mr. Watson? Wake up..."
Charles snapped back to reality, realizing the inappropriate thoughts he had just had. His face turned red with embarrassment, even his ears blushing.
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