She follows along behind him, using the same handholds and footholds. One hand and foot at a time she makes her way up the mountain, telling herself not to look down. "How are you doing?" he asks.
"I'm petrified," she says and means it.
"You're a quick learner, though. You've already gotten the hang of it."
"I have a good teacher," she says.
Her fingernails dig into the rock as she attempts to push herself up to the next handhold. Her right hand grabs a chunk of rock that breaks away. Her left hand manages to catch part of a rock to keep her from falling. She tries to get traction with her feet to steady herself. The fingers on her left hand lose their grip on the rock. She claws at the air, trying to grab onto anything. Before she plunges to her death, something stops her fall and guides her back onto the rock.
She looks to her left and sees that while Andre is grinning at her, his eyes are filled with terror. "I got you, kiddo," he says with phony bravado. "You have to be careful on these rocks."
He stays next to her, making sure she doesn't fall. The sun is setting by the time she reaches the top, her body an aching mass. He puts an arm around her shoulders as they stand atop the mountain, facing the sun. "We did it," she says.
"We made it. I'm sorry I forced you-"
"You didn't. I wanted to."
"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." When he kisses her, she feels the wetness on his cheeks. She pours every ounce of passion into the kiss, trying to reassure him. Trying to remind him how much she loves him.
They watch the sun retreat beneath the horizon, leaving behind pink and purple twilight hues. "How do we get down?" she finally asks. There's no way for her tired limbs to climb back down the mountain.
He opens his backpack and takes out a pair of elastic ropes. "I have a parachute in here too if you want to try that," he says. His voice is hollow.
"I think I've had enough excitement for today."
She lets him attach the ropes to the side of the mountain and then tie one around her waist. He shows her how to repel down the mountain face by pushing away with his legs and then arcing down to do it again. Her attempts at this leave her with bruised arms and sore legs. At the bottom he unties her rope and carries her from the mountain, all the way back to camp.