The cars pulled into the small gravel parking lot at the trailhead of Grinnell Glacier Trail, one of Montana's most iconic hiking routes. The towering peaks of the Glacier National Park loomed in the background, their snow-capped summits glistening under the bright sun. The group stepped out, greeted by the cool mountain breeze and the earthy scent of the wilderness.
Tom stretched his arms above his head, grinning. "This place is insane. I told you, Mia, it's perfect for a hike—and for us." He wiggled his eyebrows at Mia, making her laugh as she swatted his arm.
Eliss silently grabbed his backpack from the trunk, his movements brisk and purposeful. Lilly lingered near the car, hesitating as her eyes darted between him and the surrounding landscape.
Tom slung his bag on and clapped Eliss on the shoulder. "You two, don't lag behind. And no interruptions, alright? Mia and I want some alone time."
Before either Eliss or Lilly could respond, Tom and Mia strolled off down the trail, hand in hand, leaving the two behind.
Lilly adjusted the strap of her backpack, feeling the weight of the awkward silence between her and Eliss. He didn't look at her as he began walking ahead, his pace steady and his eyes fixed on the trail.
The path was breathtaking, winding through dense pine forests and offering glimpses of sparkling alpine lakes. But the beauty of the surroundings was lost on Lilly, who was too distracted by the coldness radiating from Eliss.
After several minutes of silence, Lilly gathered the courage to speak. "This trail is incredible," she began, her voice tentative. "Have you been here before?"
"No." His tone was curt, his gaze not leaving the path ahead.
Lilly swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around the straps of her backpack. She quickened her pace to catch up with him, her voice softer now. "Eliss, about the party..."
He stopped abruptly, turning to face her. His expression was cold, his eyes sharp. "You said you don't remember anything. So what's there to talk about?"
Lilly blinked, taken aback by his bluntness. "I just... I wanted to make sure you didn't think I—"
"Didn't think what?" he interrupted, his voice cutting. "That you took advantage of me? Don't flatter yourself. I don't care what happened. Let's just drop it."
Lilly felt her chest tighten, her words caught in her throat. "Eliss, I didn't mean to—"
"Enough," he snapped, stepping closer, his tone lowering but his words biting. "You said you don't remember, so stop bringing it up."
He turned away abruptly, his jaw tight as he started walking again, his pace faster now. Lilly stood frozen for a moment, her hands trembling as she watched him stride ahead, his figure disappearing around a bend.
The towering peaks of Montana felt smaller in comparison to the weight pressing on her chest. With a deep breath, she adjusted her bag and forced herself to move, her thoughts a chaotic mix of confusion and frustration as she followed the trail.
........................................
Eliss had been walking ahead when the sharp sound of Lilly's shriek stopped him dead in his tracks. His heart hammered in his chest, and he whipped around. "Lilly?" he called, his voice cracking. He scanned the trail, but she was nowhere in sight.
"Lilly!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the cliffs of the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Panic surged through him, cold and suffocating. Memories clawed their way to the surface—of being left, of abandonment. The sharp ache in his chest felt all too familiar.
He staggered back a step, his breath coming in shallow bursts. She left me. Just like my mother. The thought hit him like a punch, his fists clenching helplessly.
A sudden touch on his shoulder made him spin around, eyes wide. There she was—Lilly, standing behind him, her face painted with both concern and amusement.
Relief hit him like a tidal wave. Without thinking, he grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce hug, his arms crushing her against him as his eyes squeezed shut. It felt as though he'd been holding his breath, and now, finally, he could breathe again.
Lilly froze for a moment, caught off guard, before hesitantly returning the embrace. "Eliss—"
"Don't ever do that again," he cut her off sharply, pulling back just enough to look at her, his hands gripping her shoulders. His voice was low and unsteady, tinged with a frustration that barely masked his fear. "Do you hear me? Never."
She blinked, startled by the intensity in his tone. Then, almost sheepishly, she mumbled, "I was just kidding."
"Kidding?" Eliss's grip on her shoulders tightened briefly before he let go, stepping back. His expression hardened, though his chest still heaved. "That wasn't funny, Lilly. Don't play games like that."
She watched him, her own emotions swirling—confusion, a tinge of guilt, and something deeper she couldn't quite name. "I didn't think you'd react like that," she admitted quietly, brushing some dirt off her sleeve.
He turned his back to her, running a hand through his hair. "I don't care what you thought," he muttered, his voice softer now but still firm. "Just... don't do it again."
Lilly stood there, watching his tense shoulders as he stared off into the distance. What is he hiding? she wondered. His behavior was a puzzle—pushing her away one moment, pulling her close the next.
A bitter thought crept into her mind, one she couldn't ignore. He wants me when I'm gone but doesn't want me when I'm close.
"Eliss," she said carefully, her voice almost a whisper.
"What?" he snapped, without turning around.
She hesitated, the words she wanted to say slipping away like sand through her fingers. "Nothing," she said finally, her tone hollow.
Eliss glanced over his shoulder at her, his gaze unreadable. Then, without a word, he began walking again, leaving Lilly standing there, more confused than ever about what he truly wanted from her.
...........................
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the cool evening air settled over the group at the peak of the Montana trail. The colors of the sky bled into deep purples and oranges, the last traces of daylight fading away. Eliss was busy at the grill, flipping skewers of marinated meat over the open flame, his movements efficient and focused. The crackling sound of the fire accompanied the quiet hum of the mountain breeze, setting the mood for the night.
Mia and Tom were sitting by the fire, their bodies close, wrapped in the warmth of each other's embrace. The flames danced between them, casting shadows that flickered over their faces. Every now and then, they exchanged soft words and laughter, a private moment that seemed to exclude the rest of the group.
Lilly stood a few steps away, watching Eliss silently, unsure of what to say or how to act around him. The tension from earlier still hung in the air like a thick fog, and her mind raced with questions. Why had he reacted that way when she jokingly disappeared? What was it that made him pull away one minute and cling to her the next?
Tom noticed Lilly standing there, hesitating, and he leaned toward Mia, lowering his voice so that only she could hear. "I've never seen Eliss like that around a girl. He's always so... reserved. But when it comes to Lilly, there's something different in his eyes. Something I can't quite place."
Mia looked up at Tom, her curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Tom glanced over at Eliss, who was still focused on the barbecue, and then back at Lilly, who was standing off to the side, not quite fitting into the scene the way the others did. "There's this intensity, you know? Like... when I mentioned Lilly's name earlier, I saw something shift in him. Almost like he was afraid of something, or maybe of feeling something he didn't want to feel. But I could tell he cares."
Mia nodded thoughtfully, taking in Tom's words. She had seen the way Eliss interacted with Lilly—how his mood seemed to change around her, sometimes soft and other times distant. "So, what do you want to do about it?" she asked, her voice low but clear, as she turned her full attention to Tom.
"I want them to be together," Tom said quietly, his gaze never leaving Eliss and Lilly. "I don't know why, but I think they're good for each other. I just need your help to make that happen."
Mia raised an eyebrow, considering his words carefully. "And how do you think we should make that happen?"
Tom shrugged, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. "I don't know. Maybe we can nudge them in the right direction. Help Eliss realize what he's feeling... or maybe push Lilly to be a little braver."
At that moment, Eliss called out to Lilly, his voice just loud enough to carry over the crackling fire. "Hey, Lilly, could you grab me a drink?"
Lilly nodded, her mind still tangled with the strange, unresolved tension between them. She walked toward the cooler, grabbed a bottle, and made her way back to where Eliss stood. When she handed him the drink, their fingers brushed, but Eliss barely acknowledged her, his gaze focused on the grill.
Lilly felt a pang of frustration in her chest. What's going on with him? She stood there for a moment, waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent.
Tom, from a few feet away, watched the exchange closely. He leaned in toward Mia again, his voice barely audible over the crackling fire. "See that? He's acting like she doesn't exist, but I know there's something between them. He just needs a little push."
Mia sighed, watching the way Eliss and Lilly interacted—or rather, didn't interact. "Maybe you're right. But it's not going to be easy. These things never are."
Tom grinned. "I know. But I think we can help them find their way. They just need a little nudge in the right direction."
Mia raised her eyebrows, a small smile forming on her lips. "Alright, Tom. Let's see what we can do."
As the night wore on, the fire crackled, and the stars overhead began to twinkle brightly. The group settled into a comfortable silence, the tension between Eliss and Lilly hanging just beneath the surface, waiting for something to break it.
.........................
The evening wore on, with the fire casting flickering shadows across the group. Mia and Tom cuddled close, talking quietly, their shared smiles and soft laughter filling the air. But despite their efforts to create a light atmosphere, there was an undeniable tension that lingered between Eliss and Lilly.
Eliss continued to focus on the barbecue, occasionally flipping the skewers with mechanical precision. He hadn't said much since Lilly handed him the drink, and his silence weighed heavily on the group. Lilly tried to keep her distance, sitting with her thoughts swirling, but her eyes kept darting back to Eliss, wondering if he'd say something, anything.
As the night deepened, the stars overhead began to sparkle brightly, and the temperature dropped slightly. Tom, noticing the shift in the mood, nudged Mia. "Hey, let's take a walk. Let them have some space," he whispered.
Mia nodded in agreement. "Good idea. Eliss is getting too quiet, and Lilly... she's not herself either."
The couple stood up, hand-in-hand, and walked a little distance away from the fire, leaving Eliss and Lilly alone by the tent. The two of them stood in awkward silence for a long moment, neither one knowing exactly what to say next.
Finally, Eliss broke the silence, his voice low but sharp. "You still don't remember anything from that night?" he asked, almost as if he were challenging her.
Lilly's eyes widened, a mixture of confusion and vulnerability in her expression. "I told you... I don't remember anything, Eliss," she said softly, her voice almost pleading. "I was drunk, and you were too. You don't have to act like it means anything."
Eliss clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the wave of frustration that bubbled up inside him. The truth was, he wasn't sure what it meant, but he couldn't deny that something inside him had shifted that night. He didn't want to admit it to Lilly, didn't want to let her see how much it had affected him. He had never let himself get this close to anyone, and it scared him.
"Don't lie to me," Eliss snapped, his voice tinged with annoyance. "I saw the way you looked at me when you kissed me, and I saw the way you avoided me after. You think I'm stupid?"
Lilly flinched at the sharpness of his words, her face turning pale. "I wasn't lying, Eliss. I... I just didn't know what to do after that. It was a mistake, okay? A stupid mistake," she said, her eyes not meeting his. "I don't want to complicate things."
Eliss let out a frustrated sigh and turned his back to her, walking a few steps away. His hands dug into his pockets, and he stared out at the mountains in the distance, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
"You think it was a mistake?" Eliss muttered, more to himself than to her. "You think it doesn't mean anything?"
Lilly's heart ached at the hurt she could hear in his voice, but she was too proud to say anything more. She had always put up walls around herself, and this was no different. She had no idea how to fix this, how to explain that it was never meant to be anything more. She had never been good at being vulnerable, especially not around Eliss.
"Just forget about it, okay?" she said quietly. "Let's not make this any harder than it has to be."
Eliss turned around, his eyes dark with frustration, but when he spoke, his tone softened. "You don't get it, do you?" he said, taking a few steps closer to her. "I don't know what happened that night. I don't know if it's a mistake or something more, but I can't just ignore it like you can. I'm not like that."
Lilly swallowed hard, trying to control the emotions threatening to break through. "I'm not ignoring it," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I just... I don't know what you want from me, Eliss. One minute, you're all distant, and the next you're..."
"Next I'm what?" Eliss interrupted, his frustration bubbling to the surface again. "You want me to apologize for the way I acted? Or are you going to keep pretending it was nothing?"
Lilly closed her eyes, her head spinning. She didn't know how to handle him—how to handle herself. Everything felt too complicated.
Before she could say anything more, Tom and Mia reappeared, having finished their walk, their arms still wrapped around each other. They glanced at the tense exchange between Eliss and Lilly, but neither said a word.
Tom shot a quick, knowing look at Mia, and she nodded in understanding. "Maybe we should call it a night," Mia suggested gently, her voice light to break the tension.
Eliss turned his gaze away from Lilly, his shoulders stiff with anger, but he didn't argue. He knew it was getting late, and the mood had shifted into something neither of them could ignore anymore. The last thing he wanted was for things to escalate further.
"Yeah," Eliss muttered, "Let's go to bed."
As they headed toward the tents, the distance between Eliss and Lilly seemed more pronounced than ever. They had been through the same experience, shared a moment that neither of them could forget, but it felt like they were drifting further apart with every word they spoke.
Lilly glanced at Eliss one last time before retreating to her tent. His back was turned to her, and she felt a sting of regret, but at the same time, a part of her was relieved. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was better not to confront whatever this was.