The five mid-twenty somethings following us, three guys and two women, cheered like she’d promised them a backstage pass to a concert. Young, energetic, excited for everything. Their backpacks were almost offensively new.
The good news?
This group didnotassume that Sienna and I were a couple.
A miracle.
Truly.
They’d introduced themselves politely, asked the right trail questions, and not one of them had made a honeymoon joke or elbowed the person next to them while whispering something about guide chemistry.
I thanked whatever cosmic force had orchestrated that mercy.
Professional. Clean. Easy.
Until one of the women—Jenna, the brunette with the neon headband—fell into step beside me.
“You‘re Carson,” she said, smiling broadly, which we’d clearly established at the beginning of the hike.
“That’s me,” I answered, friendly but not inviting.
“This is my first guided trek,” she continued, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek in a way that looked rehearsed. “I was nervous about coming, but then I saw who the guides were and thought, okay, maybe this won’t be so scary after all.”
I nodded politely. “Glad you’re enjoying the route so far.”
“Oh, I’m enjoying it,” she said, letting the words hang like bait. “And the view.”
I pretended not to understand the implication and instead looked ahead, checking on the group spacing. “We’ll get an even better view at the next stop.”
She laughed lightly. “I meantthisview.”
She gestured to… me.
Right.
There it was.
The thing I’d hoped wouldn’t happen.
I offered a neutral smile. “Appreciate it.”
“I mean, I wasn’t expecting a guide to look like you,” she said, dropping her voice as if it were a secret we were sharing. “Are you single?”
Ah, here we go.
“Let’s focus on the trail,” I said gently, redirecting the conversation the way guides were trained to when clients crossed lines—not shaming, not rude, but firmly steering things back to the professional lane.
Except she pressed on.
“No, seriously,” she said, “are you?”
Before I could give a proper shutdown, someone called from up ahead.
“Hey!” It was Sienna.
Loud.
Dramatic.
