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She glances behind her and smirks at me. “But… what happens in the Andes stays in the Andes… so no harm in a vacation fling.”

Anthony scoffs. “Would you leave the poor girl alone?”

I laugh and Hannah joins me. Curiosity gets the better of me and I take a quick peek over my shoulder. My eyes widen and I stop dead in my tracks, causing a collision of hikers.

“David?!”

His bright blue eyes, a color that should look so friendly and inviting, meet mine. His eye color is a complete tease because they don’t match his dark and dull personality at all. David uses his index finger to push his dark-rimmed glasses up his perfect, aristocratic nose and studies me for a second before his brain registers who he’s looking at.

His eyebrows shoot up. “Isabella?” He closes his eyes and uses his thumb and forefinger to massage his temples as if my presence is causing him to have a brain aneurysm.

“What are you doing here?”

He huffs out a breath. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”

The rest of the group is making their way around us as we stand there, gawking at each other with annoyed expressions. Hannah and Anthony have stayed behind and are eyeing us with amusement.

“I booked this trip months ago. I’m 15% Incan and wanted to explore the land of my ancestors. I have every right to be here!” I raise my chin in defiance.

I’m not usually disagreeable, but this man brings out the worst in me.

“As far as I know, it’s not a requirement to have Incan heritage to see Machu Picchu.” His voice is calm and steady, as usual. If it wasn’t for the twitch in his eye, I wouldn’t even realize he was annoyed and not simply bored. “And besides, a brochure showed up on my doorstep.”

I heave a heavy sigh. “That was probably my brochure.”

“Is it my fault you can’t keep your paperwork organized and contained within your own household?”

I’m grinding my teeth so hard that my jaw is starting to hurt. “Listen, Mr. Grumpy Pants,” Hannah giggles and Anthony shushes her. “Let's just stay away from each other. There’s no way I’m letting you ruin this trip for me.”

“‘Mr. Grumpy Pants’? Very mature.” He clears his throat and begins walking to catch up with the rest of the group.

Anthony and Hannah start walking in the same direction, and I follow along. I take a few deep breaths and remind myself that I’m in a magnificent place, crossing a huge item off of my bucket list. I cannot let David drag me down.

I zip my fleece jacket up a little higher to protect my neck from the cold morning weather, and walk toward the group with determination in my steps.

An hour and a half into the hike, we stop at the gorgeous Humantay Lagoon. The lagoon’s clear blue water is breathtaking paired with the snow-capped mountains in the background. We were all sure to dip our fingers into the freezing cold water since legend has it that the water keeps you young forever. I noticed David harrumphed when the guide told us that.

Does the man have no imagination?

Hannah was nice enough to assist me with photos for my website. Thankfully, she was already well-versed in iPhone photography and got a wide angle to show the entire lake but also capture my outfit spectacularly. My royal blue leggings and coordinating fleece jacket looked perfect next to the lake. My sponsors will love the photos.

After visiting the lagoon and taking photos, we continue our trek, still having many miles to cover today. During the hike, I’m able to observe the others in the group and notice everyone is paired up with a significant other, friends, or relatives. David and I seem to be the only ones solo on this expedition.

Oh well, I make friends easily—unlike Mr. Grumpy Pants who has kept to himself so far.

Seven miles in, we stop for a lunch break. The porters set up a tent for the chef who travels along with us and their team gets started with lunch prep. From my research, the food will be amazing.

I make sure to capture photos of the entire process before I take a seat on the ground next to a group of others, including Anthony and Hannah. I’m enjoying the view of the mountains and the cool breeze on my face. Just soaking it all in and allowing my legs to rest.

There’s a group of four guys sitting in the circle next to us. I’ve chatted off and on with them today and they seem nice. They’re childhood best friends and this is a trip for Eric, the one with shaggy red hair, who’s getting married next month. Next to him sits Dustin, who’s pale and freckled with blonde hair. The third one, Nick, has dark brown hair and hazel eyes. The one nearest to me is Chris. His hair is light brown and his eyes border somewhere between blue and green.

Eric, the one getting married, clears his throat. “So, Isabella, you’re on this trip by yourself?” His eyes shift to Chris and then back to me. Chris begins to choke on the drink of water he just took from his water bottle.

“Uh, yeah.” I shrug. “I tried to get my younger sisters to come, but they’re not really outdoorsy.”

“Ah, gotcha.” He nods and looks at Chris again. “So, just curious… Who are you sharing a tent with tonight?”

Feeling creeped out by his question, I decide to be blunt. “Um, aren’t you engaged?”