Chapter 7

Ricky, as usual, was standing not far behind Steve, his weak face was decorated with a broad smile, as if he was embracing the sun that was shining very brightly. Not only did Steve know that Ricky's smile was not sunlight, but a smile that he used to use as a cover for everything.

The pain, the sadness, the depression, the obsession... all those things would only make Ricky smile.

After resting, they continued their ascent, and with Teddy's encouragement, they finally arrived at the top of the mountain without taking a single rest. The small shop that was half-collapsed due to the Fall of the Survivors on the top of the mountain that time had been rebuilt, and the uncle selling cold drinks smiled at the newly arrived group, showing all his white teeth. Steve stood to watch over the tourists and prevent them from accidentally stepping into a dangerous place.

Of course, this was basically unnecessary, because most people went with Rino to the crater vent and listened to his story about the earthquake that occurred at that time and how the hole was formed.

"What a beautiful sight." A familiar voice sounded in Steve's ears. He turned his head to the side. Ricky spread his arms to feel the wind blowing, the strong wind blew his jacket as if he wanted to fly.

Steve replied, "The view is really nice."

"It feels really good to be alive. After coming back here, I have two things I'm grateful for." Ricky put his hands in his pockets and smiled in the direction of the wind, "The second thing is to see such a great view like this, and for the first thing... I finally came back alive to meet you."

Steve turned his head and his gaze locked with Ricky's, but after a while Steve turned the other way, his voice sounded a little colder than the wind in this autumn.

"If I remember correctly, we broke up before you disappeared three years ago."

At that very moment, the smile that was on Ricky's face froze.

~~~~~~~

Steve had always made it clear that he liked men, and he had never intentionally hidden it, only that, so far there had been no one around him to tell them about this.

The reason for this is that Steve was the only person who properly and seriously treated Ricky as a friend when he was young, and Ricky felt a sense of dependence on Steve, which Steve did not realize at the time, nor did he ever think of it as something bad.

Dependence, possessiveness, and constant touching, as if he was suffering when he couldn't get close to him, Ricky became more and more dissatisfied.

This short-lived relationship ended until the last day of one of last summer's vacations, when Ricky proposed the idea of ​​following Steve back to school, ignoring his own condition and health, so that he could see Steve every day. After being rejected by Steve, instead of accepting it, he told him that he had a heart attack and had to be taken directly to see a doctor. Ricky hoped that Steve could accompany him.

At that moment, Steve suddenly realized that Ricky's obsession with himself was becoming more and more problematic, and that his dependence and affection were slipping and slipping rapidly in a definite direction.

After this realization, Steve nicely and immediately broke up with Ricky. On that rainy night, Ricky stood in the rain with his eyes reddening to prevent Steve from leaving him. He didn't know how long he had been standing there and, before long, Ricky started to use excessive means to try to get Steve back, but this approach only made Steve feel that he was right when he broke off the two of them.

Two months later, Steve, who was at school, received news that Ricky had suffered a heart attack and had finally died.

"I don't approve of this breakup." Ricky spat out these words after what seemed like a long moment, "I lived until now so that I can see you again. I want to get you back." Ricky said firmly.

"Now that you have met me, I will not return." Steve didn't give him a single chance, "I don't want to be involved with you any more, dead or alive, please get out of my life." Steve without looking at Ricky in the slightest.

Seeing Steve who turned around to leave, Ricky clenched his fists tightly, his nails piercing deep into the flesh on his palms, staining the gaps of the nails red. He stared fixedly at Steve's back, his face pale as if he had received some horrific attack. His eyes became even redder, as if he was a sad little soul.

The man with the camera in his hand cautiously approached, "Brother, is everything okay?"

Ricky turned his head to look at the man. His eyes were red but his face showed a cold smile. Such a strong contrast made the man's heart skip a beat, a panic he didn't expect immediately exploded in his mind.

"B... Brother?" repeated the man doubtfully.

"I'm fine." Ricky muttered, when he looked back at Steve's back, his dark eyes showed a hint of sadness.

~~~~

When they finished with the second group of tourists, it was already very late. At eight o'clock in the evening, the tourists were exhausted after getting off the bus and waiting to return to their respective hotels. Steve can finally finish his work, because after that there will be another guide who will lead them to continue their journey. Steve changed from his work uniform into his usual clothes, then he sat on a bench and opened a bottle of mineral water to drink. The moment the water touched his throat it felt like he had regained his spirits.

They rarely lead two tours in one day, the mountain requires a lot of effort to climb, there are no tour buses, and they can only go up and down the mountain by walking.