"Sprint, and sprint again!"
After grinding it out for over half a year, Luke had gotten the hang of this interval endurance running thing. Switching up speeds? No biggie. Now, it was all about cranking up the frequency and pushing those speed limits. Today, Luke was going all out.
As he tore through the air, the wind roared in his ears. He was flying, fully locked into sprint mode. Sure, he was three seconds behind, but he was closing in. After about 300 feet, he was right on her tail.
Luke eased up a bit and caught up, running side by side with her.
That little move seemed to light a fire under the girl. She gritted her teeth and tried to speed up again. But come on, how was an average girl supposed to keep up with a college football player?
Luke just had to nudge his speed up a bit to stay right next to her, not falling behind or overtaking. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't shake him. After a short burst, she started to slow down. After about 5000 feet, she was done, totally gassed out.
Interval running ain't no joke.
But Luke? He kept going. He glanced back, shot her a smile, and kept running. He still had to knock out his 33,000-foot run for the day.
The girl stood there, catching her breath, watching Luke disappear into the distance. She looked up at the sky, let out a big sigh, rolled her bright blue eyes in frustration, and muttered, "Bambi, that beast."
Yeah, Bambi's a beast alright. Makes sense.
Luke kept his rhythm and pace steady, finishing his run like a pro. But this time, instead of heading to the field, he strolled over to the stands.
On the stands, the girl had her right elbow on her knee, chin resting on her hand. She leaned forward, curiosity all over her face. Her lips were slightly pouted, a soft pink glow to them. Sweat still glistened on her forehead, giving her a healthy, vibrant look. Her bright eyes and white teeth sparkled with life.
Bathed in golden sunlight, it was like all the light and brilliance had settled in her blue eyes, making them shimmer beautifully.
She looked down at the sweaty Luke, her full lips curving into a graceful smile. "Finished your training?" She didn't seem surprised by Luke's relentless running, like she was totally used to it. "Is it just me, or are you upping your training game?"
"To handle tougher games, I don't have much choice," Luke said, spreading his hands with a helpless look.
The girl shot back, "I think you love it. You must be a masochist." Her teasing tone and eye roll made her feelings pretty clear.
Luke kept smiling, not flustered at all. "Says the girl who trained until she was dehydrated."
"Once! That was just once!" She slumped her shoulders and stuck out her tongue dramatically, letting out a heavy sigh. "Can't we just let that go? Bambi, life's tough enough. Let's not make it harder on each other, okay?" Her playful attitude was pretty amusing.
Luke shook his head, frowning and stepping back like he was avoiding her. "Do we even know each other?" His act was so convincing that she gritted her teeth in frustration. Finally, she raised her hands in surrender. "Truce, how about it?"
"Truce, huh? Why do I feel like I won big today?" Luke kept pushing, but seeing her exasperated look, he decided to stop. "Truce, of course. Today’s a tie again."
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, like she was saying, "You better quit while you're ahead."
This time, Luke didn't say anything. He just closed his mouth, walked around the track, and sat down beside her in the stands. He handed her a towel from around his waist. "It's clean," he said.
Watching her take the towel, Luke chuckled. "When did you get back to L.A.? You didn't mention it in your last email, or I would've picked you up at the airport."
"I came back to L.A. just to see you, didn't you know? How about that? Touched?" She wiped the sweat from her forehead and nudged Luke's arm with her elbow, her face beaming.
Luke's mouth lifted into a smile. "Yeah, very touched."
Her straightforward answer left her momentarily stunned. "You accepted it so directly, what am I supposed to do with my next move?"
"Go with the flow." Luke's response left Candice speechless, her jaw practically on the floor. Her stunned look made Luke burst out laughing.
The girl sitting next to Luke was Candice Swanepoel, a model and rising star catching everyone's eye.
Candice, originally from South Africa, got discovered by a talent scout at fourteen and jumped into the modeling world. From a nobody to a big deal, she climbed her way up, and now her career was finally taking off.
Candice and Luke met by pure chance.
In the summer of 2004, right after finishing eighth grade and before starting high school, Luke got the green light from his parents to go on a self-challenge adventure. He packed his backpack and gear and set off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
This trail, known as the Pacific Crest Trail, is one of the toughest hiking routes, taking four to six months to complete. It goes through twenty-five national forests and seven national parks, making it one of the most hardcore challenges out there.
For his first hiking challenge, Luke didn't bite off more than he could chew by trying the whole trail. Instead, he picked the section in California, passing through Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park, aiming to finish in fifteen to twenty days.
During one part of the wilderness route, Luke ran into Candice and her friend. At that time, Candice's friend had sprained an ankle, and they had spilled most of their drinking water, putting them in a tight spot. Luke, who happened to be passing by, offered to help.
Luke first treated the sprained ankle, then shared some of his water and food. He continued on his way alone, reaching an official supply station and campsite, where he notified rescue personnel to help them out.
That evening, Luke reunited with Candice and her friend at the campsite.
Out of genuine gratitude and because they were around the same age, the three of them started chatting.
One was an Avalis American boy with dreams of playing football, hoping to become the first Avalis American player in NFL history. Another was a girl from a poor South African town, aiming to make it big in the cutthroat modeling industry. The third was an ordinary girl from a small town in the central U.S., hoping to make a name for herself in Hollywood.
Three young dreamers, even if their goals seemed far-fetched and tough to achieve, found themselves together. With different dreams and reasons, they had set out on the Pacific Crest Trail. By a twist of fate, they met and hit it off.
That night, the three of them chatted by candlelight. Candice's friend was the first to crash, while Luke and Candice sat outside the campsite, bathed in starlight, talking until the early hours. Only when the sky started to lighten did they finally call it a night.
The next day, Luke got up and continued his journey. The two girls, however, were too wiped out, and one had a sprained ankle. They stayed at the campsite to rest and recover for a few days before moving on.
It was just a chance encounter. After that, they lost touch. In 2004, social networks weren't a thing yet, and email and MSN were still the go-to. They didn't exchange contact info, so they had no way to find each other.
Luke and Candice's next meeting was another stroke of luck.
In the spring of 2005, Candice went to San Francisco for a modeling audition and unexpectedly ran into Luke at Union Square. At that time, Luke was working a part-time gig for Valentine's Day, which paid about three times the usual rate. So, Luke was dressed in a teddy bear costume, handing out balloons and roses at Union Square, inviting customers into Macy's.
At that moment, Candice was being harassed by some creep who kept following her and asking for her number. Despite her repeated refusals, he wouldn't back off. Luke swooped in, pretending to be Candice's boyfriend, surprising her with roses, and scaring the guy off.
This was their second encounter. This time, they exchanged email addresses and became friends.
In the blink of an eye, six years had flown by.
In the past two years, Candice had become a sensation. In 2009, at just twenty-one, she became one of the five new angels of "Victoria's Secret." In 2010, just last year, she officially signed on as a Victoria's Secret runway model, earning the chance to walk in the annual fashion show. Her rise seemed unstoppable.
As for Luke, he had just gone through the draft but unfortunately went undrafted.