At Whispering Pines Retreat .
In a cozy courtyard with stone pathways and rustic wooden fences, a light mist swirled in the air. Beyond the elegant wooden privacy screens, a series of natural hot springs formed a serene retreat, arranged in a pattern reminiscent of the Big Dipper.
Noe and the others arrived earlier than Dakota.
The dinner at this hot spring hotel was Japanese cuisine, with fresh sashimi on ice platters, accompanied by sushi, foie gras, and a few bowls of hot soup.
When Dakota arrived, they were already eating.
Lailah waved at her, "Dakota! Come here, Dakota! This place has your favorite pan-seared foie gras with red wine!"
Jasiah got up to help Dakota with her luggage.
Noe, while squeezing wasabi, peeked and unexpectedly found another figure behind Dakota.
"Hey? Curtis!"
He stood up, "What a coincidence, you and Dakota arrived together?"
Dakota hadn't noticed that Curtis was behind her.
She had rushed all the way to maintain distance from Curtis, so no one would guess they lived together.
Hearing Noe call him,
Dakota turned her head disapprovingly, indeed seeing Curtis following her with a casual stride on the blue bricks.
"It is quite a coincidence," she said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Pineda."
This dog is truly a tailgater!
And he hasn't shaken off yet!
Curtis raised his eyebrows calmly, "It's not that coincidental, maybe it's because I live closer to Mr. Gardner."
Dakota stared at him warningly.
Lailah, biting her chopsticks, "Are pigs flying? Your titles today are awfully polite—"
"But do you live close to Dakota?"
She turned back, grabbed a sushi, and mumbled around a mouthful, "I remember Dakota lives in the southern suburbs, the Curtis are in the western suburbs, Whispering Pines Retreat is in the east—we thought Curtis would arrive late."
Noe nodded vigorously beside her.
He stuffed scallops on one side and salmon on the other, chewing like a hamster as he looked up at them.
Dakota clenched her fists.
She turned her back to Noe and Lailah, giving Curtis warning looks not to provoke a fight.
But Curtis seemed carefree.
He sauntered towards Dakota and reached out to pinch the back of her neck. Dakota felt like a cat whose scruff had been grabbed, almost ready to explode.
Curtis merely smiled, turning Dakota around and guiding her towards the table.
"I haven't been living in the western suburbs recently."
He played along with her story, "It wasn't convenient for work, so I temporarily got a place in the southern."
"No wonder," Noe's eyes were red.
He seemed to be stung by the wasabi, "I was saying, if you came from the Pineda's house, there's no way you could arrive with Dakota, unless you live together!"
Noe turned away and drank water frantically to quench the burn.
He didn't notice how intimate Curtis's action of pinching Dakota's neck was.
But Lailah glanced at them suspiciously.
However, seeing Dakota and Curtis interact normally, choosing opposite seats, Dakota quickly changed the subject to order the pan-seared foie gras with red wine after sitting down.
Curtis didn't care what he ate.
He poured himself a cup of sake, sipping it, his gaze locked on Dakota like a magnet.
When Jasiah returned, he waved a hand in front of Curtis, "What are you staring at so intently?"
He followed Curtis's line of sight.
It was Dakota.
She was seriously taking small bites of foie gras, her cheeks puffing as she chewed, making her already luscious lips look even more inviting with a touch of oil.
Looking at her made him want to—
Curtis instantly pulled his gaze away.
Realizing these improper thoughts, he immediately tried to cover them up with other thoughts.
So he calmly picked up his sake cup, intending to sip.
But Jasiah pointed out, "Hey—your cup is empty."
Curtis paused with the cup halfway to his mouth.
He shot Jasiah a cold, careless glance. Even after being called out, there wasn't a hint of embarrassment—just the same cocky, prideful look as always.
But Jasiah leaned closer, "That's strange, Curtis, weren't you just staring at Dakota?"
"What's wrong?" "What's wrong with looking at her?" Curtis put down his sake cup, calmly pouring more.
"Not really."
Jasiah sat casually, practically on the floor in the Japanese-style tatami room. He propped one leg up and rested his arm on his knee, also turning his gaze toward Dakota.
"You've been acting kinda weird lately. You never used to care about Dakota, but now you're fighting with me over her stealing your underwear. What's next, pigs flying?"
Jasiah laughed.
It was clearly a joke, but surprisingly, Curtis didn't snap back right away.
Jasiah froze.
He slowly turned to look at Curtis, who was lazily leaning back, twirling his cup of sake, watching Dakota beg Lailah for some peach blossom wine.
Jasiah noticed his gaze.
With his experience in numerous relationships, he felt that those looks were far from innocent.
"Ouch—"
Jasiah began to feel something was off. He sucked in a breath, leaned in, and nudged Curtis with his elbow, asking in a low voice, "No way? You actually like her?"
Curtis still didn't respond.
He tilted his head back and finished the last of his drink, which seemed to confirm his suspicions in Jasiah's eyes.
"Damn…" Jasiah muttered.
His mind felt tangled, unsure where to go from here.
"Does Noe know?"
"He doesn't know."
"Does Lailah know?"
"He doesn't know."
"And… does Dakota know?" Jasiah probed, already concocting wild theories in his head.
This time, Curtis didn't respond immediately.
He sort of denied it, raising an eyebrow, "Though, I think she likes me too."
Jasiah: "..."
Okay, he understood why Curtis asked them in the bar if they thought Dakota had a crush on him.
But he'd still give the same verdict:
Idiot.
But this time, Jasiah didn't say it out loud. He just looked at Curtis speechlessly, "Alright, as long as you're happy."
Men in love can't be reasoned with.
Even if he saw things clearly, saying anything would be futile and might damage Curtis's pride.
Jasiah refused to pick a fight.
He patted Curtis on the shoulder, "If you decide to pursue her, let me know. Though I'm currently single, I've got loads of experience chasing girls, I can teach you!"
"What about chasing girls?"
Noe suddenly leaned in, "Jasiah, you're not trying to chase some girl again, are you?"
"Get lost." Jasiah kicked him.
He didn't betray Curtis, "Eat your sashimi, or I'll dunk you in the pool later."
Noe shrank back, muttering, "Tch, if you're chasing a girl, just admit it, no need to get all huffy."
Jasiah ignored him.
Curtis lifted his gaze to Dakota, his grip on the cup tightening slightly. After watching her for a while, he realized Dakota hadn't noticed the exchange.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Lailah, shall we change into our swimsuits? I don't want to eat anymore, I want to go soak in the hot springs."
"I was just about to change into my swimsuit too."
Lailah excitedly linked arms with Dakota, "Dakota, let me tell you! Today when I went shopping for swimsuits, I found one that's super sexy and perfect for you!"
"Hmm?" Dakota tilted her head and blinked at her.
Lailah leaned in conspiratorially, "I bought it specifically for you. It's a sexy little black lace dress! Since it's a private pool and separated by gender, please wear it, please wear it for me to see, pretty please!"
She shook Dakota's arm, begging adorably.
Dakota was swayed, "Alright, alright, I'll wear it, but I hope it's not one of those kinky styles."
Lailah clasped her hands together, "I assure you it won't be."
The two friends happily left arm in arm, still chatting about the sexy little swimsuit on their way.
Noe: "Tch, always stirring up trouble."
Jasiah: "What, you want to see?"
Noe: "Jasiah, don't talk nonsense. I'm not the type to mess with people close to me. You make me sound so dirty."
Jasiah chuckled.
He thought one of them was indeed eating the grass next to their burrow, but he was no rabbit, more like a dog.
He shifted his gaze.
Sure enough, he saw Curtis staring intently at Dakota's retreating back, then suddenly setting down his cup and getting up.
