The summer evening breeze felt very comfortable.
Jasiah and Noe were just causing trouble near the grill, but Curtis, the birthday boy, became the mainstay of this outdoor barbecue.
The sea breeze made his shirt puff out.
Curtis rolled up his sleeves, revealing the tight, sexy muscles and faint blue veins on his forearms.
His hands were naturally slender and pale, with well-defined knuckles.
His fingertips nonchalantly twirled the skewer, sprinkling cumin while turning the sizzling strips of pork.
Dakota lazily propped her cheek with her hand.
She sat beside him, slowly nibbling on the mushrooms and corn kernels he had just grilled for her, inadvertently admiring how Curtis cooked.
"Hey," Lailah nudged her with her elbow, "Dakota, where did you go that night when we were at Whispering Pines Retreat hot springs?"
Dakota nearly jabbed herself with the skewer.
She tensed instantly, hurriedly putting down the corn kernels, "I, that night, I was just..."
"Dakota?"
As Dakota was racking her brain for an excuse, a shout unexpectedly saved her from her predicament.
Noe ran over like a goofball, "By the way, what gift did you prepare for Curtis? Why are you still being so mysterious? Show us!"
He was dying of curiosity.
He had been incredibly curious ever since they were on the road.
Especially since Dakota had held the box so precious, refusing to put it in the trunk, insisting on squeezing next to the big box.
Jasiah was also curious, "Yeah, show us. We've already given our gifts to Curtis."
Lailah's attention was forcibly diverted.
Curtis stopped grilling, feigning nonchalance as he turned to look at her, a hint of surprise in his expression, "Didn't you say you didn't bring a gift?"
"Huh?"
Noe exposed her on the spot, "She did bring it! And she was holding it all the way in the passenger seat!"
Dakota: !!!!
She wished she could jump up and sew Noe's mouth shut, never having seen such a traitorous teammate.
But Noe was clueless, "Why? Were you going to surprise Curtis, so you lied and said you didn't bring it?"
Dakota: "..."
"Noe!" She gritted her teeth, "If you can't use your mouth, donate it to someone who needs it!"
Noe scratched his head in confusion.
He even looked at Jasiah for clarification, "I didn't say anything wrong, right? She was holding a box on the way, and it even had a pink bow tied on it!"
Dakota: "..."
She gnashed her small sharp teeth in frustration, already imagining various ways Noe could die.
But Curtis suddenly leaned in close.
He stared straight at Dakota, who was clearly guilty and trying desperately to avoid his gaze.
It wasn't that Dakota didn't want to give it.
It was that she truly felt her gift couldn't measure up to Curtis's fondant cake.
"I..." Dakota's breathing was a bit rushed.
Curtis smiled lazily, thinking maybe Dakota wanted to pretend in front of their friends that they were constantly bickering to hide the fact that they were married, thus couldn't possibly reveal the gift publicly.
So he didn't insist too much, just asking, "Where did you put the gift?"
"In the room," Dakota couldn't deny it anymore.
And she really didn't have the heart to argue with him, considering Curtis had just given her a huge gift.
Curtis raised an eyebrow, feeling sweet inside, "Shall I go with you to get it?"
Dakota: "..."
She managed an awkward yet polite smile.
But Curtis was very satisfied.
Look at that.
See how considerate and understanding he is.
Knowing Dakota would be embarrassed to give the gift openly, he purposely gave her a way out, offering her a chance to give it privately.
Tsk.
Who knows what it could be.
Dakota decided to face her fate with a sigh, "Forget it, come with me to get the gift. But remember, no matter what I give you, you can't get mad!"
"Not getting mad," Curtis smiled lazily.
But Dakota still felt uneasy, even though she had prepared a proper gift, but...
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Jasiah watched the scene unfold, "Giving a gift in private, huh? Something's fishy."
But Noe shook his head, "Oh no, I think Dakota is going to give Curtis a big surprise. It might be a prank. Should we call 120 for Curtis ahead of time?"
Lailah: "Sounds good to me."
She abruptly changed the topic, "Wow, did Noe grill this mutton? It's burnt!"
Noe refused to admit he was a terrible cook.
After all, the Preston family was in the catering business, and his parents were both excellent cooks. Logically, there should have been some genetic inheritance, but apparently, there was only mutation in his case.
"It was grilled by Jasiah," he shifted the blame.
Jasiah: "Bullshit."
The two started bickering like little kids again, and Lailah covered her ears because of the noise.
Curtis paid them no mind.
His mind was full of thoughts about the gift, and his slightly elongated eyes sparkled slightly at the corners.
"Go?" "Shall we go?" he looked at Dakota.
Dakota nodded reluctantly and then crossed her arms proudly, "Anyway, we agreed just now, no matter how ugly that gift is—"
It couldn't happen again. "No, it can't be ugly," she corrected, "No matter how bad it tastes, you can't dislike it!"
Dakota stood tall and looked at Curtis, "It's your luck to receive a gift made by me."
Saying that, she reached out and poked his clavicle with her fingertips.
Curtis smiled lazily, "Alright."
Got it, it's food.
And it might be food that focuses on appearance.
Dakota might lack confidence in her cooking skills, but she certainly wouldn't lack confidence in her artistic sense.
She nodded reassuringly, "Let's go."
Saying that,
Dakota turned her head proudly and led the way to the hotel with Curtis.
But the bedroom was shared with Lailah, so it wasn't convenient for Dakota to let Curtis in.
So she blocked him outside, turned to walk into the room herself, and when she came out, she was indeed carrying the large box that Noe had photographed for Curtis.
It was tied with a pink ribbon.
"Where do you want to open it?"
"My room?"
"..."
Dakota thought it through, if Curtis got upset after seeing the gift, it'd be harder to run in his room.
"Why don't we go to the hallway? It's easier to run there."
"Okay."
No matter what Dakota said, Curtis didn't object.
They walked like teenagers sneaking off during class breaks, with Dakota carrying the gift box in front and Curtis trailing closely behind.
They ended up in the rarely used stairwell of the hotel with elevators.
Though Dakota thought the gift was a bit off, she still cherished it.
She carefully bent down to place the box on the ground, then squatted, placing her hands on her knees, and looked up at Curtis, "Do you want to open it or should I?"
