Curtis found the scene a bit amusing.
And a bit familiar.
Back in high school, Dakota once called him out during a break and led him to the hallway of the senior building, acting mysteriously.
That time, Dakota had put a prank toy in the box.
When the ribbon was untied, a boxing glove popped out, almost giving Curtis a black eye.
But this time, the box contained a birthday gift she had prepared for him instead of a prank.
"I'll do it," Curtis said softly.
He slowly squatted down, one leg back, elbow resting on his knee, his fingertips reaching towards the ribbon.
Dakota held her breath as well.
Her palms were sweaty with nervousness, watching Curtis's hand as it grasped the ribbon intently.
In the next second, the romantic pink ribbon was suddenly undone.
The box Dakota had carefully wrapped unfolded instantly, revealing the gift inside!
Curtis lowered his eyes to look.
Inside the box Dakota had hugged all the way was a cake.
A cake painted by Dakota to resemble an oil painting.
On the round cake base, the sky dyed a lavender hue by the evening light blended beautifully with the sea at twilight, creating a stunning gradient.
The sea breeze blew gently.
The man, wearing a black shirt, stood tall against the birthday candlelight on the golden sand, the half-lit glow enveloping him in a romantic silhouette.
Dakota studied oil painting.
She couldn't think of what to give Curtis until a flash of inspiration led her to paint an oil painting on a cake for him.
And the scene in this oil painting
was what she imagined for Curtis's birthday celebration by the seaside today.
Curtis admired the gift with a lowered gaze.
His thick, long lashes fluttered as his eyes lifted, giving a strangely captivating impression, "An oil painting cake?"
"Mm-hm..." Dakota replied hesitantly.
But she still acted proud, asserting herself, "Y-You can't complain that it's not tasty!"
Because although the cake looked beautiful, just one cut would reveal it was completely burnt inside...
The beauty on the surface was purely due to a layer of frosting.
Dakota could barely cook. This was her first time making a cake. When she first put it in the oven, she realized the inside wasn't baking properly, so she increased the heat, only to find it was burnt when she took it out.
But due to the time constraint,
she simply didn't have time to make another one.
So she had to make do.
Thinking that it was for Curtis anyway, and he surely wouldn't eat a cake she made, fearing it might poison him.
Who would've thought that on his own birthday, Curtis went out of his way to buy such a beautiful cake just for her?
So Dakota had hesitated about giving it to him earlier.
Curtis chuckled lightly, "Who would bear to eat it?"
He was very careful, about to rewrap the box to preserve the gift.
But Dakota was puzzled, "You aren't going to make a wish?"
Curtis lifted his eyelids to look at her again.
He saw Dakota's eyes sparkling, "You didn't make a wish with the other cake. I thought you found it too girly. This one isn't girly at all. Don't people usually make a wish on their birthdays?"
Dakota was very confused.
In her mind, making a wish on one's birthday meant someone would help fulfill it.
But Dakota didn't like it.
Or rather, she used to enjoy making wishes when she was little, just like other children, most looking forward to the moment of blowing out the candles each year.
But later, she found that no one heard her wishes.
The wishes made didn't come true.
Gradually, she stopped making wishes, just like Curtis earlier, blowing out the candles her grandmother had lit.
But others were different.
Others always made wishes.
Curtis had such a good home life and many friends; he should be the one who makes wishes.
But Curtis scoffed disdainfully, "Making a wish? Who does such childish things?"
He responded carelessly, seemingly still not planning to make a wish, only wanting to preserve the cake Dakota had made for him.
Dakota responded with an "Oh."
Curtis sensed something was off. He lifted his eyelids and saw that she didn't seem as happy as before.
"Alright." He withdrew his hand.
Curtis didn't continue tying the ribbon. The box unfolded again, and he lazily beckoned Dakota with his finger.
Dakota didn't understand, "What?"
"Candles." Curtis's legs were getting sore, so he shifted, "Don't you need candles to make a wish?"
Dakota suddenly brightened up.
She liked watching others make wishes.
"Didn't you say making a wish was childish earlier?" But Dakota still seized the opportunity to tease him.
Curtis raised an eyebrow, "If you do childish things occasionally, it's not childish. It's called keeping a childlike spirit."
Dakota: "..."
Curtis looked at the oil painting cake, checking the sides of the box, "No candles?"
"Yes." Dakota lifted her face, "It's in my room, but I don't have a lighter."
"I have one in my room." Curtis said, "Wanna go there?"
Dakota hesitated for a second.
But seeing that Curtis seemed pleased with the birthday gift, she figured he wasn't going to yell at her or hit her, so there was no need to worry about running away.
She nodded, "Sure."
"I'll go get the candles, wait for me."
Saying that, Dakota suddenly stood up, but because she rose too quickly, the blood hadn't circulated back, and she suddenly felt dizzy.
For a moment, Dakota swayed, losing her balance.
Feeling insecure, she groped around for something to hold onto, only to stumble into a warm embrace.
Curtis instinctively caught her, his deep, magnetic voice whispering in her ear, "Be careful."
Dakota's ears tingled for a moment.
Stars still danced in front of her eyes, and she stood there stunned, taking several seconds to recover.
Lifting her eyes, Dakota met Curtis's dark, deep gaze, and his warm hand on her lower back drew her close to his chest in a dangerously intimate gesture.
Dakota's heart fluttered.
Her breathing quickened.
Especially when meeting Curtis's intense gaze, she felt inexplicably panicked, her heart racing uncontrollably.
Dakota hastily pushed Curtis away, avoiding his gaze, "Um... I just stood up too fast."
"I'll go get the candles!"
With that, she turned and fled, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest.
