Curtis tilted his head up, gazing at the sky.
Leaning lazily, he rested his arm on his knee, then looked down at Dakota with soft eyes. "Yeah, I'll go. Climbing in the rain is dangerous. Want to wait here for me?"
Dakota hadn't expected Curtis to be so determined to make the climb.
But since she'd come with him, there was no way she was staying behind, letting him climb alone.
Just then, Noe noticed them whispering and popped his head over. "What are you two whispering about behind my back?"
Noe's sudden interruption startled Dakota.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt oddly guilty, like they'd been caught doing something wrong. Her expression instantly turned awkward.
"What do you mean, whispering?"
Dakota shot him a glare, her voice defensive. "We're just talking about whether or not to climb."
"Oh," Noe replied, not suspecting anything. "So, are we going or not?"
"Go."
Two voices rang out in unison.
Dakota and Curtis, once playful rivals, rarely showed this kind of synchronization in front of their childhood friends, leaving Noe momentarily stunned: "Huh?"
The couple exchanged a subtle glance.
But Dakota quickly looked away, nervously rubbing her ear as if trying to act casual.
"Well, we're already here."
She was the first to stand up, smoothing down her dress. "Let's head up before the rain starts."
Jasiah: "..."
He gave them a sidelong glance, completely unconvinced. "Oh great, the classic 'we're already here' line. You two trying to use that to outsmart me now?"
"Well, there's a reason it's a classic! I mean, look—"
Noe elbowed him. "Even Curtis and Dakota are going! You typical dude, you just don't get romance!"
Jasiah: "..."
"I don't get romance? I've had way more relationships than you! You're so romantic? Why aren't you in one?"
Dakota and Curtis were used to their constant bickering.
They chose to ignore it.
Curtis casually uncrossed his legs, his shoes hitting the ground as he stood up smoothly.
He shoved one hand into his pocket. "Let's go."
Catching Dakota in his peripheral vision, he noticed her collar was folded awkwardly. Without thinking, he reached out to fix it, his fingers brushing her neck.
Dakota had been staring up at the sky near the peak, but the soft touch on the back of her neck sent a shiver through her, like a spark of electricity.
Her whole body went weak for a moment. She nervously turned to look and, sure enough, found Curtis standing right behind her.
Dakota glanced at Noe and Jasiah, who were still bickering and thankfully hadn't noticed. She muttered quietly, "Keep your hands to yourself."
She grumbled a quiet warning.
Curtis chuckled lazily. "Alright."
He slid his hand back into his pocket and leaned in close to her ear. "Mrs. Pineda."
Dakota's eyes widened in shock!
"Dakota!" Noe suddenly shouted.
Dakota jumped back a couple steps, startled. "What?!"
"Let's go!" Noe waved, clearly oblivious to the intimate moment between her and Curtis.
Noe, who had spearheaded the whole wishing hike, was full of energy. Meanwhile, Jasiah dragged his feet behind him, clearly not enthusiastic about moving.
Still, all four of them started climbing together.
They climbed the thousands of steps, heading toward the top of N Mountain, where the legendary sacred tree was said to grow.
The sky grew darker and darker.
At the base of the mountain, it was still clear, but the higher they climbed, the darker the clouds became. You could even see a distinct line where the sky changed.
But the clouds hadn't completely swallowed the sky.
Even at the cloud-covered peak, a single break let sunlight stream down.
Maybe it was because of that single ray of sunlight,
that many of the visitors climbing to N Mountain weren't willing to give up. They kept pushing upward.
After all, Thanksgiving was usually a time for clear skies and full moons. They figured, on such a rare visit to the N Mountain, it surely wouldn't rain.
Noe's determination to climb the mountain was fueled by the same wishful thinking.
But the weather had other plans.
By the time they were halfway up, the rain began to fall. At first, it wasn't heavy—just a few big drops, one landing squarely on Noe's face.
Noe wiped his face. "Well, damn, the sky's really not cutting us any slack—it's actually raining!"
Dakota looked up at the sky.
A raindrop landed on her lashes, making her blink and turn her head away to shake it off.
The next second, a shadow fell over her.
Curtis took off his jacket without hesitation and draped it over Dakota's head.
Dakota looked back up and met his eyes.
Curtis glanced down at her damp lashes, gently brushing them with his hand. "Keep it on."
"What about you?" Dakota pressed her lips together.
Her heart stirred as she watched the raindrops land on his shoulder, slowly soaking through his black shirt.
"A little rain's not gonna hurt me," Curtis said with a dismissive chuckle.
Curtis narrowed his eyes at the stairs. "Judging by the distance, it'll take another hour or so to reach the top."
"Are we still climbing?" Jasiah asked, holding his hand up to block the rain.
He glanced subtly at the suit jacket draped over Dakota's head and couldn't help but inwardly sigh.
Noe noticed this detail as well.
But he didn't suspect anything.
Even though Dakota and Curtis bickered all the time, he knew his buddy Curtis was actually quite gentlemanly and gentle underneath that tough exterior.
Besides, they had grown up together.
If Curtis hadn't given his jacket to Dakota, either he or Jasiah would have done so.
"We've come this far, it'd be a shame to give up now. The rain doesn't seem too heavy. How about I check it out over there?"
Noe pointed to another path, "There's a stall according to the signpost, they should have ponchos and umbrellas. Why don't you guys go to the pavilion ahead and take shelter? I'll send you a message later whether I got some or not, and if not, we'll head down."
Jasiah: "..."
He just felt a headache coming on, not understanding what Noe was so fixated on.
He really wanted to head down immediately.
But unexpectedly, Curtis chimed in, "Yeah, or maybe you could take Dakota down first."
"That sounds good!" Jasiah clapped his hands in agreement.
But Noe grabbed his wrist, "You're not going anywhere! Come with me to find the umbrellas!"
Jasiah: ??
"Can't you go find the umbrellas alone?"
"No, I'm worried you'll sneak down without us."
"Are you... drunk?" "Noe, are you crazy? It's raining heavily, we should retreat while it's still light. Do you know how dangerous it can get if it turns into a downpour?"
The two started bickering like schoolchildren.
Dakota felt a headache coming on.
She didn't want to listen to their squabbling and gently tugged on Curtis's sleeve, "Shall we go take shelter?"
Curtis chuckled lazily, "Alright."
So, they slipped away unnoticed and continued up the path to the pavilion ahead for shelter.
Dakota tried to share the jacket Curtis had draped over her head, but it was a struggle even on tiptoes.
Curtis sighed resignedly.
He took the jacket back and held it over both their heads, tilting it more towards Dakota.
Jasiah was dragged off by Noe to look for umbrellas.
There were quite a few people taking shelter under the pavilion.
By the time Dakota and Curtis reached the pavilion, the jacket over their heads was soaked through.
Fortunately, there were still seats available.
Dakota and Curtis sat facing outward on the bench, looking up at the curtain of rain falling from the eaves.
The rain grew heavier with no signs of letting up.
The dark clouds hadn't completely covered the entire mountain, and they could still see a patch of clear sky at the summit, while the base of the mountain remained dry.
They could still head down safely if they wanted.
But the risks of continuing up were hard to gauge.
Dakota pursed her lips, her long lashes veiling a hint of disappointment, "Curtis, this rain doesn't seem like it's stopping anytime soon."
She hadn't really been interested in making wishes to begin with.
But they had come this far.
Throughout the climb, she had heard many tourists expressing hopeful anticipation.
Climbing thousands of steps to reach the summit.
Finding the legendary wishing tree and writing the name of their beloved on a plaque.
It sounded kind of beautiful.
But Dakota wasn't really uninterested in making wishes; she always felt she didn't have the right to make them.
Just then, Noe sent a message in the group.
[Noe]: Damn! We're too late! All the umbrellas and ponchos are gone. What should we do? Should we just head down?
Their last hope was dashed.
Those taking shelter under the pavilion were also discussing heading down once the rain let up, unsure if it would get worse later.
And although making wishes sounded nice,
given the rain, even if they made it up the mountain, the names written on the plaques might be washed away.
"Curtis."
Dakota lowered her head, her lashes drooping, "Maybe we should just give up and head down when the rain lets up."
Curtis turned his head to look at her.
Dakota clutched Curtis's jacket tightly to her chest, feeling deflated. "I guess I've never been good at making wishes."
"Do you know why?" She turned her gaze toward Curtis. "I've always believed in 'speaking your hopes jinxes them.'"
"I've always believed that if you talk about what you want too much, it might not come true. Like, you could jinx it."
"That's why, whenever I hope for something, I always think in the opposite direction. I keep telling myself it won't happen, convincing myself I don't really care, tricking myself into believing I don't expect anything at all."
"It's like, if I do that, maybe the wish will come true after all."
"So I don't make birthday wishes or New Year's wishes. Not that it matters... No one's ever been there for my birthday, or for New Year's, to make those wishes come true."
"I guess I don't really know what I deserve anyway, so it's easier to just not expect anything."
Dakota let out a bitter smile. "But this time, I guess I messed up again."
"I just... mentioned to you that I wanted to set off fireworks for Thanksgiving this year, and now it's raining."
"So," she lowered her lashes, her fingers tightening around his jacket, "let's just forget it. If I'd known you all cared so much about this wish thing, I wouldn't have said anything about fireworks."
Curtis hadn't expected Dakota to say something like that.
He definitely hadn't expected her to think that the rain was somehow her fault, all because she dared to have a little hope.
"Kota," Curtis's voice deepened.
He looked down at the woman sitting next to him.
Dakota sat there, wearing a dress under a long trench coat, still clutching his jacket in her arms.
She was usually so confident and self-assured; seeing her like this—like a little kitten caught in the rain, hiding in a corner to lick its wounds—was rare.
"The rain isn't your fault."
"And no one helping you make your wishes come true before—that's not your fault either."
Curtis hated seeing Dakota upset.
He couldn't resist raising his hand, his fingers gently brushing against her cheek, wiping away the raindrop that had fallen unnoticed. "I don't believe in those intangible things, and I don't care much for making wishes."
"But ever since the moment you stole my heart, Curtis's protection has no longer been just for himself."
"Kota." Curtis suddenly stood up.
Dakota looked up at him in surprise, watching as he bent down, moving closer, his gaze locked on hers.
"Curtis doesn't believe in unseen forces, but if he were to protect someone, that person would be you."
"Dakota." He bent down, picking up the coat she had been holding. "Wait for me."
"You deserve the best this world has to offer."
"Today, I'm going to make sure this mountain hears your wish."
"But if it doesn't listen—"
Curtis's gaze darkened, his tone serious. "Then from now on, Curtis is your wishing well."
He would make sure that everything she wished for came true, in this life and the next.
