Chapter 540 It's All Just an Act
Pearl's words made Jimena feel a bit awkward.
Louis rasped, "Hey, it's almost chow time. Wanna grab a bite together?"
"We've got a B&B booked, follow me."
With that, Pearl took the lead.
Soon enough, they got there.
Oscar waved down a waiter, who came over with a menu. Pearl and the gang had eaten here before, so they gave Jimena and Louis the lowdown on the best dishes.
They ordered a bunch of stuff for Jimena and Louis. While Jimena was munching on shrimp, Louis peeled them for her, all gentle-like.
Oscar wasn't about to be outdone and started fussing over Pearl.
Pearl poured Jimena a drink. "There's a ton of cool spots around here. Wanna check 'em out together?"
"Sure thing, sounds awesome," Jimena said without a second thought.
Her chats with Louis were kinda stiff 'cause Louis didn't talk much, and she didn't wanna be too loud, scared she'd tick him off.
She was worried that if Louis got mad, he'd call it quits on their relationship early.
"I'll hit up the front desk and get you guys a room. This B&B's got fresh food and a sweet vibe," Pearl offered.
Louis shrugged, and Jimena grinned. "I'd love that."
Pearl snagged them a room with a four-foot bed.
When she handed over the key, they didn't notice the tiny bed, but Oscar caught a hint from Pearl's smirk.
While Jimena and Louis went to stash their stuff, Oscar pulled Pearl aside. "You're really something."
How had he missed this side of Pearl before?
During the seven years Pearl was with him, she was always so obedient, almost like a robot.
Now it seemed like Pearl's old obedience was just an act!
"This is a good thing," Pearl said, raising an eyebrow with a sly grin.
A four-foot bed was tiny for Louis, let alone with someone else.
The room wasn't big either, with only a small sofa. She made sure to talk to the front desk so Louis couldn't upgrade the room even if he wanted to!
Pearl was a go-getter.
The front desk guy initially said no, but Pearl was persistent and slipped him some cash.
When she flashed the money, the front desk guy had no choice but to agree.
Just as planned, everything went smoothly.
When Louis saw the four-foot bed in the room, he was floored.
Except for when he was teaching up north in Eldorians, he'd never slept in such a small bed.
And up north, he was alone. Now he had Jimena with him, which meant they had to share the bed, which was a no-go.
Louis stormed to the front desk, but they stuck to Pearl's script, saying, "Sorry, sir, but this is the last room we got. It's peak tourist season, and if you check out and look elsewhere, you won't find any rooms available."
Those words shut down all of Louis's options. He'd seen the swarm of tourists when they arrived, and Pearl was still staying in this B&B.
It was on him for not clearing things up with Pearl when she booked the room, making her think they were cool with sharing a bed.
Swallowing his annoyance, Louis said softly, "You take the bed, I'll crash on the floor."
But Jimena, who was head over heels for him, couldn't let him do that.
Jimena said hoarsely, "Mr. Mitchell, you take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor. Otherwise, I..."
"It's peak tourist season. If you go out, you might not find a room," Louis cut her off before she could finish.
Jimena lowered her head. Around Louis, she never dared to raise her voice. She tried her best to be all gentle and sweet for him.
But Louis preferred people who were real. Jimena's act felt forced. Still, he didn't call her out on it.
Louis said softly, "Let's drop it for now. Go take a shower and change your clothes."
"Okay."
Jimena obediently followed his instructions.
But she didn't expect the B&B to run out of water.
Covered in soap suds, she felt helpless in the bathroom. "Mr. Mitchell, can you call the front desk and ask why there's no water?"
This caught Louis off guard, but he quickly called the front desk.
The front desk guy kept apologizing. "I'm sorry, we have a backup water source. Please wait a couple of minutes while we get someone to turn it on."
"Please hurry."
Hearing that, Louis finally relaxed.
After hanging up, he called out towards the bathroom, "They have a backup water source. Just hang tight."
"Okay." Jimena nodded.
Soon, Louis heard the sound of water in the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Jimena came out of the room.
Her hair was still wet.
"Aren't you gonna dry your hair?"
"I'll do it now."
Jimena actually enjoyed this kind of small talk. Louis was right there. Even though they weren't exchanging sweet words, this everyday interaction was her greatest joy.
Meanwhile, Pearl was with Oscar, who had ordered takeout for her.
Seeing all the food, Pearl felt a bit overwhelmed. "I just finished eating, and now you've ordered so much more. Oscar, are you trying to make me fat?"
"These are your favorites. You can munch on them while watching TV, and you don't have to finish them," Oscar said with a gentle smile.
Pearl really didn't know what to do with him.
She was too stuffed to eat, so she thought of Christopher and made a video call.
Christopher was with RavenWing. Since RavenWing had taken care of Christopher before, they were pretty tight. Christopher greeted Pearl, "Mom, Dad."
"Christopher, have you and Grandpa eaten?" Pearl asked with a smile, it was the simplest greeting during a video call.
This question made RavenWing very pleased.
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