CHAPTER 18

DAKOTA’S POV

We were busy preparing a gaming surprise for Chef Ivo. Ashton was wondering how to find out if Chef had another schedule for his birthday. They all have gifts while I don’t. I really don’t know what to give. I saved something from my salary from working in a restaurant, so I can buy something to give him.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Wendy asked me when she saw me wearing a dress and combing my hair.

“Ah, I was going to buy a gift for Chef Ivo,” I shyly answered her.

Her face lit up. “Really? What are you going to buy?”

“I haven’t even thought of anything that is possible. What do you think? What is possible is that he will like it and he can always use it.”

Wendy sat on the edge of the bed, then thought. “Hmm... I can’t think of anything either, but you’ll definitely see something when you’re at the mall. As Ashton said, Chef is not a materialistic person, so whatever gift we give him will be liked.” She smiled at me.

Because of what she said, I had at least a little of hope that he would really like what I had to offer, even though my thoughts were simple. Maybe I’ll just look at the mall so I can choose what’s better. Wendy stood up and closed the window. I know she will sleep. Wendy is like that. She doesn’t want her surroundings to be bright when she rests. She still smiled at me.

“Be careful when you leave. Good luck with the gift you can buy,” she said, which made me smile and nod.

I immediately left our room and then walked down to the restaurant. The restaurant is closed because we all have a day off. According to Ashton, Chef Ivo is not there because today he will have a meeting so on his birthday, so he will not have much to do. I caught Willow and Shane talking outside the restaurant. The two were surprised when they saw me leave.

“Where are you going?” Willow asked.

“I will look for something to present to Chef Ivo on his birthday. I haven’t prepared anything yet.”

“Okay. Be careful. But do you know how to travel? Can you leave alone?” Shane’s face showed that she was worried about me leaving, but I immediately nodded.

“Yes. I can do it. The mall is near here. Do not worry.” I look at Willow as if she wants to come. I smiled at her. “Don’t worry about me. I will also go home soon.” She would calm down if I held her hand. I already know this friend of mine. Willow doesn’t want me to disappear from her sight.

She took a deep breath before nodding at me. “All right. Just go home as soon as you buy something, okay? We will wait for you before lunch.”

I also nodded in response to her. “I’m leaving.” The three of us looked behind me when we noticed that someone came out of the restaurant. It was Liam who was obviously also dressed up and looked like he was going to leave. “Oh, where are you going?” I ask him.

“I will go home for a while. How about you? Where are you going?”

“She will find a gift for Chef Ivo. I have an idea. Just accompany her to the mall. That’s your way too, right?” asked Shane.

“Yes. Okay, but are you okay to leave alone? What if you have a headache?”

“I’m fine. I have medicine with me in case I get a headache. I’m not taking it too long, so I’ll go home soon.”

He nodded, then looked at our friends. “We’re leaving.”

“Come home soon, Dakota,” Willow said.

After a while, we were walking out on the road. We didn’t hesitate until we stood on the side to wait for a taxi. I’m not used to him being quiet, that’s why I asked him. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while, haven’t you?”

“You don’t talk either, huh?” he laughed lightly.

Yes, indeed. But I got used to him always saying something like Kurt and Ashton. I could also see from his face that he was brooding. I just want to ask him if he’s okay because he might have a problem, but he just doesn’t tell us. “Are you okay? You are not answering me?” I asked again. I slightly faced him.

He just smiled as if he was wondering if he should tell me or something. After a while, he nodded. “I’m fine. Why?”

I didn’t answer and just looked at him. I feel like there’s something he’s not telling me. That he is keeping a secret from me. I breathed deeply. “Nothing. I just want to say that we are here when you need someone to talk to.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself. I will tell when I have a problem.” He gave me a reassuring smile.

“Okay,” I just said. It seems that he doesn’t really talk about his problem or really doesn’t have any. I’m just too worried about him. That’s why I’m like this to him.

It didn’t take long, and a taxi arrived to take us. That’s when I noticed that Liam was also a gentleman. He opened the door for me and let me get in first. A few more seconds and we were on our way.

“It’s also easy to take a taxi when you go home. You can get off right in front of the restaurant,” said Liam before I got out of the car.

“All right. Thank you. Be careful.”

“You as well. Go home early so you don’t spend the night on the road.”

I nodded. “Yes. I will also go home before lunch. I’ll just buy some gifts and then go home.” After a while, I went down to the opposite side of the mall. I was going to pay for the taxi, but Liam said he would take care of it, so I didn’t do anything. I even waved at him before the taxi left.

When I entered the mall, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Many people are walking. There are many things to buy. I don’t know if it’s normal to feel like this? It’s like I just saw a fiery place. It didn’t take long, and I found a suitable gift for Chef Ivo. I don’t know if he’ll like it because it’s so simple, but that’s my favorite watch design. “I hope he likes it.” I immediately hid it in the paper bag then started to walk out of the mall, but a boy who bumped into me grabbed my sling with my clothes. It’s a little boy, and he’s smiling at me. I think he is seven years old.

“Hello!” He greeted me warmly.

I smiled. “H-hello.”

“Did you see my mommy?” he asked.

I frowned in surprise. When he asked me, he seems to be lost, but why does he still seem happy? I bent slightly, so that we were equal somehow. “No. Are you missing?”

The boy looked around before nodding. “Yes. Earlier they were just behind me, but they disappeared.”

“Are you with anyone other than your mommy?”

He nodded. “My brother.”

I stood up straight and looked around. I ventured to find someone we could ask. I was just surprised when I felt the child’s hand holding my palm. I looked at him with a surprised look.

“I’ll just go with you.” He still has a beautiful smile on his lips. He’s cute anyway.

“Huh? You cannot come with me. Maybe your family is looking for you.”

He shook his head. “They won’t find me.”

“How did you say so?”

“I do not know.” He shrugged his shoulders.

I stared at the boy and that’s when I noticed that he was wearing a bag. If I just look at him, I can tell that he comes from a rich family. She has a good shape even though her skin is also white and smooth. I also have a strange feeling about this boy. I can not explain.

“The good thing is, I will accompany you to the guard so that someone can help us find your family. Is that okay with you?”

“At least not anymore. I’ll just go with you, Miss.”

I laughed because it seemed too hasty to tell him such a thing. He didn’t think that his mommy and brother could be worried because he was missing. I pulled him and then we looked for a guard who could be help us. I immediately found a guard and approached it. “Hello. Someone as young as that came to me earlier. And he’s looking for his mommy.” I felt someone squeeze my hand, so I turned to the little boy.

He is now looking at the guard and smiling. “Don’t worry, sir, because she is my sister. She’s my sister and she’s just trying to prank me.”

My eyes widened. “W-what did you say?” I turned to the guard, who was now frowning. “S-sir, I don’t know this kid.”

I was so surprised when the boy hugged me. “Take me home now. I’m going to report you to mommy!”

I am confused as to what is happening. I want to tell the guard that this kid is cheating and not me. The guard just shook his head and turned his back on us. I took a deep breath and faced the boy. “Why did you say that? We don’t know each other, do we?”

He smiled at me. “You don’t know me, but I, I know you, Miss Dakota.”