Chapter 39
Alice reluctantly lifted her head, and David's eyes finally peeled away from his phone to meet hers.
Their eyes locked.
"Uh... I..." Alice stammered, totally lost for words. Normally, she'd have Simon's recording ready to fire back, but now she felt too guilty to even think about it.
Just then, a hand landed on her head.
Alice's body jolted, and she stiffened up.
A few seconds of silence felt like forever to Alice. It was pure torture, making it hard for her to breathe.
"A mixed bath is a no-go. But if it's only you and me... then it's cool."
Alice was floored.
She stared at David, totally blank.
David, thinking he hadn't said anything weird, stayed chill, "What? You happy?"
Alice took a deep breath and couldn't help but get mad. She shoved her phone in David's face, "Simon just said that, aren't you pissed?"
David glanced at the phone, thinking he'd heard way worse from Simon directly. This was nothing.
"So, you don't like me?" David asked. Alice's throat tightened, and she couldn't speak.
'Not like him? That's not it. Like him? I'm not the type to confess,' Alice thought.
"So, you don't like me." David sighed, turned around, and walked away looking bummed.
"No, I..." Alice panicked, grabbed David's shirt, and yanked him back. Her face turned red, her eyes welled up, and she blurted out, "I like you!"
"Really?" David smirked, "I like you too."
Alice's face went beet red, and she stomped her foot in frustration, "David, you're too much!"
"Hmm?" David asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"You... you made me say I like you!" Alice shouted.
As soon as she said that, Alice's eyes widened in shock.
The next second, she jumped onto the bed, pulled the covers over herself, and curled up into a ball.
David didn't expect Alice to say something so bold. He raised his hand to cover half his face and coughed lightly.
The atmosphere got super awkward.
After a while, when Alice heard no sound outside and the air under the covers got stale, she poked her head out to breathe. She turned her head and saw David leaning against the wall, staring at her with wide eyes, "Why are you still here?"
'Doesn't David feel awkward? Couldn't he be a bit more considerate of a girl's feelings? He'd be single forever like this!' Alice thought.
David asked, "No hot spring?"
"You..." Alice paused, took a deep breath, "I'm good. You go enjoy your mixed bath, uncle David. Hope you have a nice encounter."
Her words were dripping with sarcasm, making David uncomfortable.
David walked to the bed expressionlessly, and before Alice could hide under the covers again, he pinched her cheeks hard, making her eyes water instantly.
"Call me brother."
With that, David turned and left, thoughtfully closing the bedroom door behind him.
Alice covered her cheeks, tears welling up but not falling. In a fit of anger, she sent a voice message to Simon. "Simon, we're done!"
Far away in Aurora City, Simon nearly jumped out of his skin when he got the message.
Meanwhile, back in the living room, David was sprawled out on the narrow sofa, covered with a quilt, one hand behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
He couldn't figure himself out.
First, he made Alice call him uncle David.
Now, he made her call him brother.
The next day, the racing competition was back on.
Desmond scheduled the race for the afternoon, letting those who wanted to eat first head to the venue to prep. He figured if they didn't all leave together, maybe David wouldn't catch wind of the race and wouldn't suddenly want to join in.
Desmond thought he was being slick, silently patting himself on the back, totally forgetting that Alice was a curious cat.
During breakfast, Alice overheard some guests chatting about the race. Intrigued, she asked about it and then bolted back to the room with her breakfast. David had just finished his shower and stepped out of the bathroom.
David leaned against the door frame, wearing a bathrobe, his hair still damp, the robe slightly open, showing off a bit of his collarbone and chest muscles, with water droplets glistening on his chest.
David figured Alice must've found out about the race. He said, "Get ready. I'll take you to watch the race."
Alice's eyes widened, and as David took his clothes into the bathroom to change, she heard an excited shout from outside, "David! I love you so much!"
David couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. He didn't even notice how soft his expression was at that moment.
The race venue was a dedicated racetrack, with spectators in the stands and staff in Hot Springs Resort uniforms pushing carts, offering snacks and drinks to the crowd.
Desmond and Dylan stood by the fence, with several contestants' cars getting their final checks.
Dylan, arms crossed, looked totally uninterested in the race.
He nudged Desmond with his elbow. "How much did you drop on renting this place?"
Desmond waved it off, "Not much, it's a daily rate. We're only using it for one day, how bad could it be?"
"David doesn't know, right?" Dylan asked.
"Of course not!" Desmond patted his chest confidently, "And even if David shows up, it doesn't matter. The race list is already set, and he's not on it."
Even so, Dylan still didn't want David to come.
Dylan turned around, grabbed a snack, and scanned the area, only to spot David and Alice.
A curse word slipped out after being held back for a long time. "Fuck!"
David and Alice walked down from the stands, one after the other, and approached Dylan and Desmond.
Desmond was stunned when he saw David, instinctively glancing at Dylan.
Sure enough, Dylan's face was dark with anger.
Desmond awkwardly rubbed his nose. "You... why are you here?"
"Alice wanted to watch the race, so I brought her here," David replied.
David took Alice's hand and turned to find a spot on the side to sit.
David sat on the outside, and Alice sat on the inside.
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