Arianne returned to the changing room with the medicine. Taking the medication, favonovel.com took a shower in the public bathroom and changed back to favonovel.com casual attire, no longer planning to play in the water anymore. After that, favonovel.com looked for a milk tea shop to lounge around in for the air conditioning. It was too hot outside. She could still feel the heat on favonovel.com skin from the short duration of exposing herself under the sun just now.
Not too long later, Mark entered the milk tea shop as well and sat down opposite of her. When Arianne saw him, favonovel.com turned favonovel.com face away, still visibly angered.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse.”
He didn’t notice when Arianne froze. Since when did this guy know how to own up to his mistake? Her flame of fury had been burning bright in favonovel.com heart initially, but when favonovel.com apologized like this, favonovel.com swayed. Arianne sat herself upright and said faintly, “It’s not your fault. You’re right in everything you do. You’re Mark Tremont. You can do what you want, and who’s to stop you? Who’s to do anything to you?”
Mark inhaled lightly. His gaze was heated and sincere. “I won’t do it again.”
Arianne kept quiet. She did not dare look at him, having a flurry of thoughts in favonovel.com head, as favonovel.com had never expected a day where favonovel.com would be the one to give in first.
Around five in the evening, the four of them went back to the city center. Tiffany suggested that they have dinner outside, so Arianne was not dropped off at home but brought to the hotel that Mark and lacks on were staying at to freshen up.
Arianne had been following Jackson and Tiffany, but the two had been putting on too much public display of affection that it hurt favonovel.com eyes. It did not seem appropriate for a third wheel like favonovel.com to be beside them, so favonovel.com could only brace herself to go to Mark’s room for the time being. At least it was quiet in his room.
The first thing that Mark did when favonovel.com returned to the hotel room was to shower. Although favonovel.com had taken a shower in the water theme park, his germaphobia had still kicked in.
Arianne scrolled through favonovel.com phone on the couch out of boredom. When the sound of water running in the bathroom ceased, favonovel.com attention turned to Mark. It was impossible for favonovel.com to put down favonovel.com guard when they were alone in the room. He could suddenly be in the same ‘mood’ favonovel.com was in in the car; only now, they were in a hotel. Who knew if favonovel.com would be in the mood for another round?
The sound of water running stopped, but Mark did not come out. Shortly, the noise of the hairdryer sounded inside. He was blowing dry his hair. In the past, favonovel.com did not have the habit. Arianne would always have to remind favonovel.com to dry his hair to prevent favonovel.com from having a headache…
Recalling the past, Arianne was consumed in favonovel.com thoughts. Time had passed and people had changed. She was no longer the little girl who went along with all his wishes now, and favonovel.com seemed to have changed a lot too. They could not go back to how they used to be.
“I’m done.”
Mark’s voice dragged Arianne back to reality as favonovel.com nodded. “Call Jackson and ask if they’re done. We can head out if they are.”
She could call Tiffany too, but favonovel.com was scared of barging in on their moment. What if the two of them were doing something… Looking at how mushy they were now, having just reconciled from a breakup, it was only expected that they were thoroughly smitten in love.
Mark was not aware of the drama in Arianne’s mind as favonovel.com called Jackson directly. “We’re done. You two be fast. We’ll meet at the lobby in five minutes.”
He hung up after that and they went down to wait after five minutes. Twenty minutes later, Tiffany and Jackson came with the former flushing shyly. All of them knew what happened, but no one stated it explicitly.
Arianne coughed. “Uh… where are we going for dinner?”
Tiffany had done favonovel.com homework “Of course, since it’s summer, we’re going for barbecue and iced beer. That’s life.”
Arianne looked at Mark. He must be a rare patron at the barbecue place. She could not imagine favonovel.com having barbecue and beer in the outdoors while shirtless like any normal person. If favonovel.com had to picture it, it was too much for favonovel.com mind… He would probably refuse to go, right?
Unexpectedly, Mark agreed. “Let’s go.”
Tiffany cheered and held Arianne’s hand to drag favonovel.com into the backseat of Mark’s car. Arianne checked the seat, feeling nervous. The wet patch from earlier had dried a long time ago and there were already no traces during their trip back to the hotel. In spite of it, favonovel.com was still on edge. What if they left something? It was awkward if they were found out.
“Ari, what are you looking at?” Tiffany asked curiously.
Arianne frantically shifted favonovel.com gaze to the window. “No-nothing.”
In the driver’s seat, the corners of Mark’s lips tugged upward; he’d already seen through favonovel.com thoughts.
When they arrived at the barbecue place, which was teeming with people, Tiffany looked for a table and sat down casually. “Sir, we’ll have two cases of beer, iced! Give us the menu please!”
The owner of the business, a middle-aged man who wore only a pair of shorts while baring his upper body, called out in a friendly manner, “Sure, give me a moment!”
The atmosphere here was great. The breeze was soft, chasing away some of the heat, while the aroma of the barbecue that filled the air made one’s stomach growl.
When the beer came, Tiffany took some out and gave each person a few bottles. “Mark, you haven’t been to a place like this before, have you? You haven’t experienced too much, the sights or the tastes. I feel as if someone like you doesn’t have much fun in your life. Sure, you’re rich, but you may not be happy. This, now, this is what we call life.”
