The Sway and Slide of Love

After Erwin left, Dylan finally asked Noelle, "That man earlier is Hendrix's friend, right?"

"Yeah," Noelle said softly while keeping her focus on building the sandcastle.

"So, the person he mentioned who will be arriving soon is also Hendrix?"

"Probably."

Dylan fell silent.

Only then did Noelle realize something. She looked up and explained, "I have no idea why he's here, either."

Her explanation sounded weak, but after a moment of studying her, Dylan smiled and nodded. "I believe you."

Noelle thought his smile seemed a little off but didn't press further. She slowly lowered her gaze instead.

"How about seafood for dinner? I found a good place nearby," Dylan said.

Noelle nodded. "Sure."

Erwin's lingering presence that afternoon had left Noelle on edge. During dinner, she kept glancing toward the entrance, half-expecting Hendrix and Erwin to walk in at any moment.noveldrama

But to her surprise, they didn't.

Her constant looks toward the door didn't go unnoticed, prompting Dylan to ask, "Are you looking for something?"

"No," Noelle quickly denied.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't push further. Instead, he placed a peeled shrimp onto her plate.

"Eat up," he said with a warm smile.

The meal passed in quiet calm. Afterward, Dylan walked Noelle and Rosie to their door.

"Did you happen to notice how beautiful the night view is outside?" he asked suddenly.

Rosie had already dashed into the room, leaving Noelle standing at the doorway. At Dylan's words, she paused and looked at him.

He extended an invitation. "Would you like to go downstairs for a walk with me after Rosie has fallen asleep?"

Noelle's fists tightened involuntarily. She knew Dylan hadn't invited them on this trip just for a vacation. He wanted to spend time with her, but...

After a moment of hesitation, she said, "This is a hotel. I'm not sure it's safe to leave Rosie alone."

Noticing the hesitation in her voice, Dylan quickly responded with a smile, "That's true. No worries, then. We can talk about it later. Get some rest."

With that, he turned and walked away.

But Noelle called out, "Dylan!"

He stopped immediately and looked back at her.

"I know what you want, but I'm afraid you might be disappointed," she said softly.

"The reason I agreed to come with you this time is because—"

"I know," Dylan interrupted. "It's

because of Rosie, right? You want to

make her happy. Or maybe you're trying to see if you can really be with

me so she can have a father figure

in her life. Isn't that it?"

He knew Noelle didn't love him. He could tell from the look in her eyes and in the way she treated him.

He could easily start dating

someone else if he wanted to. With

eline

his status and position, there was shortage of women willing to be with him or marry him. But no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to take that step.

Noelle's existence was something etched into his heart, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase it. So, even though he knew she didn't have feelings for him and even though he understood that everything she did was for Rosie, he still couldn't help himself