The Sway and Slide of Love

Dylan thought that as long as Noelle was by his side, that was enough. So, he quickly smiled and said, "It's okay. Honestly, just being with you two makes me happy. Really."

Noelle raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.

"You don't have to force yourself," Dylan added. "We can take things slowly. It's fine to just get along like friends."

Noelle met his gaze for a moment before finally nodding.

Dylan couldn't help but reach out and gently stroked her hair. "I'll head back to my room now."

"Okay. Get some rest," Noelle said with a smile before closing the door.

Dylan walked a few steps down the hallway but suddenly felt something was off. He paused, then slowly turned around.

At the other end of the hallway, another door was open. A man stood there, watching him expressionlessly. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, and it was unclear how long he had been standing there.

Dylan raised an eyebrow in surprise but still offered the man a polite smile. Then, he opened the door to his room next to Noelle's and stepped inside.noveldrama

"Is it illegal to carry a gun here?" Erwin's voice came from behind. "But I didn't bring mine anyway. Otherwise, I could've solved your problem with a couple of bullets."

Hendrix glanced at him but said nothing, continuing to smoke with a blank expression.

"I did some digging. That guy's no good," Erwin added, adding fuel to fire. "He's spineless, and he likes to play dirty. But-"

He suddenly paused.

It wasn't until Hendrix turned to look at him that he continued with a bright smile, "But no matter how worthless he is, you still lose to him."

Hendrix's expression vanished completely.

Erwin, however, smiled at him, as if he was delighted to see Hendrix like that.

"Well, my girlfriend's waiting for me, so I'll head upstairs now."

With that, he turned to leave. But as he eached the door, he heard

< say, "I didn't lose to Dl

lost to Noelle."

. I

His voice was soft, almost as if he were talking to himself rather than responding to Erwin.

Erwin turned back, ready to say more, but Hendrix shut the door in his face, causing Erwin to raise an eyebrow.

The next day, Dylan took Rosie to a nearby water park.

There were plenty of kids around, but Rosie wasn't interested in the more thrilling rides. In the end, Dylan bought her a swim ring, let her lie on top of it, and gently pushed her around in the water.

"You could let her swim on her own for a bit," Noelle said.

Dylan smiled. "It's fine. She's still learning."

"She won't learn if you keep doing everything for her."

"Don't worry. There'll be plenty of chances later."

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Since Dylan insisted, Noelle didn't push further. After watching for while, she decided to use the restroom and buy Rosie a bottle of water on the way back.

But as she headed toward the restroom, someone stopped her.

"Are you Noelle Swanson?"

Noelle looked at the woman, feeling a sense of familiarity but unable to place her.

"I'm Erwin's girlfriend," the woman explained. "There's something I need your help with, so do you have a moment?"