[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 578 & 579. (Patreon)

Chapter 578: Closeness.

After walking a short distance with Mr. Carlos and his family, we excused ourselves saying we wanted to rest a bit and let them go ahead of us. Well, I did. I didn’t like the way his wife was looking at Diana nor did I like how the girls were looking at Fernanda. 

We sat down on some flat rocks some distance away from the river and we brought out our sandwiches.

“How are you doing?” I asked Noelle. “Your ankle is not getting worse, is it?”

Noelle tried to step on it, and feeling nothing at first tried to put more strength into it. She winced. “It still hurts…”

I nodded. “I’m still doing fine, so we can continue.”

“...”

We ate in silence. It didn’t come from any one reason, but from everyone thinking about something on their own. At the moment the one that worried me the most was Diana. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Alice asked her from her spot next to her. “Did it get to you?”

I guess you don’t need supernatural powers to understand what happened there, and Alice was just as worried as I was.

“I’m fine,” Diana said with a nod and a flat tone. “I knew I’d get those kinds of looks, and it isn’t even the first time.”

“Would you feel more comfortable if Oliver stopped introducing you as his girlfriend?” Alice asked.

Diana closed her eyes, smiled and let out a soft chuckle. “No, I guess not. In the end, those kinds of looks really only bother me because I understand where they’re coming from.”

“Hey, you’re already his mom’s favorite,” Grace said, grinning. “Who else’s approval do you need?”

Diana laughed. “Favorite? Is that how it looks to you?”

“What? You’re gonna deny it?” Sarah asked. “You’re the one getting drunk with her.”

“Please, we don’t get drunk,” Diana said. “Just… a bit tipsy, is all.”

“I can’t imagine myself drinking with Ms. Brooks,” Mila said, shuddering. “I’d make such a fool of myself I’d die of shame.”

“That just means you need to learn restraint,” Alice told her. “Then again, I can’t imagine myself in that situation, either, hahaha…”

In no time flat, and without a word from me, Diana’s mood improved. It was great to see.

We didn’t rest for long since staying still meant it’d take more time to get to the resort. We finished eating, put all the trash into a bag that we stored in my backpack, and we resumed our walk, Noelle once again on my back.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ride on my shoulders?” I asked her teasingly.

“Then I’d seriously fall!” she said.

“Question,” Mila said. “If the same thing had happened to Diana, what would you have done? I mean… She has really long legs and you’re… pretty short, comparatively.”

The image was almost funny. If tried to carry Diana like this, her feet would probably drag along the ground. That said…

“Princess carry,” I answered.

“You’re insane,” Diana told me, her cheeks reddening.

“Did you miss the part where I have dreams involving a sex demon? Of course I’m insane.”

The girls laughed, even though I was only half joking. I think I was slowly losing some of my common sense as time passed.

“Anyway, so… That was Fernanda, right? I think that’s the second time I see her,” Diana said, changing the topic. “Maria says she’s doing better at work.”

“It’s only been a couple of days, but yes,” I told her. “She’s working hard.”

“Her dad seems really fond of you,” Noelle said.

I smiled. “He was a bit intimidating at first, but he’s a great man. Thanks to him I stopped feeling so nervous at the gym, stopped worrying that everyone was judging me.”

“...” Sarah took a deep breath. “Fernanda… I hope she’s doing well.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Mila asked her.

“From what Oliver has told us and now that I see her… I don’t know. It’s just a hunch, but she seems a little down.”

“You thought so, too?” Alice asked. “She was hiding behind her dad, so I thought she was just shy, but her eyes… They looked very tired.”

“At least until she started gawking at Diana,” Grace said. She then looked at her up and down. “Not that I don’t get it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Diana asked.

“That my self-esteem takes a nose-dive when I stand next to you. I really am just a child. I hope I look as good as you in 8 years. Or carry myself half as well.”

Diana sighed and shook her head. “You’ll be fine, especially when it comes to looks. And maturity comes with time. Make enough mistakes and you’ll learn the lessons you need. I’m still under development in that regard.”

The girls really looked up to Diana, and it was no surprise when Diana was always willing to hear them out and offer whatever advice she could. I also understand what others, adults especially, may think when they see us with her. But really, having Diana with us… It grounded us. At times we believed we knew everything about the world, but having her perspective kept us from doing anything too stupid.

We made it out of the woods, past a coffee shop and gift shop and it was time to start the climb up the mountain. The path was clear, even from the bottom. Snaking its way up the hill, it was the hardest part of the hike. It wasn’t too steep, at least. And yeah, I’ll admit that going up with Noelle on my back was a lot more exhausting than anything before, but I still made it.

We stopped for a moment to look down at the valley from this end as well. It really was beautiful and I couldn’t help but remember Fernanda’s sketches. That one sketchbook, at least, was full of landscapes like this.

…

I had to agree with Sarah. I hoped she was doing well.

************

Chapter 579: The resort.

There was some more walking after making it to the top, but the last stretch was all pretty smooth from there. It was practically a straight road in the middle of a flat plain. Green grass at both sides, sparse, thin trees with leaves of red and green and the resort not far in the distance. 

The lodge was made primarily of wood, with some areas made of bricks that matched the dark brown colors of the rest of the building. Windows and balconies faced towards us, and far off to the right of the building I saw the parking lot.

Alice caught me a little antsy and laughed. “Love, I’m sure your van made it here just fine.”

…It was a little too far to go check it out now, anyway. And maybe it was the height, but it was starting to get a bi chilly, too. Really, a dip in the hot springs didn’t sound bad at all.

“Um… Oliver, I should be able to walk now,” Noelle said. “If it’s here and I don’t push it, I should be fine.”

“If you’re sure.” I kneeled and let her get down on her own.

“If the pain persists, tell us,” Sarah told her. “No point in hiding an injury like that.”

Noelle nodded and made her way inside the lobby with us without much issues, though she limped a bit, mostly out of fear it would hurt, I think.

“Still, can’t believe you actually made it all the way here with her on you back,” Alice said. “You really are superhuman.”

“Maybe not superhuman, but…” What can I say? I felt proud.

The lobby was… surprisingly rustic in its design, yet still managed to feel fancy and elegant. Pillars of polished logs, a fireplace made of stone, hanging chandeliers…

Sarah and I approached the front counter and we got the keys to our cabin. They told us to follow the path behind the building, that it would be at the very end.

“Ugh, more climbing…” Grace exclaimed. “My feet hurt.”

“Should I carry you?” I offered teasingly.

“Tempting, but let’s save that for emergencies,” Grace said, smiling back at me.

So apparently, this building held plenty of rooms for smaller groups, like 1 to 4 people. With us being 7 people, though, we had a cabin further back. And stepping outside again, we saw them.

With a tall fence around them, several pools made of stone oozed steam. Some pools were small, as if for no more than eight people, one was so huge it could likely fit every guest, several others were the size of regular pools. And if I remember correctly, Sarah said they all had different temperatures.

“Okay, this is cool!” Mila said, giddy.

“It’s tempting to dive in already, right?” Noelle said.

“Yeah, but… I’m also starving,” Grace said.

“Let’s go check out our cabin and come back to the dining room. Lunch is a buffet and is already served,” Sarah said.

We had to go up further up the hill, walking past the pool area and past other cabins next to the road. Like they said at the counter, ours was at the very back, at the end of said road.

It wasn’t very large, and it was also made of polished logs. Stairs led us to the balcony and the balcony led us to the entrance. The inside resembled the lobby quite a bit, though without the large chandeliers.

Our bags were already there, in the living room. We checked to see that no bag was missing and then explored the cabin. Three bedrooms, two with three single beds each and one master bedroom with a double bed. Two bathrooms with showers. No kitchen, but a spacious living room with three sofas, a large TV and a fireplace made of stone.

“It looks good,” Diana said. “I like it. But how are we going to sleep?”

“Seven beds, one double,” Alice said. “We’re leaving on Monday, so three nights. We could take turns sleeping with Oliver on the big bed.”

“You mean two of us each night?” Mila asked.

“Yeah. How about it?”

“Oh, so I don’t get to sleep alone?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Do you WANT to sleep alone?” Diana asked me, raising an eyebrow.

“No, ma’am.”

“How do we pair up?” Sarah asked.

“Noelle,” Diana said. “Shall we?”

The redhead’s eyes shone as much as her smile. “Sure!”

“Alright then,” Grace nodded. “Alice? Any objections to sharing a bed with me?”

Alice chuckled. “None. I’d be happy to.”

Mila and Sarah looked at each. “So this is what it’s like to be last pick…” Sarah said.

“What are you talking about? You were always my first pick,” Mila told her, giving Sarah a kiss on the cheek before sneaking behind her and cupping her boobs. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Sarah laughed. “Yeah we will. Not just at night, but in general. Let’s make the most out of this trip, okay?”

We took a group picture and sent it to our families to show them we made it okay. That said, the signal wasn’t the best. Took us like 10 minutes to send a single picture.

“Why don’t we also take the opportunity to stay away from our phones?” Diana asked, eyeing Sarah and Mila in particular.

Mila pouted. “Alright, but if people think I’m dead it’s on you.”

“Will people actually think you’re dead?” Alice asked her.

“Right, I forget at times you and Oliver don’t even have social media pages,” Sarah said.

“Cavemen,” Mila said. We shrugged.

“Mila posts like once every two hours, if not more,” Noelle said.

Alice and I both frowned in confusion. “Do you have so much to say?” I asked her.

“Her last post from yesterday was her saying she was craving something sweet,” Grace said. “An hour later she had over 100 replies and about 700 likes.”

Diana crossed her arms and frowned in confusion along with Alice and me. “Remind me. What is it you do, Mila?”

“Um… N-Nothing? I just post pictures and have a few sponsorships?” Mila said, now with a shy smile as she sank her head between her shoulders.

“Wow. Um… That’s… Good for you.” Diana nodded.

Mila then loudly clapped her hands. “ANYWAY. Did someone say lunch?”

“Me,” Grace said. “I hope the food is good.”

So did I.

We left the cabin and went back to the main building to eat. And yes, the food was pretty good.