The moonlight over Big Bear Mountain was gorgeous, and the breeze was soft and gentle.
Amid the rustling of the red autumn leaves covering the mountain, a large tent stood at the peak.
Luke and Taylor had just finished dinner and were now inside the tent, setting up their bedding.
"Sorry, I forgot to bring an extra blanket. Guess we'll have to share," Taylor said with a grin.
That old trick? It was so obvious it could've come straight out of a playbook.
Not that Luke was complaining—far from it.
With her golden curls, pure and striking features, and flawless fair skin, Taylor was already enough to make most guys' hearts skip a beat.
But the universe had been extra generous with her. She also had a figure that drove countless men wild.
The bed was ready now, and as Taylor lay down, her curves were on full display.
Among the women closest to Luke, Taylor was the tallest, which only amplified her stunning proportions.
Long legs, tiny waist, the perfect dip from waist to hips—every detail was a work of art.
Luke smiled as he turned on the lantern and hung it on the side of the tent, making the scene even more vivid.
"You staring at me?" Taylor asked with a playful smile.
"We're the only ones here. Who else am I gonna look at?" Luke shot back, completely unapologetic.
"It's still early. How about we play a game?" Taylor suggested.
What kind of game? Was this game even remotely innocent?
Luke's mind raced through a montage of classic scenes from Japanese dramas.
"Alright, what's the game?" he asked, a little excited.
"Let's play a pretend phone call game. I'll be me, and you'll be my best friend, Abigail. We'll have a phone chat."
Luke got the gist of the game right away. It was simple.
But also not so simple.
Because this wasn't going to be just casual chitchat.
"First, I need to know—is Abigail a guy or a girl?" Luke asked.
Taylor laughed and gave him a light tap. "A girl. My best friend."
"Alright, I'm in," Luke said.
Seeing his agreement, Taylor held up her right hand, shaping it like a phone and placing it to her ear.
"Ring, ring!"
She mimicked the sound of a phone ringing.
When Luke didn't respond right away, she nudged him. "What are you waiting for? Answer the phone!"
"Fine, fine," Luke said, mimicking her by holding his hand up like a phone. "Hello, Taylor?"
"Abigail, it's Taylor," she said, then paused, waiting for him to take the lead.
Luke felt a little exasperated. How was he supposed to know what Taylor and Abigail usually talked about?
So he winged it. "Taylor, Merry Christmas! Wanna grab dinner tonight?"
"Sorry, I can't tonight. I'm on a date with a guy. We're camping at Big Bear Mountain," Taylor said, her smile widening.
"Oh my gosh, Taylor! You've got a boyfriend?" Luke asked, playing along.
"No, he's not my boyfriend," Taylor replied.
"So, are you two gonna make it official?" Luke pressed.
"No, he's already got a girlfriend," Taylor said, shaking her head.
"Are you crazy?" Luke exclaimed.
"Maybe," Taylor said with a shrug.
"Taylor, listen to me. This isn't you. You're too proud for this. You're amazing, with a bright future ahead. Why mess around with a guy who's already taken?" Luke asked, channeling Abigail.
"Because he's won me over. He's tall, handsome, fearless—the best guy out there. He gets me, always has my back. Even if I can't be his girlfriend, I'm happy just being by his side," Taylor said, her eyes practically overflowing with affection.
"And being by his side like that—does it make you happy?" Luke asked, zeroing in on what mattered most to him.
"Yeah. I love when he holds my hand and we walk through the woods or a field of flowers. I love when he holds me and we dance in the rain. And I really love when he kisses me softly," Taylor said.
"What? You guys kissed?" Luke asked, feigning shock.
"Yeah, and kissing him feels amazing. The closer I get to him, the more I like him," Taylor admitted.
"Taylor, you're not thinking about sleeping with him, are you?" Luke asked, shamelessly using Abigail's voice to pose the question.
Taylor looked a little embarrassed but nodded, playing by the game's rules. "If he wants to, I'm looking forward to it," she said softly.
A girl being that open about her feelings? That's the kind of thing most guys never hear in a lifetime.
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"But I'm a little worried," Taylor said, quickly changing the subject.
"About what?"
"I don't know how he really sees me. I'm throwing myself at a guy who's already taken. Will he think less of me for it?"
"I don't think he'd ever look down on you. If anything, he'd respect you even more," Luke said earnestly.
"Really?"
"You're incredible. Any guy would feel lucky to have your affection. He probably feels like he owes you and would only cherish you more," Luke said.
"I don't want him to feel like he owes me. That's what you say to outsiders. Feeling indebted would just weigh down our relationship. I want things between us to always be light and fun," Taylor said.
"You're such a great girl. That guy's lucky to have you," Luke said.
"Yeah, he's lucky. But I'm pretty lucky too," Taylor replied with a smile.
With that, she made a gesture like she was hanging up the phone.
"Now it's your turn to call someone, and I'll answer," she said.
Luke had wanted to keep the conversation going—he still had questions, hoping to get a clearer picture of what was really on Taylor's mind.
But she'd ended the call so quickly.
Clearly, she was ready to switch roles and go on the offensive.
The conversation was about to get trickier, and Luke braced himself.
"Who should I call?" he asked.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Alright, I'll call Uncle Vin Diesel."
"No way! Calling your uncle? That's boring. Pick someone else," Taylor shot down the idea immediately.
"Fine, how about Bob? You've met him," Luke suggested.
"Nope! He's boring too," Taylor said.
Luke rolled his eyes. Did the person in this pretend phone call game have to be interesting?
"Alright, how about Depp? He's pretty entertaining," Luke tried.
"No, he's too weird. I can't play him," Taylor replied.
She kept rejecting his suggestions. Did she already have someone in mind?
"Alright, just tell me who you want me to call," Luke said, cutting to the chase.
Taylor's face lit up with a sly grin. "Call Yuffie. I'll play her."
"…"