“Your High--”

“It’s Neuron, Michael.” Neuron cut the man named Michael off. It was the same man that picked us up in a Maserati last night.

Your High? Ness?

Michael gave me a glance. He wasn’t sure if he could call the prince by his first name. I’m sure Neuron doesn't want Michael to call him with royal honorifics because he’s thinking I don’t know yet who he is.

“Sir,” Michael finally settled with a ‘sir’. “Your car is completely unscathed.”

“Good,” Neuron said.

“But..”

“But?” Neuron raised his eyebrows at Michael.

“But someone took the dashcam.”

The culprit is probably my team. Of course, we don’t want to leave any evidence of that heist.

Neuron did not give any comment about the dashcam being missing. Instead, he took the key for the Maserati from Michael.

“Thanks. I’m gonna drive this lady here,” Neuron said and glanced at me very quickly, “home. We will talk later.”

“Yes, your high-- sir.” Michael immediately corrected the honorific he is using.

Neuron turned to me. “Hop in.”

And so, do I have a choice?

He is soooooo annoying. So freaking annoying.

First, he insisted on making me cook when I don’t even want to eat inside his place.

Second, he insisted on eating breakfast with me when all I wanna do is leave.

And third, he insisted on taking me home when I didn't even want to.

How is he supposed to take me home when my home doesn’t even exist on the map? The camp was built in a ghost village. We called it a ghost village because it doesn’t appear on the map although it exists. That’s the reason why Mirando has no idea until now that Soma exists.

“Where do you live again?” he asked as soon as he started the engine.

“Hermit Homes.” I secretly rolled my eyes. I don’t even know where Hermit Homes is. I just looked it up online when he suddenly insisted on taking me home.

“I don’t know where that is. But I’ll trust my GPS.” He entered Hermit Homes on the GPS. “Why is it called Hermit Homes by the way? Is it home for hermits? Are you perhaps a hermit?”

I gave him a very tired, unamused look. “Ha-ha funny.”

He laughed. “You don’t find it funny? That’s odd, it’s funny to me.”

His jokes are so lame. But strangely, I find it funny. Am I weird?

“Ah, I forgot to tell you. I used to work at a soft drink can-crushing company.”

“Really?” I asked out of pure amazement. I even sat up straight on my seat because I was intrigued. I didn’t know he worked part-time.

“And it was soDA PRESSING.” He laughed very loudly. As for me, I had a hard time understanding what just happened.

Why is he laughing?

Then I realized.

“You f--king asshole! Will you stop those lame dad jokes?”

“Why? I remember you loved them when we first met at that bar.”

I rolled my eyes. That.. right...

“Uhmm Rathna..”

“Don’t.” I immediately said. “Neuron, don’t.” I know he’s about to deliver another lame joke.

“What did the apple tree say to the pear tree?”

F--k!

“What?” I asked anyway.

“Nothing. Trees don’t talk, remember?” And then there goes his annoying laugh again. The more I hear him laugh at his own jokes, the more annoying his laugh sounds to me.

I unknowingly gritted my teeth and clenched my fist. “Do you want to die, jerk?”

But he just laughed.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop.” He’s chuckling to stop himself from completely laughing and it’s so annoying. “But first, let’s put your seatbelt on.”

He leaned closer to me and put on my seatbelt for me. “I can do that, Neuron.”

He just shrugged his shoulders at me and put on his own seatbelt. And off we go.

While we were on the road, I couldn't help but get anxious. What if he notices that Hermit Homes is not really my home? What if he suddenly wants to see my room? What if he insists on getting inside my supposed-to-be house?

“Ah,” I said when I suddenly remembered something. “What exactly happened that night when we were both drunk?”

“Glad you mentioned it. I totally forgot that you still have to pay me for what you did.”

“So what exactly did I do?”

“I thought you knew? You said I had a fair share of pleasure.”

“Neuron! Stop teasing please!” I can’t help but raise my voice because of embarrassment. He just wouldn’t stop pinching me with the most embarrassing things.

“Just what exactly did you think we did that night that you think I had a fair share of pleasure? What type of pleasure did you mean?” He teased again, not even listening to my plea.

“Whatever,” I sulkily said.

“It was too far from pleasure, Rathna. You ruined a ten thousand dollar shirt.”

“What?!”

“It’s disgusting. Just thinking about it now, it’s like I could smell it again and it’s making me throw up. Why drink if you can’t handle it? You really shouldn’t drink again. Who knows who’s the next poor victim you’ll throw up at.”

Did I throw up? At him? Oh gooood. When will I stop humiliating myself in front of him? I’m glad he hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy thing. If he does, I don’t know how to face him.

“It’s your fault for wearing a ten thousand dollar worth shirt.”

He just shook his head like he’s amused.

I could tell his suit that night cost a bank but who on earth with his right mind will wear a ten thousand dollar shirt?! He could’ve used the money to feed poor Maharlicans, especially the street children.

Before realizing it, we arrived in front of Hermit Homes' front gate. Now that I see it, it seems that it’s an exclusive residential subdivision.

“I guess you live in a pretty decent place.”

“Yeah, did you expect me to be living in slums?”

“No, not that bad. But I kinda hope you’re living in a not-so-nice place.”

I creased my forehead out of annoyance. “What?!” Did he just openly say he wants me to suffer?

“So I can have an excuse to make you live with me.”

That made me freeze on my seat. What did he just say? Did he just say he wanted me to move into his place?

“Neuron, don’t you think that’s pretty fast for someone I just met a couple of times?”

“Well, Rathna, you’re pretty quick on kissing me for someone I just met a couple of times,” he retaliated. And what am I supposed to say to that? How am I supposed to debate on that when it’s true? D-mn it.

I took off my seatbelt. “Well thank you very much sir for driving me home.”

“You’re welcome.”

He suddenly took his phone and browsed something. Seconds later my phone vibrated. An unknown caller is calling my phone. I stared at Neuron. He motioned his head at me to tell me to answer it.

I accepted the call.

“This is my number,” I heard him say both directly and indirectly from the phone call. “Call me if ever you are scared.”

I snorted and ended the call. “I don’t get scared, sir.”

“You told me you were scared of that gunshot.”

I paused. I forgot I pretended I was scared of that gunshot.

“Thanks, Neuron.”

I stepped out of the car and went to the other side where he was. He stared at me from inside while his hands were both on the steering wheel.

“What?” I asked.

He glanced at the big sign with a cursive writing of the word ‘Hermit Homes’ that is written on the gate. The two H’s have a much bigger font size than the rest of the letters.

“Is this subdivision supposed to detach you from the outside? I wonder if you’re really a hermit. And that you ran away from home--”

Without wasting another second I turned my back on him and started walking slowly towards the gate. His jokes-- urghhh!

I did not hear the sound of a car leaving so I figured he’s still there. Sh-t! I hope he will go away before I reach the gate. I can’t go inside here!

Relief swept through me when I heard his car leave. I turned my head and I was glad he was completely gone.

I took my other cell phone, the real one since I’m using another phone for Neuron just to be safe. I called Geraldine.

“Oh wow Paul, you can call, but we can’t call you. What is this upsetting implied hierarchy?”

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up, Percy! Come and pick me up.”

If Paul is my code name, Geraldine’s code name is Percy. The reason is that she likes Percy Jackson. She said she likes how Percy was able to get through his journey even though he is only a demi-god.

“Where are you, baby?”

“Hermit Homes.”

“What? And where the f--k is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re kidding!”

I laughed at how miserable she sounded. I walked out of that subdivision and waited on the main road so that Geraldine could see me right away.

Thirty minutes later she came to pick me up. As soon as I entered the car she asked me.

“So what happened to you and the prince last night?”

“Well, his highness and I, we--” I paused. That kiss on the couch suddenly resurfaced in my mind. “We’re fine.”

She narrowed her eyes on me. “Why does that sound so untrue?”

I did not respond to her.

“I don’t know his highness, but just the idea that he took the time to drive you to your home, which is not your real home, is something else. He might be a good man.”

I rested my head on the window of the car. It’s making me uneasy now that Geraldine said that.

“Rath, you sure about this? I can take on the seducing part. I know you don’t like involving innocent people.”

“It’s too late to do that. It’ll look more suspicious if I suddenly disappear. And correction, I am not seducing him. I am going to become his friend. A real trusted one.”

“So how’s it going being friends?” There’s a bit of amused sarcasm in her voice. “Is this how it works now in the 21st century? Do friends of opposite sex sleep next to each other now?”

I glared at her and she just laughed. She turned the engine on. But before she started driving she stared at me, flipped her hair, smiled naughtily, and said, “I don’t know about anything, but girl, you’re in trouble.”

D-mn it!