Luther’s POV
After the argument, I took over the driver’s seat.
Unlike James, who drove like he was transporting a glass of water…
I drove like we were being chased.
The speedometer kept climbing.
James held tightly onto his seat.
Ariel had one hand against the dashboard.
Neither said anything.
But I could feel their uneasiness.
“…Okay.”
I slowly took my foot off the accelerator.
“Maybe I’m driving a little too fast.”
“A little?” James muttered.
I ignored him.
Eventually, the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Night had arrived.
We couldn’t keep driving forever.
We needed rest.
So we pulled the SUV off the road and found a relatively safe spot to stop.
A small fire burned beside us as we sat outside.
For the first time since the Raiders attacked us…
Things felt almost peaceful.
James and I joked about the fight.
He exaggerated how powerful his Titan form was.
I reminded him that he still fell for my rope trick.
“That was strategy!”
“That was you tripping!”
“It worked!”
We both burst out laughing.
Ariel, however, wasn’t laughing.
She sat beside the unconscious girl, checking her every few minutes.
Her expression remained worried.
She’d been doing it since we stopped.
James noticed too.
He leaned toward me.
“I think this is the perfect time to talk to her.”
He gave me a wink.
“…Nah.”
I immediately shook my head.
“I don’t think so.”
James frowned.
Then he grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Bro.”
“No.”
“When do you think you’re gonna man up?”
“Then get ready.”
“James”
He started pushing me toward Ariel.
“Stop!”
I struggled against him.
But before I could escape…
We were already standing in front of her.
James smiled.
“He has something to tell you.”
Then he ran.
Actually ran.
Straight into the darkness.
“…I’m going to kill him.”
I turned back toward Ariel.
She looked at me curiously.
“What did you want to tell me?”
Oh, crap.
She’s asking.
I need to say something.
Anything.
“Uhm…”
I swallowed.
“I like you.”
Silence.
My brain stopped functioning.
What?
Why did I say that?!
I quickly tried to recover.
“Sorry.”
“That came out wrong.”
“What I meant was…”
“You’re very beautiful and”
What is wrong with me?!
I’ve given presentations in front of some of the greatest pioneers in the gaming industry.
I’ve defended entire development projects.
I’ve argued with executives
And yet…
I couldn’t form one proper sentence in front of a girl.
“I mean…”
Ariel smiled.
“I know what you mean, Luther.”
She looked like she was trying not to laugh.
From somewhere behind the trees…
I heard it.
James.
Laughing his head off.
I’m definitely killing him.
I sighed. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Then you probably know I’ve been trying to avoid this conversation.”
“Pretty much.”
“How?”
She smiled.
“Your staring wasn’t exactly subtle.”
….
Oh.
That made me feel like a complete creep.
“I wasn’t staring that much…”
“You were.”
“Okay…”
I looked away.
“Maybe a little.”
She laughed softly.
We continued talking for a while.
Nothing dramatic.
Just…
Talking.
And somehow, after everything we’d been through…
It felt normal.
Eventually, we decided it was time to sleep.
As I approached the SUV, James was already waiting.
He looked far too pleased with himself.
“So…”
He grinned.
“How did it go?”
I glared at him.
“I’m going to kill you.”
He laughed.
“That’s not an answer.”
I climbed into the SUV.
“Goodnight, James.”
He laughed before climbing in after me.
We had barely settled down when….
AAAAAAHHHH!!
A scream erupted from inside the vehicle.
We both shot upright.
James looked at me.
I looked at him.
Then we heard the girl’s frightened voice.
“She’s awake!”
I immediately jumped out of the SUV.
Ariel was already beside her.
The girl had awakened.
And judging by the terror in her eyes…
She had no idea where she was.