Lucien dropped the phone onto the mattress like it had physically burned him.

From the living room, the television suddenly erupted into cheers.

"And tonight's winner—Leon Vance—"

Lucien sat bolt upright.

"What are you watching?"

His roommate looked confused. "The replay from tonight's fight. Want to watch it?"

Absolutely not.

Lucien grabbed his phone and retreated into his room before giant-screen Leon could make his emotional condition worse.

A few minutes later, another notification appeared.

[Sweet dreams.]

Lucien stared at the message for an embarrassingly long time before burying half his face into the pillow.

This man was dangerous.

—

Even though Leon insisted he didn't need to pack much, Lucien still prepared like he was leaving civilization permanently.

He packed bug spray, sunscreen, extra clothes, a portable charger, emergency snacks, and Leon's freshly washed jacket folded neatly at the very bottom of the bag.

He spent an unreasonable amount of time folding that jacket properly.

Afterward, he took a picture of the overstuffed backpack and uploaded it to Twitter for the first time in weeks.

Caption:

expectation!!!

Most of the replies came from classmates making fun of how serious he looked about a three-day trip.

One account replied simply:

Saoirse: Have fun.

Lucien smiled at the screen before setting the phone aside.

But later that night, lying in bed, excitement slowly twisted into something else.

Something older and more fragile.

The feeling reminded him too much of elementary school field trips.

Back then, every student had needed to pay in advance. Lucien hadn't known the orphanage never submitted his fee until the morning everyone boarded the buses without him.

He still remembered standing beside the school gates smiling obediently while insisting he didn't mind staying behind.

He also remembered crying alone after everyone left.

That familiar feeling crept back quietly now.

What if something changed?

What if Leon forgot?

What if Lucien had somehow misunderstood everything?

He rolled over restlessly and grabbed his phone.

[Tomorrow—]

Delete.

[Where should I meet you—]

Delete.

Too clingy.

Too weird.

Too late at night.

After ten minutes of typing and deleting messages, Lucien finally gave up and stared blankly at the ceiling instead.

Then his phone buzzed.

He grabbed it so quickly he nearly dropped it.

A message from Leon.

[Sleep early. I'll pick you up tomorrow.]

Lucien stared at the screen for several long seconds before replying.

[Okay!!! Goodnight!!]

Warmth spread slowly through his chest afterward.

Maybe people weren't meant to be abandoned forever.

—

Unfortunately, emotional revelations did not prevent him from oversleeping horribly.

The next morning, Lucien woke up late enough to trigger immediate panic mode.

He brushed his teeth at record speed, shoved random belongings into his bag, and sprinted downstairs without breakfast.

Leon was already waiting beside the car, looking unfairly put together and completely calm while Lucien looked like he'd survived a small natural disaster.

Leon took the backpack from his hands automatically before glancing down at Lucien's chaotic hair.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Lucien immediately covered his head in horror.

"I overslept."

"You're fine."

"I didn't even fix my hair."

"You don't need to."

Leon opened the passenger door for him.

"You look cute like this."

There it was again.

Cute.

Nobody else calling him cute affected him this badly. Other people said sweetheart, baby, adorable, pretty, and it usually rolled right off him.

But Leon said it differently.

Too direct. Too sincere. Like he actually meant it.

Before Lucien could spiral any further, Leon handed him a paper bag.

"What's this?"

"You skipped breakfast."

Lucien paused.

Inside sat a still-warm breakfast sandwich and a bottle of fresh orange juice.

"Chef made extra this morning."

Chef.

Such an aggressively rich-person word.

Lucien opened the sandwich carefully and nearly ascended spiritually after the first bite. The toasted bread was still crisp around the edges, and the warm egg yolk mixed with the seasoned beef and melted cheese in a way that felt borderline life-changing on an empty stomach.

The orange juice tasted freshly squeezed too.

"You eat like this every day?" he asked in disbelief.

"Mostly."

"That's insane."

Leon reached over and handed him another container.

"Open it."

Inside sat perfectly arranged blueberries, each one huge and dark blue.

"Those came from the ranch yesterday," Leon said. "You can pick more yourself if you want."

Lucien immediately ate one.

Sweetness burst across his tongue instantly.

His eyes lit up.

"These are amazing."

Leon glanced at him briefly.

Something softened in his expression again.

"I'm glad you like them."

After a moment, he added casually, "Summer break starts soon too. If you ever want somewhere quieter to stay, you could come live with me for a while."

Lucien nearly inhaled a blueberry whole.

"What?"

"The house is big," Leon said calmly. "Joey stays over all the time anyway."

Oh.

Right.

Foreigners apparently invited people to mansions casually.

Probably.

Still, Lucien shook his head quickly.

"Thank you, but I'll probably stay near campus and work during summer."

Leon didn't push.

He simply nodded once before asking, "Want some air?"

"Huh?"

Several minutes later, the convertible roof folded open overhead.

Wind rushed through the car instantly, destroying Lucien's already hopeless hairstyle beyond recovery.

He didn't care.

The highway stretched endlessly ahead beneath an almost violently blue sky while palm trees blurred past on both sides.

Everything looked cinematic, bright, open, and unreal.

Lucien turned in his seat, eyes shining.

"Can I stand up?"

Leon laughed quietly.

"Go ahead."

Lucien pushed himself upright immediately, arms spread against the rushing wind.

Freedom hit him all at once.

The city disappeared farther behind them with every mile.

For the first time since arriving in America, he suddenly felt less trapped inside survival mode and less like he was constantly running.

"This feels like a movie!" he shouted over the wind. "Like one of those American road trip films!"

Leon looked up at him.

Really looked.

The wind had lifted Lucien's shirt slightly, exposing a narrow strip of pale skin above his waistband. Sunlight caught against the line of his throat while his hair whipped wildly across his face.

He looked alive in a way Leon had never seen before.

Uncareful. Happy. Open.

Leon's grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"It really does."