The problem in his pants refused to go down. He would be damned if the paparazzi caught him aroused on camera. His little friend would be splashed on television for every teenage girl to see and fantasize about. Moreover, rumors of his sexual escapades would light up in the industry. He groaned. He was unbelievably lucky for bringing a long jacket with him. He didn't particularly like them, but City L at that time of the year was freezing. Thank god, it hid his body well. He plunged his hand into the pockets of the jacket to covertly enter the hotel he was living in, unnoticed.

  When he rid himself of Stephen and entered his shower, relief washed over him. The handy toiletries supplied by the hotel felt like a boon. He opened the bottle and sniffed it unhappily. The flowery scent would not suit his image, but it would have to do for then. He could have gone without, but really, he didn't want his little friend to rebel and go out of order in protest.

  Cage felt it silly to feel aroused by some stranger who had pinged him. She could be an old, dilapidated individual. Or worse, it could be someone pretending to be a woman and catfishing him online. There was a more horrifying possibility: that she was underage, and he had gotten turned on by her. That would be so wrong if he were really talking to a minor and having racy conversations with them.

  He could imagine the headlines and the scandal it would create. It would ruin his career if he were not taken in for soliciting a minor or something of that sort. The thought scared him. He needed to ask her before they spoke further.

  He was back on the laptop once he was done taking a shower. He played Return of the Heroes for some time before going to the server and checking on his messages. He was not surprised to find a message from Rinten waiting for him.

  [Rinten: So I don't have to worry about Driger having to pull you through your Beyblade matches. Glad to know I am not playing a minor, Sir Ray Kon, lord of the sacred bit-beast.]

  He was delighted by the message. It just went to show that she was also curious about him—at least his age. There was something about their mutual flirting that got Cage excited.

  He laughed out loud as he realized that she had caught him red-handed. She not only knew of his favorite cartoon as a child but could also make a joke out of it and laugh at his expense. She had meant that even the enormous bit best Driger could not pull his weight if he were 600 pounds. And he had a good laugh about that.

  He quickly typed out a reply.

  [RayKon53: You recognized my name! I am fascinated that you would know. If you don't mind me asking, I would rather you tell me how old you are. I don't want the FBI beating down on my door.]

  He was inquisitive, and the only way to find out was to ask the source of all his questions, Rinten directly.

  [RayKon53: You have a way with words, little rin rin. Do you want senpai to pat your head and notice you?]

  He went back to playing their little game of hiding and teasing. The game was mostly a slow burn. There was something about talking to a stranger; it made you bring out the devious side of you, which you would never show to people you know, lest they judge you. And his online friendship or whatever they had going on was based on the same model. Two complete strangers saying whatever their heart desired.

  It was around 12:30 in the night when he was about to go to bed.

  He saw a message from his mother, Anna, about a concert she had coming up. He smiled at the message gently but furrowed his brows when he realized he had forgotten to call his parents due to his hectic schedule and slighted their concern about his health. Looking at the clock, he realized that it would be 5:30 in the morning in City H, where he and his parents lived. He cursed under his breath before sending her a message apologizing and ensuring that he would attend the concert——

  Early next morning, Katherine sat quietly on the couch and munched on her breakfast, waiting to see if Lily would finally return after her night out. It was a matter of time before the front door opened and closed very quietly, and Lily made her way to the living room. Lily bumped into something and cursed under her breath. She hadn't noticed Katherine sitting on the couch yet, so when she voiced out her greeting, Lily jumped in surprise, effectively hitting her foot against another piece of furniture yet again.

  "Jesus, make some noise, will you? I almost had a heart attack!" Lily had composed herself by that time and was strutting into the living room like nothing was the matter. The woman kicked off her heels and then went ahead and sat down on the floor in front of the couch. She had stripped off her makeup and looked surprisingly fresh after a night out and a good time. She didn't look like she had been out at a party and had toiled the night away with some boy she had met at the bar. Even her hair, which was usually tousled after a night of sleep, looked freshly combed, if not a little weathered from the wind. But nothing too drastic. Of course, Katherine didn't know if it was a good time or a wrong time, but she was sure her over-sharer of a friend would let her know, regardless.