Katherine wanted to laugh but Lily beat her to it.

  "Hah. I can't imagine him waltzing into a party like that." Katherine glared at Lily. "He doesn't like meeting strangers or discussing his relationship." Way to go, Lily.

  "We, as a couple, are very private and like to be left alone."

  'What more do you need to get the message?'

  His shoulders slumped as he said a quick goodbye and walked off. She felt no remorse for telling him off. He knew well that Katherine was in a serious relationship but he still wanted to poke his nose where it didn't belong.

  He just needed to respect her boundaries regardless of her relationship status. Was that too much to ask?

  With the pest gone, the girls had a couple more drinks. It was around nine in the night when a cab was called and they filled in. The bar wasn't far from their apartment but for safety reasons, they preferred cabs.

  When they reached home, they sluggishly fell on the couch. Angelina and Katherine's phones rang at exactly the same time. They glanced at each other, an explosion of joy in their hearts and scurried away into the privacy of their rooms.

  Lily rolled around on the couch for long enough before pulling her own phone out and drunk dialing her loving boyfriend…… who was probably checking assignments.

  "Hello," Katherine said, trying not to sound too eager. She failed miserably. The door closed behind her just then.

  "Hi, love." She shuddered. With just those two words, she wanted to melt into his arms. I sank onto her bed, pressing her face into the pillow as the smile on her face broadened.

  "I miss you already," she m.o.a.ned. "I am beginning to know that we'll never play hooky again." Stupid work. Who asked the planet to revolve around materialistic things?

  His warm laughter filled her ears. "Seriously. Everybody is conspiring to keep us apart. I don't like it. We should have run away when we had the chance."

  She joined in with his laughter, his thoughts mirroring hers perfectly. "Nobody's conspiring. I'm too scared people would chase me with pitchforks if I hid you." She gasped for effect.

  "As long as they don't find us, we should be okay. And if they do…… I'll protect you with my body." The line went silent for a minute.

  "Was the flight okay?" she asked.

  "It was. None of the media outlets got wind of my arrival, so apart from a few fans asking for autographs, it was uneventful. I just checked into my room. We are staying farther away from the city because the location for shooting would be too long to travel every day." His words were meant to report on his every move. She loved it. She sniffed, feeling a loss. She could have just followed him and nothing would have gone wrong, but who knew, maybe his crew members would leak information to the press. They had to be careful.

  "I was speaking to my mom while I was in the cab, though. That's why I didn't call you right after I landed. Though, with Stephen constantly texting Angelina, you should have known we had landed." He sounded a bit confused.

  "We went out drinking. Lily and Angelina are babysitting me so that I don't drown in my sorrow. But I think Angelina needs the support equally." She giggled.

  "Ah, so that is why you are so chirpy despite my absence. You've had a couple of drinks!" he sounded lighthearted about it, so the conversation changed quickly.

  "I'm sure Stephen was sending dirty texts to her by the look on his face. The sly man," he grumbled. He too wanted to send raunchy texts to his girlfriend, but more likely than not, both of them would remain unsatisfied and twisting and turning in bed due to lack of sleep.

  "How dare he!" she exclaimed. She felt a pang of jealousy one second and in the next, she decided that she was stupid for not being the one to text him, as well. Probably because she would just miss him more. "You sound jealous……" she commented smugly. "Do you want to get dirty texts, too?" Like she had to ask.

  "I always want dirty texts," he claimed. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

  She decided that she could do that tomorrow while he was working. Work him up a little during his breaks and rejuvenate him. She wouldn't want her boyfriend to be tired, right? "If I had some alone time, I would send you all the filthy words I knew," she whispered for effect. She heard him suck in a huge breath and giggled.

  "I miss you," she heard him say. "Even though Stephen is with me, it feels so quiet and lonely."

  She knew what he meant. She stayed with two other girls who were boisterous. If the apartment seemed quiet with them in it, one could imagine.

  "One day down." She managed to say.

  He laughed. "We'll be so busy that we won't know when the time comes."

  "My mom wants to send you some gifts and was wondering if she could come down to cheer for you during the championship." He mentioned out of the blue. Katherine's heart skipped a beat and she mulled over the words. She did? She felt tears prickle.

  "She doesn't have to give me anything. Tell her that I can send her some tickets if she wants to come. I'll send the date and timing when they arrive. If she is free……" she trailed off. His mother sounded like an incredible woman but meeting her alone without Cage? Would that be appropriate?

  "She wants to bring stuff for Angelina and Lily, too. I'll send her the information. If she is free, she can drive to the championship."

  "She is so sweet. I'm looking forward to it." She didn't want gifts, but if Cage's mother wanted to give her something, she would be happy if it was a poisonous tode. Hopefully, she wouldn't act flabbergasted when she met her in reality.