"All right... fine," Jake said after a long sigh. "However, I am not your servant, you both will pay for your food and rent. Give me your addresses and then go prepare your luggage."
"You accepted this too easily… as expected, you are after our bodies," Lana said, visibly suspicious.
"All right, then… good luck with this problem," Jake said and then began to walk toward Luke, but then he noticed that he wasn't there.
"It seems it is already pretty late… we don't have a choice," Lana said. "We will have to bet on the lesser of two evils."
Lana really had a knack for making Jake feel annoyed. She was almost at Justin's level. Soon after, Jake logged off from the game and then noticed that it was only noon… he thought several hours had passed in the real world since things had been pretty intense, and Luke wasn't doing his job of mimicking an NPC. Nevertheless, Jake changed his clothes and then grabbed a taxi.
While the vehicle was crossing the city, he pondered why the hell he was getting involved in the life of a woman that he had known only for a week. The reason was obvious. It was due to Lana. Little by little, it seemed that she was becoming more troublesome than useful.
Although she only had twenty minutes or so to pack some things, she was already ready in front of the complex she mentioned. Since it was Saturday morning, the place looked almost abandoned.
"You really came," Lana said, and then she entered the taxi," Lana said.
"Driver, head to some pier where I can dispose a corpse," Jake said.
The driver and Lana looked at Jake suspiciously and in completely silence. He just shrugged since they couldn't appreciate an excellent dark joke… Soon after, he gave the driver the address of Louise, and the place was pretty close to Lana's. She was also in the lobby of her building, wearing clothes like she was some kind of pop star who didn't want to be recognized.
"Everything is ready, Sebastian," Jake said when Louise entered in the vehicle. "You can return to our hideout."
Once again, everyone looked at Jake suspiciously. The driver clearly didn't want to get involved in those dark jokes, and Lana seemed even more displeased than usual. Nevertheless, Jake told him to return to the starting point.
Jake lived pretty far away from downtown, and that part of the city probably could be considered one of the poorest. Despite that, the place was bustling with people coming and going in the afternoon. Lana had a vivid imagination, so she imagined to see gangsters doing their things in daylight and in the open, but she didn't see such a thing. The building where Jake's apartment could be found was also relatively old, but it seemed well-maintained.
"So, you live around these parts…" Lana asked while looking around. "I imagined that this is the kind of place where thugs ask you for money."
"Only if you walk in the wrong streets at night and by yourself," Jake said while he was paying the driver.
"You talk as if you have firsthand experience," Lana frowned.
"Been there, done that," Jake said.
"Ah, I can imagine… you are the type who tries to face thugs and end up getting his ass kicked," Lana said.
"I will leave it to your imagination," Jake said.
After taking some stairs, they found Jake's apartment on the fourth floor. Once he opened the door to them, they noticed that it was unexpectedly tidy while the place was small. Jake didn't seem older than twenty, but he was surprisingly mature when it came to taking care of his place. The place seemed normal enough and very adult-like. There was a couch, a big TV, and some shelves with books. The kitchen also seemed well-equipped, as if Jake liked to cook. However, it wasn't big enough for three people to live for a few days. The living room and the kitchen were connected, and only a single door separated the bathroom and the bedroom.
"You cleaned this pretty fast…" Lana said.
"Yes, my name is Jake Allen and I am the fastest cleaner alive," Jake said. "I will go take some things from my room and then you guys can use it."
"Do you live by yourself here, Jake?" Louise asked while Jake was taking out a sheet from his closet.
"Yeah," Jake replied.
"Since when?" Louise asked.
"… Since I was fifteen," Jake replied after a long sigh.
Jake wanted to say something rude since it was his modus operandi to keep people away, but it was kind of harsh to do so in that situation.
"Who cooks for you?" Lana asked as she watched the kitchen. "I can't imagine a girl coming here often, so your mother?"
"… My mother died when I was born," Jake said, and this time he didn't try to hide his annoyance as he looked toward Lana.
"I am sorry… I said too much," Lana said and then looked away when she saw Jake's eyes devoid of any emotion.
"As long as you understand…" Jake said and then left his room. "Anyway, I am hungry. You guys can ask those app that deliver food what you like. My food is too spicy for girls."
"That sounds like a challenge," Lana smiled.
"I also feel like eating something homemade," Louise said. "If that isn't too much trouble…"
"Well, I warned you…" Jake said.
After putting their things in the bedroom, the girls watched Jake cooking. It seemed like something normal for him, but he sure liked to sigh a lot while he was doing that. They knew that it was due to the gazes filled with curiosity, but they couldn't help it. After all, in this day and age, they didn't know many guys who were into cooking.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢