It was the virtual Hart’s family’s first time alone without their son, so things were a little bit awkward. And quiet. They spent most of their time watching TV and trying to look busy.

“Let’s do that game too,” he suggested when a commercial came on the TV. “To see who knows who best.”

“Okay.”

Earlier, they had watched a couple’s telepathic game where one partner had to write the same answer as the other partner.

“How many questions?” she asked.

“How ‘bout twenty? So ten each.”

“Okay, but you get the paper and pen. I’m scared to go upstairs.”

“It’s your own house.”

She shook her head while pouting.

“Fine.” He laughed and got up.

“Wait, I go too!” She jumped up and followed him. “Staying down here by myself is scarier.”

“You’re such a big scaredy-cat.”

She glared at him. “You calling me fat?”

He nodded, and she became depressed. He asked her, “You’re not gonna hit me?”

She laughed. “Why would I?”

“For implying that you’re fat. But you’re really not,” he swore, putting his hand up.

“But it’s the truth. I gained, like, five pounds since living with you. Besides, I rather hear it from you than from anyone else.”

He raised a curious brow. “Why?”

“I don’t know. There’s something about the things you say to me. They make me feel…”

He turned around and put his hands at her waist and rocked them side to side. “What, you gonna like me?”

She lightly hit his shoulder. “Whoever likes you is the unluckiest girl ever.”

“Why’s that? And don’t badmouth my future girlfriend.”

“Fine, I won’t. I’m badmouthing your future wife,” she teased.

They stopped walking and realized that they’d be divorcing in the future, that she wouldn’t be his wife and he wouldn’t be her husband. That this moment right now was all a virtual present. None of it was true.

He took her by the hand. “Why did you say that you won’t get married?”

“I was joking.”

“No, you weren’t.” He squeezed her hand. “I know when you are, and I know when you aren’t.”

She pulled herself away and walked up to her room. “It was really a joke, Logan. Of course, I’m gonna get married.” She stopped at her desk and searched for the paper and pens.

Then, his arms softly rested around her neck as he gently placed his chin on her shoulder.

“L-Logan?”

He pulled her closer to him. “After our divorce…I won’t get married…until you get married.”

*

It was the next day, and Hana was making breakfast. She heard some mumbling behind her, so she turned around and saw a groggily Logan pulling out a chair to sit at the dining table. She put her hands at her waist and walked to him. “Go wash your face, change into new clothes, then come back down to eat.”

He laid his head down on his arm. “I’m too tired to do that. Let me eat first, then I’ll change later.”

“You played games all night, didn’t you?”

He nodded and closed his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll let this passed. You lost countless times anyway.” She went back to stand by the stove.

“How’d you know?” He jolted up.

“I heard you whining ‘bout it. Something about not passing some level.”

“The fourth boss! Jake beat him with lower levels than mine, but I can’t!”

“That’s ‘cause he’s Jake. He’s good with games…and other gaming stuff.”

He went to hop onto the counter by the stove to sit on it. “Then, what am I good at?”

She looked at him and frowned. “Don’t sit here. You’ll get burned.”

He obeyed and slid off. “So?”

She took a deep breath and thought to herself. “You’re good at…handling girls. That’s a good thing, I guess.”

“You guess? Why are you guessing? I am! Every time Jake and I hit on girls, I always get them.”

“And he gets to date them.”

He scowled and looked away. “That’s ‘cause they haven’t seen the good stuff.”

“What good stuff?”

He sent her a smirk and eyed down to his brother below him. “My good stuff.”

She rolled her eyes in disgust and shoved him away. “Go get changed.”

He laughed and left but turned back around. “Hey, since I’m getting changed, wanna see my good stuff?”

“Logan! Just go.”

They laughed it off.

*

After breakfast, Hana was doing laundry, including Logan’s because they agreed on separating some chores. Since she was doing his laundry, he’d be putting things away in the shed and cleaning up the garage. She had gathered his clothes from his messy room and was about to head to the laundry room when she bumped into him in the hall.

“You’ll be seeing me wear the baseball cap soon!” he said, excitedly.

“Baseball season’s coming up already? When?”

“When we go back to school.”

“Are you going to prep a workout routine like you always do?”

“Shoot! That means I’ll have to get up an hour early before school to run!”

“Do what you gotta do, boy.” She passed by him with the laundry basket to the laundry room. She set the basket down and started throwing the clothes into the washer.

He poked his head inside. “Maybe I should quit the team.”

She stopped and shoot him a look. “What for?”

“What about the brat? What about taking him to his daycare in the morning and picking him up after school? I can’t let you do that yourself.”

She shook her head. “Stop. You don’t have to worry about us.” She hugged him with a smile. “Stay and have fun with your team.” She pulled away but had her hands enveloped around his neck. “Be a baseball father Lucas can be proud of. That way, you two can play baseball when he grows up.”

“Really?” he quietly whispered. “Really, really?”

“Really.” She removed her hands from him. “Besides, who do you think I am?” She laughed. “I’m Hana, and I can handle this.” She gave him a light punch on the chest. “Be the man I can be proud of too.”

*

After two hours of cleaning the house, Hana and Logan were once again seated together on the couch with nothing to do.

Until Hailey called Hana.

“Yeah, we’re home,” said Hana. “Sure. K. See you.” She dropped her phone to the side.

“What she called for?” asked Logan.

“She’s coming over.”

“Just her?”

“I think Seth’s coming too. They’re always together.”

About half an hour later, their doorbell rang, and it was Hailey. Just Hailey. She was dressed in a fancy, peach peacoat with a black satchel and brown fur boots.

“Where’s Seth?” asked Logan, stepping outside the porch and looking left and right for his buddy. He then closed the door when he confirmed his friend was not present.

Hailey took off her satchel and threw it to the sofa. “Don’t know. Why don't you look for him yourself?” She sat down. “Don’t mind me. But let me warn you right now, if he calls or is at the door, don’t answer or let—”

The doorbell rang again, and Logan opened it.

It was Seth.

Hailey stood up. “Why’d you open the door!”

Logan shrugged. “Didn’t think it was him.”

Hana went to Hailey. “Everything okay?” It was the first time she had seen her friends not being lovey-dovey.

“I don’t know,” snapped Hailey. “Why don't you ask Mr. I-don’t-know-anything-about-my-girlfriend-at-all?” She raised her chin at Seth, who was calmed and relaxed despite the mockery.

He walked to Hailey and spoke in a soft manner, “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t pay attention to you. It’s that—”

“It’s what?” Hailey backed away. “We’ve been dating for almost five years, and you don’t know more than thirty percent about me?”

“Thirty percent?” asked Hana and Logan, confused at the referenced number, but they didn’t receive an answer.

“You shouldn’t pay attention to that,” said Seth.

Hailey scoffed. “I shouldn’t? How much you know about me tells me how much you like me!”

Logan waved his hands in the air as he came in between his friends. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Hailey looked away, not wanting to say anything.

Seth had no choice but to explain. “We were shopping and came across this booth doing a last-day Christmas event for couples. We—”

“Get me some pens and papers,” demanded Hailey to Logan.

Logan obeyed and came back with a stack of paper and some pens. He gave it to Hailey.

“Now, you two are gonna do it,” she said, handing Logan and Hana each a paper and a pen.

“Do what?” they asked.

“What we did.”

“But we’re not a couple,” said Hana.

“Exactly. You two aren’t, so you shouldn’t get more than three answers right about each other. But unlike us, we’re strangers even though we’ve been dating for more than a year!”

“Hailey,” said Seth, a bit hurt.

She ignored him. “Write the answer to my questions.”

Hana lightened up. “Oh, is this where you ask questions about your partner and try to match their answer?”

Hailey and Seth nodded.

“You guys were at the event too?” asked Hailey.

Hana and Logan shook their heads.

“No, we saw it on TV,” answered Logan.

“What were your scores?” asked Hailey.

Hana forced a smile. “We didn’t really get to do it. Something else came up.”

“What?”

Hana cleared her throat. She didn’t want to go into details about the conversation exchanged between her and her virtual husband. “Hailey, I think you should listen to Seth. Forget about the score you guys got. It was a game. You two have been dating for so long, and for you to get mad over this trivial thing isn’t worth it.”

“It’s not trivial, Hana.”

“Yes, yes, it is.” Hana took her friend’s hand and Seth’s hand and laced them together. “Why are you going to let some percentage determine how much he values you? If you think he doesn’t pay attention to you, maybe that’s ‘cause he’s too busy admiring you.” She smiled. “So, let’s put this behind us, okay?”

“Yes,” said Seth, looking at his girlfriend.

“Hailey?” asked Hana.

Hailey took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Hana backed away and cleared her throat. In a joking manner, she said to Seth, “And you may hug the girlfriend.”

“Thanks, Hana,” said her friends.

“You’re welcome. Oh, since you’re here, I’ll give you guys your gifts. That way, I’ll just have Jake’s gift to bring on Monday.” She left her friends to run upstairs.

“Logan, why didn’t you guys get to play the game?” asked Hailey.

Logan licked his lips. “It’s something I said. B-but I was being honest.”

She told her boyfriend to move aside. To Logan, she threatened him, “You have ten seconds to summarize what you did wrong before she gets back down, mister.”

“After my brother left, I joked and said that she liked him and then she muttered something about not getting married—ever—so-so with my big mouth, I asked her about it.”

“And?”

“I said that I won’t get married until she does.”

“What?” exclaimed Hailey and Seth.

Logan became flustered. “But I mean it! I will do it! I won’t let her be responsible for the brat for life!”

“Why’d you say that?” said Hailey. “I mean, asking her is one thing, but to declare something that can change. You’re going to make her worry about it even more.”

“She’s worried about the married life?”

She covered her mouth.

“Tell me, Hailey. It’s my job to make sure that this family is okay.”

She hesitated. “Fine. But you can’t tell her I told you. I’m telling you because…because you’re her husband now.”

He nodded.

“When she first started babysitting, she only had to watch two kids. But after Yvonne’s third and fourth children, she began to question her marital future. It was also during the time her older siblings had a lot of marriage problems. She saw too much and decided that married life isn’t for her. She became afraid of being involved with someone for so long because not all relationships last forever. Even the good ones.”

“But we—” Logan’s comment was stopped when Hana came back down.

“Here you go, guys.” Hana hopped down the stairs and gave the gifts to Hailey and Seth. She noticed the forced smiles on her friends and sensed that something had happened. “Did Logan do something stupid again?”

Hailey let out a laugh. “When does he not?”

The group laughed and spent the day together.

*

Kevin put a glass of juice on the table for Hugo and sat in the opposite direction and crossed his legs. “So, leaving today? What time?”

Hugo took a sip. “Around four. Plane doesn’t leave ‘til seven.”

“The baby’s adorable.”

“That’s why I’m doing it,” said Hugo. Under his breath, he added, “And he too.”

“Doing what? This whole mother-hunt thing?”

“I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“I’m sorry,” Kevin said sarcastically. “Did you not know that even for first timers, you can still knock someone up?” He raised a brow at his friend. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

“That’s why whenever I look at him, I…”

“See her?” Kevin finished in a whisper.

Hugo exhaled.

Kevin leaned forward. “Yesterday, I saw the picture. You keep it in that book?”

“I’m going to find out the truth. I will.”