Bix stared at his phone screen, reading the words *Don’t wander off* and blinking in disbelief.  

“Wander off? I’m literally still in the hospital lobby,” he muttered, exhaling through his nose.  

Outside the glass doors, afternoon light flickered across the polished floor, turning the white cast on his leg almost translucent.  

What really worried him wasn’t the leg—it was how to get home.  

His little delivery scooter, the one that had carried him through half the city, was wrecked beyond repair.  

Fixing it or buying a new one, both sounded like financial suicide.  

“A new one costs way too much,” he mumbled, feeling the ache of numbers he didn’t even want to calculate.  

After staring at the screen for a while, Bix finally typed:  

【Still in the hospital lobby.】  

It didn’t take long for her reply to arrive:  

【What are you doing?】  

He grinned and typed fast.  

【Contemplating life.】  

A few seconds later, her response popped up—just a single unimpressed emoji.  

Bix laughed out loud and added a smiling face.  

【Haha, okay, fine. I’m trying to figure out how to get home. My bike’s wrecked.】  

【I might call some friends to pick me up later, but they’re still out doing deliveries.】  

The chat bubble appeared again.  

【Wait for me. I’ll come get you. I’ll text when I’m there.】  

【And don’t wander off.】  

He froze, staring at the words.  

“Is she… parenting me?”  

He muttered under his breath, though a smile crept across his face.  

“I can’t even walk properly. Where does she think I’m going?”  

A nurse wheeled him over to the discharge counter.  

The paperwork was long but painless—insurance had covered almost everything.  

While signing the last form, he pulled out his phone again and texted his insurance agent:  

【Hey, quick question. My scooter was in the accident too—does the policy cover that? Any chance repairs are reimbursable?】  

The reply came minutes later.  

【Don’t worry, I’ll handle it in the next few days. Just focus on getting better.】  

It was signed “Joanna,” his classmate’s girlfriend—the same person who’d talked him into buying the policy in the first place.  

Bix smiled to himself.  

“Good thing I listened. Could’ve gone broke otherwise.”  

Meanwhile, across town, Lilia stood in the company parking lot.  

The message *Wait for me* still glowed on her screen.  

She didn’t call her driver. Not this time.  

Instead, she walked to her car and slid into the driver’s seat.  

It felt oddly foreign—she had a license, sure, but hardly ever used it.  

“Should be fine,” she whispered, though her fingers were stiff around the steering wheel.  

The engine rumbled to life, a bit rough, like it wasn’t entirely convinced either.  

She took a deep breath and told herself,  

*It’s just picking up a friend. Nothing more.*  

The car rolled out of the garage.  

Streetlights flickered on one by one as dusk deepened,  

and with every passing block, her heartbeat quickened.  

Maybe she didn’t want to admit it,  

but this wasn’t just about giving someone a ride.  

She was going to see the one person she couldn’t seem to ignore anymore.