"Ready?"

"Holy shi - t? What are you doing here?"

"Picking you up, neighbor," he grinned at Luke who was smirking behind Jess.

They were in the basement parking lot of the laboratory building. Jess was about to open the driver's door of her SUV when Noah startled her by suddenly talking behind her back.

She looked around and saw some CCTV on the far corner of the parking area.

"As you can see, I have my own car." She rolled her eyes in annoyance to hide the thumping of her heart.

The idea of Noah picking her up from work gives off a warm feeling that she likes. But she won't tell him that.

"You can just leave your car here. I'll drive you to work on Monday." He gave her his smile that was known to get whatever he wants from any girl.

"No."

He sighed when he heard the resounding no from Jess.

"How about I borrow your car today, and then I'll bring it back tomorrow or Sunday," Luke suggested, earning a smile from Noah.

"And why would I do that?" Jess arched her eyebrow.

"Duh! So you two don't have to fight which car you will be using and then at the same time, if you don't like Noah during the weekend, you can drive yourself to work on Monday!" He said, flipping his imaginary long hair in the air.

Jess stared at Luke, then her eyes went to Noah. She was fumbling with her car key in her hands, thinking of Luke's idea.

"Come on, baby. I just want to drive you home, please."

"Those puppy eyes won't get you anywhere, Tiefenbacher," she clicked her tongue but threw the car key to Luke who barely managed to catch it.

"Let's go," she grinned, taking Noah's elbow.

A wide satisfied smile spread on Noah's face. He pulled her shoulder closer to him and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Thank you," he murmured.

"You two -- have a great weekend! I mean, you don't have to say goodbye to me or wish me a good weekend too -- like decent friends, you know?"

He clicked his tongue as a grin slowly tugged the corner of his lips. He looked down at the car key in his hands and thought of places where he could bring Jess's car.

***

"Uhm, can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask but I'm not promising an answer," she said. She was on her phone sending a message to her father that she would be staying over at a friend's house.

He let out a chuckle as he stopped the car at a red light. "The man in your apartment, who is he?"

"When did you two meet?" she glanced over her shoulder, her fingers clutching her phone in her hand.

It chirped before Noah could answer and the red light turned to green.

She looked down on her phone and read her father's message, ['We really have to talk, Nugget.']

"I met him when I went to your place yesterday. When I was looking for you."

He gripped the steering wheel out of nervousness because he saw Jess's face pale when he said he met the man in her apartment.

She sighed and cast her eyes outside Noah's speeding sports car. She looked at the phone in her hand, and in a small voice said, "So, you had met my father."

Noah turned the steering wheel in his hands, swiftly as they entered the basement parking lot of their apartment. He stopped the car too soon, the tires screeched with the friction on the cemented parking floor.

"Your father?" his eyes widened in shock as the car came to a screeching halt.

"Luke said he's pretty hot. And not a lot of people see him as my dad, you know… he's quite young and to be honest — hot," she scoffed, pulling her seatbelt out of its clip.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath.

Jess glanced at Noah with a knitted forehead, "Why, what happened?"

"Well, I think I just — you know…"

She just shook her head and opened the passenger door. Noah doesn't have to say it but he has an idea of what could have happened between the two.

They both have enough testosterone to light up the whole of Los Angeles.

"I think he hates me," he said as he caught up with Jess inside the elevator.

"I don't really care." she crossed her arms over her chest.

She has her eyes fixed on the gleaming steel surface of the elevator. She could see Noah's anxiety from his reflection on the elevator wall.

"I care," he said when the elevator door opened on their floor. "Shouldn't we go over to your place and uhm — maybe… I apologize?"

"What's your passcode?"

"024012."

She tapped his arm and when Noah looked at her face, she pointed her finger in the direction of her door. "You can go to my place and apologize to my father— if you want. I'll wait for you at your place," she said, keying in the numbers Noah said on the keypad of his door.

A soft hissing sound was heard from the keypad, and the door opened with a soft click when Jess twisted the doorknob.

"You got Netflix or something," she said as she entered his foyer.

"Wa-wait," he quickly entered his own house and closed the door behind him. "You truly think I don't need to apologize to your father?"

Jess faced Noah with her arms still crossed over her chest. She curled her lips as her eyebrow arched. She shook her head and scoffed.

"I was just thinking that it's your dad and I was kind of a prick yesterday...."

"Remember I told you that you won't be forgiven as easily, Noah?" She exhaled a deep sigh. "I agreed to your dinner invitation because I don't want to go home… I don't want to go home because I don't want to talk to my dad." She tilted her head to her side, and stared at Noah, "So what are you gonna do?"

He nodded and walked ahead of her to the kitchen, "I will make you dinner! That's what I'm gonna do."