Zee locked eyes with Jonathan for a moment, accepted the gesture, and shook his hand firmly.
"DEAL!" The word escaped them simultaneously, sealing their fate as a fake couple.
The night had grown late. Jonathan's car slowed to a crawl, its lights cutting through the narrow, cramped alley before finally entering the lane where Zee lived.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow," Jonathan said, his voice low and relaxed, as the car finally rolled to a complete stop in the dimly lit yard of Zee's boarding house.
"Yes, thank you for today," Zee said, nodding briefly.
As she reached for the door handle, the bright beam of Jonathan's headlights suddenly illuminated a shadow standing right at the boarding house gate. The woman was middle-aged, appearing to wait, her face tense.
Zee's heart plummeted.
"Mama?" Zee looked shocked, her voice strangled and barely audible.
