Dan chuckled and nodded. She sounded like a little girl asking her dad if they could take a puppy home. Aside from that, his ears were keen on the statement, 'one of us has to drive.' It could have simply been 'you have to drive.' Why did she phrase it vaguely? He became suspiscious.

He held the wine bottle on one hand while his other arm was wrapped around her waist.

When the doors were flipped up and they were about to board, Midori stepped and turned to face him.

"Hey, can I drive? Just this once..." Hey puppy eyes s.h.i.+ning on him.

He pursed his lips. He had predicted this. "But it takes skill to maneuver this." he tried to object.

"You think I don't have the skills to drive this baby?" She frowned while looking at her shoes, like a spoiled kid who did not get what she wants.

Just then, Dan moved his hand to hold her chin and took her lips in his.

She kissed him back, clutching his tie, pulling him in as she then leaned on the car.

When they broke the kiss, he looked at her amused, slowly shaking his head.

She snickered. "You and your old tricks. We're not kids anymore."

He held up the key near her face while smiling. "Your reward."

She let out a soft squeal, swiftly grabbed the key and went straight to the driver seat.

Dan held on to his seat as she sped away into the night.

"Hey, hey! We're approaching city limits! Watch your speed!" He tried not to shout.

"Oh..." She finally lowered her gear.

With a bit of difficulty, she parked the s.h.i.+ny car back in his garage.

When they got out of the car, she hooked her arm in his. "Hey, I wanna buy this baby from you."

"You don't like your Aston Martin anymore?" He looked back skeptically.

She frowned. "You have a lot of cars. Why can't I have more. Besides, I'm not asking you to give it for free. Name your price."

They have arrived at the penthouse when he was about to reply.

"I'll name a price and a condition."

"Say it." She was too eager and was sure that she has the money for whatever it may cost.

He locked the door and turned to her eager face. "The condition would be that at the end of the day, it will still be parked in my garage."

She took a deep breath. "Fine. How much?"

A squeal was suddenly heard as he lifted her up by wrapping his arms around her thighs. The sudden vertical elevation made her unstable that she subconsciously grabbed his shoulders.

He steadily went upstairs while carrying her, not saying a word.

He laid her on the bed, tossing both of their slippers away. Then he started undressing himself.

Soon a topless him went on top of her.

She was nervous. "Dan...I...I think we should take it slow..."

"After you sped away with your car, you suddenly want to slow things down?" he asked teasingly.

"I..." she paused, realizing what she just heard. "My car?!"

He gave her a peck and smiled. "Now, won't you give me some consolation from losing my fastest car?"

Her brows were furrowed. She is shaking her head. But she is brightly smiling.

He chuckled, then pulled her up, the force making her fall onto him. Then he started undoing the zipper of her dress, while he took a good drag of her scent.

"I missed you, my Dori." He whispered.

As her dress slipped away, she looked back at him with longing feelings. Slowly and gently, she started kissing him.

It has been six long years. They should have been together through all those years. They will start to catch up for lost time.

She wrapped her legs on his waist as they came together.

Then he lied down beside her under the sheets.

"I'm sorry for leaving." she whispered as she cuddled with him.

"As long as you don't do it again." His breathing was still relatively faster than usual.

She embraced him tighter, while his arm pulled her closer.

"Dori...let's get married." He looked at her.

"But I don't think my family..."

"Neither will mine." He interrupted. "I have a hunch that my mother is scouting for a fiancée. I want to give you the security that I am only yours. That no matter what you see or hear, you would be sure that I will be faithful, because I'm your husband."

"You're saying we should register our marriage secretly." She started contemplating.

She recalled how foolish she was for not confronting him that day. If she becomes his wife, she would have the right to keep flies away from him. This made her smile. She also recalled how he tried to reach out to Manta, in the belief that he was their son. He will make a great dad.

Dan stared at her changing expressions. "Will you go to the registry with me tomorrow?"

She leaned in closer. "Okay." She was elated and kind of nervous, thinking of what will come after their marriage.