RUSH ― han lue

PRELUDE

prelude to fast six

•

It took one year of freedom for me to realize how much I've missed in this life.

I grew up with nothing and got used to nothing until I've come of age and the only semblance of family I've ever experienced was with the Toretto's. It's only so much money to get while working for scraps and racing for pink slips, it could only get you so much as an escape from another state or a bed to sleep in in this economy. So, it came across as funny to me when the minute Han and I got our halves, the first thing we did was find the most comfortable place to stay in as soon as we landed in Berlin and slept for two straight days, only the two of us in the comforts of a soft duvet and fancy bed and breakfast. It was the dream.

Money bought us happiness like no other. We were driving luxurious cars, occupying entire bars every week, and being everything we wanted to be. We hop from country to country, with new passports and IDs every single time. We bear different names in different places. I got to be an entirely different person no matter where we go and what we do. I never wanted any of it to end. Because who I was when we left for Rio was not who I am today, while safely holding onto Han's waist as he drove his new bike just bought this morning as soon as we landed in Hongkong.  It was the last stop of our long vacation before we head to Tokyo where Han wanted to stay a while for business. It was a conversation we'll still need to go over a few times since I initially wanted to go back to Miami, but we aren't in a hurry, and we're not running from anything.

Not with the money we have, not anymore.

Han stopped at a hotel we knew that's strategically placed the minute we needed to make an escape. Every step we do are calculated despite the constant reminder of ease, and we're still cautious from time to time. Han took the liberty of carrying what little we owned as soon as we passed the valet, getting the keys from the lobby, and coming up to our room where the first thing I did was jump on the bed and groan satisfyingly. "Hmm, I rate this 8 out of 10, I'm gonna need to sleep on it first before my final vote." I felt Han do the same next to me, wrapping his free hand around my back as we enjoyed one of the softest duvets we ever laid our faces on.

"You're right." He mumbled against the sheets. "What would I do without you and your newfound addiction to duvets?"

I snorted, "It's still better than your junk food habits, although, I am a bit proud that you're munching those less. It must be the air?" When I didn't hear him laugh or tease me back, my head turned to his direction and I found him looking at me still, with a stupidly handsome smile on his face. His fingers trailed against my cheek, ever so lightly and carefully until he reached my lip and lingered. "What?" I asked softly, wondering why he was looking at me that way.

"Nothing." Han said, though it definitely didn't seem like it. "I heard there's a place we can get really good food while we're here. You wanna go?"

"Anywhere with you, Han Lue."

-

"You wanna do it like we rehearsed?" Han asked after parking his bike on the sidewalk where I found that the place he meant was just a little bit over by what once was a road, now filled with stalls left and right, selling authentic local food that made my stomach grumble loudly. We happened upon a lot of tourists there, and a few locals while we walked around and decide which one we're gonna try first.