Aki got out of the bus and out of the awkward atmosphere they had. He thought that maybe, moving his body would help clear his mind and so he wandered around until it was time for them to leave.
When he got back inside the bus, Aki went straight to where Liam was sitting. He was nervous about Liam's reaction but, thankfully, the other guy had his eyes closed. Gathering his courage, he lightly tapped Liam's arm.
"I thought you might be hungry," Aki said, offering the burger and soda he bought at the stop.
It took a while for Liam's bleary eyes to focus. Liam frowned at Aki, but did not say anything other than a whispered thanks, and went back to looking out the window as he ate. Seeing that Liam was not in a better mood, Aki went back to his seat. What did he expect? Liam was not a kid whose temper would be lessened by food. But he did not know what else to do.
The ride after that was no better than the first half. Liam remained cold and aloof, Zy was downcast, and Aki in a much lower mood. After four hours of being stuck on the bus, they finally arrived in the country.
When they alighted at the bus stop, the three of them stood by the side of the road, taking in the beautiful and serene surroundings. The fresh air and the quiet neighborhood soothed Aki's weariness. It was past lunchtime so there were not that many people around, perhaps still enjoying their nap or break time.
From the stop, they had to walk for another fifteen minutes before they arrived at Liam's house.
Liam's old home was a bungalow that came into view soon enough. They found Liam's grandmother in the middle of her garden, busy taking out the weeds.
"Granny!" Liam called out and beamed at her.
She looked up, face frowning in confusion before her whole face lit up. "If it isn't my Liam! What brings you here?"
"Granny, I told you I would come to visit you." Liam jogged to meet her.
"Old age." She shook her head as she removed her gloves and welcomed her grandson with a bear hug which Liam returned. She looked at him up and down. "You looked good."
"Of course, I am. Don't want to worry you." Liam winked and his grandmother laughed at that.
Aki could not help but smile as he watched this exchange. He could see where Liam got his mild-mannered personality. Her genial nature and welcoming smile reminded Aki so much of his roommate.
It was then that she noticed the other two. "You brought friends!" She gestured for Aki and Zy to come forward and Liam introduced them. She took their arms and pressed it lightly. "Welcome! Come inside. That must have been a long ride."
"Thank you, um," Aki hesitated.
She smiled at him. "You can call me granny too."
Granny prepared a sumptuous meal composed mostly of kinds of seafood. This was the woman who taught Liam his cooking skills so everything she prepared for them, despite the short notice, was delicious.
After eating, Zy went out to have his own adventure by walking around the neighborhood while Liam helped Granny. Aki found a hammock and lied down. The gentle rocking of the hammock plus the light breeze soon lulled Aki to sleep.
He woke up when he felt someone shaking his shoulders. Groggily, he opened his eyes and found Liam's handsome face right in front of him. A surge of happiness came within Aki. Once they got out of the bus, Liam's mood lightened a little and the iceberg between them thawed a bit. Aki could only hope that they would be back to normal.
To no avail as Liam spoke in a flat tone, "Zy came back. I'll take you two to the hills."