Free Web NovelChapter 102: Five Hours to Totsukawa
Alaric
"Remind me again why I am the one driving, Nico?" I asked, leaning forward slightly as I gripped the thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel of a custom Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600.
It was a monstrously luxurious, pitch-black SUV that looked more like a private jet on wheels than something meant for a long highway stretch, boasting a twin-turbo V8 engine and an active air suspension that made the bumpy road feel like velvet.
It was a vehicle designed to be driven in, not driven by a professional racing driver who currently wanted to strangle his passenger.
Nico didn’t bother replying to my question. Instead, he kept his face glued to his phone screen, a low chuckle escaping his throat before he suddenly shouted with pure excitement, "Oh, the sales are absolutely booming ever since we did that live stream a day ago! It’s insane! Amazing, right?"
I let out a heavy, thoroughly irritated groan, shifting my weight against the ventilated massage seat. From the plush, reclining captain’s chair in the back seat, Sophia just let out a soft, entertained chuckle. "Honestly, the two of you are perfectly fit for one another."
Nico finally dragged his eyes away from his screen, blinking as he looked up to face me with a wide, unbothered grin. "Oh, were you saying something, Ric?"
I slapped my palm lightly against the steering wheel, my jaw tightening as I navigated a sharp curve. "Of course I was saying something, Nicholas. I asked why the hell I am the one stuck behind the wheel."
"Oh," he murmured, shifting his weight in the passenger seat. He leaned in closer to me, entirely invading my personal space, and then slowly raised his bandaged right wrist, waving the white medical tape right in front of my face. "I don’t know, Ric... maybe it’s because I have a severely injured wrist?" he offered, his voice dripping with an incredibly thick, irritating layer of sarcasm.
I groaned again, cutting my eyes over to face him fully, intending to snap at him to get his hand out of my line of sight. But because he had leaned in so far, the sudden movement brought our faces completely inline. For a fraction of a second, my nose brushed against his, and our lips almost met in the narrow space between the seats. The sudden smell of his scent hit me, warm and entirely too close.
My heart did a stupid, erratic flip, and I immediately threw my left hand out, forcefully pushing his chest back against his own seat. "Get back," I hissed, keeping my eyes locked on the road ahead as a sudden rush of heat crept up my neck. I jerked my chin toward the rearview mirror, reminding him with a sharp glare, "Sophia is literally right here with us."
Sophia, however, didn’t look even remotely bothered by the sudden display of domestic friction. She was simply looking out the tinted window, a knowing, amused expression resting on her face as if she had already figured out every single intimate detail regarding the toxic, chaotic dynamic between us.
I hadn’t found a single moment alone to pull Nicholas aside and ask him exactly what he had told her, but I could feel the quick, perceptive glances she had been throwing my way ever since this entire nightmare of a road trip started.
We were currently on our way to meet Nico’s family. Well, it wasn’t as if I was formally being introduced to them in a normal capacity—he had cornered me into this insane agreement to play his doting boyfriend during his grandmother’s official memorial service. The event was being held in a remote, highly traditional village nestled deep within the mountains of the Wakayama Prefecture, a secluded area called Totsukawa.
It was an isolated spot that could only be accessed by a long, winding road trip from Osaka, where we had left early that morning. The GPS was currently tracking a grueling five-hour mountain drive through steep passes and narrow, single-lane tunnels.
"Taking the express train would have been the easiest, fastest way to get anywhere near there," I suddenly complained, my fingers tightening on the Maybach’s wheel as the road began to slant sharply upward into the forested hills. "We could have taken the Kuroshio limited express down the coast and hired a local driver. But no, we had to drive your absurdly oversized tank through the mountains."
Nico snorted, scrolling through his phone again. "And let a local driver see my face after yesterday’s broadcast? Please. The media is already tracking my flight logs. Driving is the only way we don’t get swarmed by paparazzi at a train station, Ric. Besides, you love driving. You’re a professional. Consider this a scenic practice session."
"This isn’t a practice session, it’s a hostage situation," I shot back, tapping the brakes as a tight bend appeared. "And the next time you wave your hand in my face while I’m navigating a mountain pass, I’m dropping you off at the nearest rest stop."
From the back, Sophia leaned forward, resting her arms on the console between our seats. "Alright, children, let’s keep the volume down," she laughed, her eyes crinkling with genuine mischief. "The energy in the front row is vibrating so hard it’s making my phone screen shake. Try to calm down and enjoy the scenery. I mean look at those beautiful trees." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"The trees look exactly like the last fifty miles of trees, Sophia," I muttered, though I consciously relaxed my grip on the wheel.
"You’re just grumpy because you’re doing manual labor," Nico teased, leaning his head back against the leather headrest and looking at me through half-losed eyes. "If you’re nice to me, Alaric, I might let you use the touch screen to change the music."
"I don’t want to change the music, Nicholas. I want you to shut your mouth for at least twenty consecutive minutes," I countered, stepping on the gas as the road straightened out slightly.
"Oh, come on, look at each other for a second," Sophia suddenly interrupted, the distinct click of a camera phone echoing from the back seat. "Nico, lean into the center. Alaric, stop glaring at the road like it insulted your ancestors. Give me a smile."
"Sophia, no pictures," I warned, checking the mirror to find her holding her phone up, perfectly framing the two of us.
"Too late," she chirped, snapping three rapid-fire shots before I could even think to raise a hand to block her view. She looked down at her screen, hummed with immense satisfaction, and then let out another soft laugh. "Oh, these are absolutely perfect. You two look exactly like an old married couple arguing over directions on their silver anniversary."
My jaw practically dropped open in pure shock.
An old couple?
"An old couple?" I repeated aloud, my voice cracking slightly with indignation as I stared at her reflection in the glass. "Sophia, we are rivals. We are temporary drivers sharing a vehicle for convenience. There is absolutely nothing old-couple-like about us. I don’t know what you have heard but there is nothing going on between us.’’
Nico, of course, found my immediate offense completely hilarious. He burst out into another round of loud, obnoxious laughter, his shoulders shaking as he leaned over toward my side of the car again. "Oh, she caught you red-handed, De villier. You definitely have the exact same nagging energy as an old spouse. ’Why are we driving, Nico? Why aren’t we taking the train, Nico? Don’t wave your hand at me, Nico.’" He mimicked my deep voice with a ridiculous, high-pitched whine that sounded absolutely nothing like me.
"I do not sound like that," I snapped, my face turning an incredibly dark shade of red from a combination of embarrassment and frustration. "And if you don’t get your shoulder away from mine right now, I am turning this car around and leaving your entire family drama behind."
"You won’t do that," Nico said confidently, his grin widening until his eyes were practically closed. "You promised, remember? You’re my devoted, loving boyfriend for the weekend. You have to endure my nagging because I won the bet.’’
"I promised to play a part, Nicholas, not to be mentally tortured for five hours," I growled, though I didn’t actually slow the car down.
Sophia just sat back in her luxury seat, thoroughly enjoying the live entertainment as the afternoon sun began to dip lower behind the jagged mountain peaks. freёweɓnovel.com
The bright blue sky slowly transitioned into a deep, heavy orange, throwing long, dark shadows across the winding mountain roads. The higher we climbed into the Wakayama range, the more the temperature outside dropped, the digital dashboard indicating a cool sixty degrees as fog began to roll in from the valleys.
By the time the clock on the dashboard rolled past seven in the evening, the heavy mountain mist had thickened considerably, reducing my visibility to just a few yards ahead. The road had shrunk into a precarious, unlit road with nothing but dense forest on one side and a sheer drop on the other.
Driving a wide, heavy Maybach through those sharp switchbacks in the pitch black was becoming an absolute nightmare for my eyes.
Nico noticed the sudden change in my posture, his playful demeanor finally slipping away as he looked out the fogged-up windshield. "Hey, pull over up ahead," he said quietly, his tone dropping the sarcasm completely.
"There is nowhere to pull over, Nico. We’re in the middle of a forest pass," I muttered, squinting through the high beams.
"There’s a small junction about half a mile away," he noted, checking his navigation map. "Look, the weather is getting too bad, and the roads up near Totsukawa are going to be completely washed out with mud by tonight. There’s no point in risking an accident. I already searched the area while you were busy brooding." He tapped the screen of his phone, showing me an active reservation page. "I suggested we stay in a secluded Airbnb cabin for the night. I found one right off the main trail. We can sleep there and finish the drive tomorrow morning when the sun is up."
I let out a long, exhausted sigh, my shoulders dropping as the pure physical fatigue of driving for hours finally hit me. "Fine," I agreed reluctantly. "But if this cabin doesn’t have hot water, you’re sleeping in the backseat with the luggage."
