"...home."

"Sir, sir?"

Ren's body jerked awake after the voice from the front became louder and more precise. He opened his eyes, and the first thing that came into his view was Cheng's face, who was frowning even more profound than his usual signature frown.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Oh, I must be getting old. Pass out like a log in the car," Ren chuckled as he rubbed his eyes to take away the sleepiness, "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, sir. I pulled over and tried to wake you up when I heard you mumbling something uncomfortably."

"I see. Sorry about that."

"There is nothing to be sorry for, sir. But are you alright?

Ren was about to say something when the sound of the phone's vibration echoed inside the car cut him off. It seemed to come from Cheng's breast pocket.

"Your phone's ringing, Cheng. You should pick it up."

"I can do it later─."

"Don't! You might miss something important."

Ren seemed panicked when he heard Cheng wanted to ignore his phone, causing the latter to experience a little shock at this reaction.

"Okay, sir."

Taking his phone out, Cheng could not help but smile the moment his eyes landed on the caller's ID, for it had become a natural thing for him to do for the last couple of months.

"Yeah, hun?"

Cheng's voice turned softer than usual as he addressed the person on the other side of the line; a big smile was still visible on his face.

"No, we're done. I'm just dropping off the boss first. Okay, I'll be home soon."

Again, the word 'home' triggered the sadness within the back of Ren's mind, bringing him back to the painful past that he longed never to have had.

The older man was deep in thought, not knowing that Cheng had started the car and pulled back on the road. He also failed to notice the change of views around him even when the vehicle came to another stop.

"Sir, do you want me to escort you inside?"

Cheng's voice took him back to the present.

"Inside? What inside?" he asked incredulously, for he thought they were still at where Cheng had pulled over before.

"Your house, sir. We arrived. Should I escort you inside?" asked Cheng, his eyebrows drawn together, confused, of how absentminded his boss was today.

"Oh," Ren uttered as he looked outside the window and realized that he was right in front of his villa's main gate. "No thanks, Cheng. You've done enough today. Just hurry and go back to your..." he trailed off, unable to get the word home out of his pale lips.

"Home? Is that what you mean, sir?"

"Yes, that." Ren nodded, still unable to repeat the word. "It's late. Your girlfriend must be waiting. Tell her I'm sorry for keeping you so long."

Dustings of red crawled up Cheng's face at his boss's word, coloring his cheeks with a pink hue.

"Actually, it's my boyfriend, sir," he said weakly.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. And what's his name?"

"Xi."

"Nice name. I bet he must be as handsome as you."

The compliment not only left the younger man's face to turn a shade darker but also rendered him speechless.

"Go now, Cheng. You can take the car since it is already late to catch a cab."

Cheng hesitated at first, but after Ren insisted, he decided to heed his boss' word. "Thank you, sir. Good night,"

"Good night. Drive safe."

As Ren stood and watched Cheng pull away, an inward thought popped up inside his head.

It must be nice to have someone waiting for your return.

He watched until the car was out of sight before turning on his heels to trudge his exhausting feet inside the big yet dark and silent villa.

No one knew he was home, and no one came out to welcome him.

After all, he lived alone.

The woman from the cleaning service only came twice a week to clean, and besides that, no one was keeping this house company—no one except the lonesome older man himself.