Saving the Villain

Instead of judging and giving uncalled advice to Luke, Cosette chose to stay in his good graces. At a time like this, Luke needed a friend and not someone who would lecture him. Hence, with her proposal, the three of them went to the apartment building where Luke moved.

The place Luke moved in was close to Winter High. The area wasn\'t good. Matter of fact, it was mostly old buildings since it\'s not a very developed area. Hence, Cosette didn\'t have high expectations for Luke\'s apartment. She actually lowered her expectations, but she didn\'t expect she should\'ve lowered them even more.

"I didn\'t bring many things with me aside from my clothes and stuff like that…"

Cosette stood by the door with Maxen, watching Luke move a few luggages to the side. His place was a studio-type apartment. She looked around. The walls were old and with all the cleaning materials on the table, the broom and blush near the wall, she could tell Luke was cleaning it before they met in the convenience store.

"Hey." Luke\'s voice snapped her back to reality. "Cozie, don\'t you want to enter? I\'m poor now, but you should love me still."

Maxen didn\'t even feel anything at Luke\'s remarks as he looked back at the guy and sighed. To be honest, this place wasn\'t even that bad. Maxen would be happier if he was in such a place before meeting Cosette. Even so, for Luke who had used to live in a mansion, this apartment… was smaller than a bathroom for a Quinn.

"I didn\'t say I don\'t want to enter." Cosette took off her shoes. "I\'m just surprised. When did you move?"

"This morning."

Cosette looked up at him and then continued to take off the other shoes. When she walked in, she looked around.

"So you left early this morning?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the untidy studio apartment with her hands on her hips. She looked back at him when he respond.

"No, I left last night," Luke clarified in a knowing tone. "I left last night and stayed in a hotel. And then, I looked for an apartment first thing in the more. This is the closest and also the one I can afford."

"This place is not bad," Maxen chimed in as he entered after taking off his shoes. "At least, for me."

"Because you\'re a pauper." Luke rolled his eyes but didn\'t continue his sarcasm.

"Won\'t your dad get angry?"

"Why would he?" Luke arched a brow, folding his arms under his chest. "It\'s not like this is the first time I went soul searching."

"So, you\'re planning to return?"

"No." He shook his head. Luke cleared his throat and marched towards the old table nearby that was already in this place when he moved in. "This is not the first time I run away from home, but this is the first time I am sure I won\'t go back, even if they beg me to go home."

"Why?" asked Cosette, staring at Luke\'s back as the latter took the cleaning materials out of the plastic bags.

"They make me sick." This time, Luke\'s voice was quiet, that even Maxen gazed at him. However, instead of continuing his sentiments, Luke raised his head and grinned. "They won\'t know I am here. After all, I didn\'t check out from the hotel."

"Huh?" she tilted her head to the side, confused at the sudden change in subject.

"Since it\'s not my first time running away from home, I\'m sure they will let me be for a few days. And then, if my dad or my brother wants me to come back, they\'ll just freeze all my cards, thinking I will go back home. But well, I didn\'t check out so they will think I\'m in the hotel. They\'re in it for a surprise if they found out I wasn\'t there," Luke explained with a bright grin, making it sound like it was a light matter to discuss. He then tossed the sponge and rags to Cosette and Maxen, which the two caught in the air on instinct.

"Enough with the chitchat, alright!? Help me clean. I will buy you two snacks, so chop chop!"

Cosette and Maxen let out a deep exhale as they watched Luke march towards the corner while instructing where they should clean. As they listened to Luke\'s instruction, the two of them looked at each other in silence.

Despite not saying a word, Maxen and Cosette silently agreed to just help Luke for now. It was obvious Luke didn\'t want pity from them. Hence, without a word, they went to each side of the studio apartment and cleaned the walls, the floor, windows, and anything that they could, as if they would get paid millions for it.

The three of them needed distraction from their own personal dilemma, so cleaning this old apartment somehow helped, especially Maxen and Cosette. As the two cleaned the apartment and slowly got immersed in cleaning, Luke glanced back at Cosette.

A subtle smile appeared on Luke\'s face, seeing that she was scrubbing the dirt on the wall. He then glanced at Maxen, and he was just as focused as Cosette. They didn\'t complain as if it was the two of them were the ones who were moving.

\'Damn…\' Luke peeled his eyes away from this two, gazing at the wall he was scrubbing himself. His eyes slowly showed bitterness, not because of Cosette and Maxen, but the reason he decided to run away from home.

\'They\'re the last people I want to tell them about it, but well… I already got busted.\' A deep exhale slipped past Luke\'s nostrils, shaking his head. \'I guess it\'s not that bad. I can do this… I have to… without anyone\'s help.\'

A glint of determination flickered across his eyes as he scrubbed the wall clean. Luke rarely gets determined, and this decision was one of those rare moments. He was even more determined to not go back home than when pursuing Cosette.

Meanwhile, Cosette looked back at Luke. Her eyes softened with worry, sensing the invisible fire engulfing him as he scrubbed the wall with determination.

\'I wonder… why he said such things,\' she wondered inwardly, thinking what could possibly force Luke to turn his back from the luxurious life he was raised to.