So we got on our way.

We walked so far away from that boarded house, it was like it never existed.

But it was one that we'd never forget, that's for sure.

Especially since we were in a part of the neighbourhood that completely contrasted the one we from came from. There was no need to walk cautiously or keep watching over our shoulders. I don't think we even needed to keep pushing the motorcycle instead of actually being on it but I guess we just chose not to.

It was a relaxing stroll filled with a comfortable silence.

As we got closer and closer to our destination, I took this time to look around and enjoy the scenery.

I can't believe I used to live here.

If I wasn't so caught up in my moping because of the move then I would've noticed all the little details of this place that I missed out on. There is such a friendly vibe to it that you can't help but smile as you walk on the sidewalk.

And don't even get me started on the food!

The smell invaded my nostrils so strongly it made my stomach want to growl. It didn't help that you couldn't tell which house it was coming from because it felt like each one we passed had a delicious aroma coming from it.

"I've never brought anyone here before," I find myself breaking the silence to admit some of my thoughts to him.

"Really?" He turns to look at me, "That's a shame. And here I was thinking that you bring all of your friends to meet gangsters"

I shove him playfully while laughing, "Oh shut up!"

He pulls my arm to stop me from moving and looks into my eyes with that same look that I can never get away from, "You've really never brought anyone here before?"

I shake my head with a small smile.

"Can I ask why?"

I purse my lips to try and think of a reason but I come up short and shrug my shoulders and starting walking again.

When he reaches up to me, I start talking, "Remember when I moved to LA?"

He nods.

"This is where I used to live." He stops again and looks at me with wide eyes. "Here? You're kidding"

"The house doesn't exist anymore. It got torn down...but yeah," I take a second to look around the area once more and drink it in, "This is it"

He starts walking again, "Wow"

"Does it bother you?" I ask a bit worried. I don't know why but the thought of him judging this place makes me a little uneasy. "It's not all that bad, you know"

He shakes his head, "No, I just..." He blows out a breath, "I wish I could have lived here. It seems so fun"

I smile giddily at his words, "It was"

"So what happened?" Good question. It's something I'd also like answers to. Our life here was filled with so much happiness that I never understood why. Apart from the occasional suspicious activity from the gang a few blocks away, everything here was so good. And it's not like they harmed us in anyway. In fact, they were quite protective of our neighbourhood so my question is, why the sudden move?

I feel a pull on my arm and look up at Harry who now wears a panicked expression, "Wait a second...don't tell me we're going to your parents' house right now?!"

Oh great! Thanks for the reminder, Harry...

"Mia!" He whines, "You could have told me! I would have put on a nicer shirt! And I would have fixed my hair and not worn a beanie for Christ's sake!"

He pulls the black beanie off his head and pushes it into his back pocket, revealing his very tousled and wonky-looking curls, then he uses his hands to smooth down his shirt.

I reach behind him the best I could with a hand still on the motorcycle and take the beanie in it, holding it out for him to take, "Bad hair day?" I offer with a mock sympathetic smile.

He stares into my eyes for a few seconds and I'd guess that he saw a reflection of himself in my eyes judging by the way his jaw dropped and the speed in which he took the beanie from my outstretches hand, "Tell a soul and I'll deny it to my grave" is all he says in a grumble and trudges forward while trying to fix the beanie on his head again. Laughing, I fall into step with him.

"Chill out, Harry. If we were going to my parents' house, I wouldn't be walking here with you right now" I feel his eyes land on me waiting for an explanation, "We moved over to Burlington in 2016. A few weeks after your X Factor audition actually."

I sneak a glimpse at him, just in time to see him open his mouth to ask something but close it before uttering a word. From that action alone, I could tell what he was going to ask and I understood why he chose not to ask instead.

He was going to ask why I never told him.

But he knew why. It was during the time in which we weren't communicating.

To be fair, I did tell him in one of my last letters to him. He just didn't know because he never got them. Sometimes I find myself thinking of where those letters could have possibly gone but I can't seem to come up with an answer. I would send them to Anne's house and she wouldn't keep them because she thought that he wasn't home often enough to get them as soon as possible so she would mail them over to Harry because she knew way more about his whereabouts than me.

But Harry never seemed to get them.

Maybe they just got lost in transit...

"So where are we going then?" he asks for the first time...and I say for the first time because if you know Harry, then you know that he won't stop until he gets an answer.

So to humour him, I say "You'll see"

"Are we gonna get there before Tuesday...or even better, before the sun sets?" This is the time when he'd change up his previous question, just to see if I'd give a different answer.

"What kind of fun would it be if I told you the answer?"

He lets out a loud dramatic sigh before stating, "You're crazy"

Not the first time I've heard that. "That's possible" I reply smartly with a nod.

"And I'm following you" He continues and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing, absolutely loving the amusement he brings me.

"Yes, you are"

"So I guess that possibly makes me crazier than you?"

"Once again, very possible" I nod simply, trying to keep a straight face.

"A match made in heaven" He looks at me and grins and the sight of it alone causes my clumsiness to kick in as I almost trip over absolutely nothing on the very smooth pavement as we walk. But I manage to regain my balance fast enough to cover it up.

"Or in Los Angeles" I added sarcastically.

"Must be fate" He nudges my shoulder with the same grin as though to hint at something that I couldn't quite catch and removes my hands from the bike handles so that he could take over the pushing.

Harry's POV

After walking for about more five minutes, we stop directly in front of an open steel garage door that contained about three or four cars with theirs hoods opened and another raised off the floor by a jack stand. The floor was stained with tire marks and oil stains. The walls were lined with shelves filled with contains and tools.

We were at an auto repair shop.

From the outside, I could feel the humid air coming from within and I could only imagine how suffocating it would feel actually being inside. However, the groovy Latin music pounding from the speakers made the humid atmosphere seem a bit bearable.

A short man who could seriously pass for Santa Claus had he been Mexican emerged from a side door in stained blue coveralls. He danced his way further into the space and did a double take as soon as he saw us standing at the entrance. His eyes moved from me and when they landed on Mia, his lips instantly broke out into a wide smile, the apples of his cheeks turning red.

"Well, well. If it isn't lil Videsh Badal," He wipes his hands with a rag and tosses it to the side before approaching us further, "My most cherished troublemaker."

"I was so not a troublemaker, you're just trying to make me look bad, " she defends herself animatedly, "Just a little curious, that's all." Then she sincerely asks, "How are you doing these days? How's Gloria?"

"Me? Same old, same old," He says casually and then a bright smile lights up his face as he says, "Gloria's doing much better. The doctor said she should be back home in a couple of weeks."

I wasn't exactly sure what was going on at the moment but it seemed that this Gloria person meant a lot to him, most likely his wife. I still didn't know who he was though but he did mention Mia's dad's name so he has me very much intrigued.

"That's good, really good," Mia smiles as well, matching the brightness of his smile and I could tell that she was really happy, almost relieved at the news. The man's eyes drift over to me again and he clears his throat causing Mia to introduce me, "Oh sorry, this is my friend, Harry." She turns to me, the ghost of her smile still lingering, "Harry, this is my dad's friend, Pedro." Ohhh righttt. Pedro! I honestly thought that was a part of the whole charade. "He owns this garage." Figured as much. She then adds, "The time we lived here, I spent most of it tinkering around here."

"Despite my lack of enjoyment." Pedro comments with a feigned bored look and Mia laughs,

"Oh you loved my company!"

"So what brings you back here? Thought I'd never see you again when you left." He asks and I look to Mia as well, awaiting the answer.

"I believe you have something of mine." She smiles, more like smirks and a look of recognition passes over Pedro's face.

"Ah yes. You're here for Sidney," Mia nods at him and I notice that her features can't hide how excited she is, "I'll be right back." He leaves and disappears behind the same door he came through.

Question is though, who is Sidney and should I be this excited too.

Lots of questions begin to fly around my mind since the beginning of this whole 'road trip'. I knew before that I had a lot to catch up on but I didn't think she was hiding more. I grow more and more curious with each passing day since we arrived in Los Angeles. Which I guess I should have anticipated because this is her home. Well at least it was.

Her past is just going to keep popping up like a bloody whack-a-mole game.

"His wife, Gloria, has been fighting cancer since before we moved," She says to me once he's gone and an immediate sadness takes over me, "I'm glad she's getting better. She's all he has right now."

"Thank you so much for taking care of her." My eyebrows furrow at her words because it didn't seem like they were meant for me and that's when I realized that she was facing the opposite direction. I turned around too, to see what she was looking at and my jaw dropped in shock.

So this is Sidney...

Pedro stood beside a motorcycle that looked similar to mine but it had distinctive differences. For starters, it was a rich teal colour that sparkled under the sun. It looked so magnificent, like something you wouldn't want to touch for the fear of breaking it. It looked cool and vintage.

And then it came back to me.

Sidney...as in Mia's dad's motorcycle that he loved as much as his family. The one he called, 'his baby'. Mia didn't mention much about it to me but she did tell me enough for me to know that this is one of her father's most prized possessions.

"It was my pleasure," He smiles and walks over to us to rest the key in Mia's hand. She stares at it so long she doesn't blink. I couldn't tell what she was thinking but I did notice the longing in her eyes as she admired it. Pedro gives me an enigmatic smile and motions to Mia while I just watch him confused, unaware of what he was trying to say to me. Then he rests a hand on Mia's shoulder and says to her, "When you see him again, tell Videsh that he owes me a drink."

I guess today just became 'Confuse Harry' Day.

"You mean, he hasn't been here since?" She blinks rapidly out of her trance at Pedro's words and she seems concerned and a bit disappointed when Pedro shakes his head sadly at her. "Then I will"

I didn't want to ask questions but it didn't pass me that there was somethin going on here that I was not aware of and they both seem like they want to exchange little words on the matter had me feeling uneasy.

But again, I won't ask her. She'll tell me when she's ready.

"Okay, Mia. What's your plan?" I ask once Pedro bids us goodbye and disappears behind the side door again.

"A good, old fashioned race." Is all she says. Um, what?

"Come again?"

She swings her leg over Sidney and positions herself properly on the seat and sighs as it roars to life at her will while I continue to watch her every move, "A good, old fashioned, non-dangerous race back to your place. Let's see who knows the city better."

One thing I've learnt that Mia has mastered is spontaneity. No matter how much she tries to suppress it, growing up Mia lived for a good thrill. Did it get her in trouble? Most of the time, yes. But was it worth it? From what she's dragged me into, I'd have to say hell yes.

I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to do whatever she asked. While I may have an ulterior motive to this, I wouldn't hurt to have a little fun with it. The questions keep piling up. Like for one, when did she learn how to ride a motorcycle? After what I've seen today, she's good at it. It came almost like second nature to her. So, what gives?

I'm not saying that I'm not insanely attracted to her right now but it still bothers me that she never told me.

So I needed a distraction, "Alrighty then. You're on."

I was determined to win this little game of hers. My competitive side was showing itself in broad daylight. All I could think about as I made my way on to the highway was what I was going to do when she pulled up next to me, realizing that I had gotten home first. What her face was going to be like be.

Am I going to lean on the bike with my arms folded? Should I put on my shades? Will that make me look cool?

Also what am I going to say? Something cool but not cheesy.

And also not too cocky. She already knows that I'm secretly a narcissist but I'm trying to get her to fall for me not slap me.

Should I take off my beanie? No! My hair is a mess!

Should I smile or smirk-and what is that rattling?

The motorcycle suddenly jerks forward and then stops completely.

What the-

I try to start it back up again. And again. And again. And again.

It doesn't start.

Still on the bike, I use my feet to move the bike to the side of the road so that I don't obstruct traffic. I try to start it again but it still doesn't budge.

Okay...now we panic!

I come off of the motorcycle just as I noticed some people coming in my direction. I dared not take off my helmet for the sake of being recognized. I took a seat on the sidewalk in front of the motorcycle once they passed and pulled out my phone, still not removing my helmet.

Mia's POV

I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this happy. This feeling is so indescribable and I never want it to go away. I feel exhilarated, liberated and whole. I should've done this months ago! Initially, my plan was that we rode together, side by side, back to his house but then I thought about earlier and I didn't want him to read too much into it.

Or maybe I was just reading too much into it...

Doesn't matter anyway because I decided to keep it strictly casual. I was already showing him a part of me that not many people knew about and for right now, it seemed like enough for today. I was in the middle of thinking about how much I wished I didn't have a helmet on so that I could feel the wind on my face and let it rush through my hair when a buzz jolted me forward a little so I pulled on the side of the road.

The buzz continued, sending vibrations down my left leg, and that's when I realized that it was my phone in my pocket. I took the helmet off my head and pulled the phone out of my pocket to see Harry's picture staring back at me.

You're kidding! He won?! Dammit!

I slide my finger across the screen to answer and bring the phone to my ear. I was bracing myself for a boisterous, boastful greeting but instead all I heard was the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional honk of a horn in the background.

Um...hello?

"Harry?" I ask a bit hesitantly.

"Bia?! Oh fank God!" His voice was muffled and barely coherent. Was he speaking English? "I'm fitting bwicks right now! I'm spreaking loud!" It really just sounded like someone was covering his mouth and he's trying to speak but all I hear is gibberish.

"Is this a joke, Harry? Because if it is, it's not fair to cheat by trying to slow me down."

"Why on earth would this be a joke?!" I think that's what I heard. I mean...it seems like the most logical response.

"It's really hard to understand you right now, dude," I say with a sigh, "Where are you right now?"

I think I hear him mutter a 'sorry' before my ears drums nearly burst at what sounds like his phone hitting against something. Repeatedly. I move the phone slightly away from my ear until I was sure that the noise had stopped.

"Mia? You still there?" I hear his voice say, much clearer now.

"That depends...are you still fitting bwicks or whatever that means?"

"I said I'm shitting bricks. Shit-ting!" He emphasizes slowly and dramatically and then I hear him sigh defeatedly, "Mia, I need you."

I hear the same noise again and so I ask, "Harry, where are you. What's going on?"

"M'sorry. I'm trying to properly fit my phone in the helmet next to my ear," He explains and suddenly the knocking sound made sense. The reason...not so much.

"You know, there's this thing..." I say, "It's called 'taking off your helmet'. You should try it sometime."

"I can't," I hear the dejection in his tone instantly, "There's too many people around,"

My heart ached for him at that. I really wish I could help him but this is something that he'll have to deal with on his own. And it sucks that he has to go through this. It sucks that all five of them have to go through this just to be where they are right now.

"What exactly happened? Aren't we supposed to be in the middle of a race right now?"

"Yeah so about that...You won."

Wait, what?

"But only by default because my motorcycle broke down," He rushes out, "So don't get too big of a head about this, okay?"

"I don't care about the race anymore, Harry! What do you mean your bike broke down?"

"Mia, I don't know! It was fine and then it started making noises so I pulled over. When the noises stopped, I tried to start it up again but it wouldn't start!" He panics to me, "I don't know what to do, Mia! I'm frustrated, confused, a bit upset and I'm sweating under this helmet, goddammit!" The emotion in his voice right now and how rushed his speech was made me incredibly concerned for him. It sounded more than likely that he had never been in a situation like this before and the fear of being seen was also taking a toll on him.

"I just-I need to...Mia, can you come for me? Please." He pleaded with a quivering voice and my heart pained in my chest. It hurt to know that he was there by himself. It hurt to know that he didn't want to ask for help because he didn't want to be seen. It hurt to hear how distraught he was. Most of all, it hurt to hear how familiar the emotion and urgency in his voice sounded.

Because it sounded like something I was used to hearing.

It sounded like me.

Which led to my next question...does Harry suffer with anxiety? And does he know it?

"Okay, it's okay," I tried reassuring him, "I'll come right now. Where are you?"

He goes silent for a few seconds while the sound of a vehicle approaching gets louder and louder through the phone.

"It's roadside assistance," He finally says, "They have a tow truck." His voice sounded a lot calmer, almost relieved and I, myself let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't by himself anymore.

"Good. That's good."

"They're going to take the bike to their shop and check it out. He offered me a lift there...should I go or should I wait for you?"

"No, no. You go and I'll meet you there. Just text me your location when you get there and I'll come, okay."

"Okay," His voice comes out a bit lowly then he pauses for a long while. I start to think that he might have forgotten to hang up so I go to do just that when his voice sounds through the speaker of my phone again.

"Mia...thank you," He says softly and I find myself smiling like a goof,

"Anytime."