Coming out from the pawnshop, Zane was two thousand five hundred dollars richer. Those numbers alone were two-thirds his monthly salary and with that kind of profit, he wasn’t going to go back home this early. He paid a few visits to different pawn shops around the area and by the time he got back, he got twelve grand in hand as some pawnshop offered him a bit more. To avoid suspicion he only sold one at a time. Since selling in bulk might draw some unwanted attention and in his weak state, attention was the least he wanted.

He closed the door of his apartment and threw the stack of cash on the table. Seeing it again just felt surreal to him. He hadn’t seen this many fifty-dollar bills before in his life, but now he had a chance to live with no more debt and no more fear from potentially getting snub at work. In time, becoming financially independent was not far from being just a dream.

But to obtain that dream, becoming stronger was the key to it all. Deep down he vowed he would never experience that hellish thing ever again, not in a million years.

The man got his sports shoes on and visit the nearest gym. Running on the treadmill with the fastest sprint he could muster, draining down his stamina as he tried a new approach in training his stats. The high-intensity interval training was the epitome of pushing one's own limit. By the time he reached the fifteen-minute mark, his body was covered in sweat and his chest heaving. After a minute of rest, Zane hopped on the treadmill once more and went on for the second round. He repeated the sequence until the clock was close to ten in the night. His blatant hogging of the treadmill along with the spartan-ish intensity drew a few curious eyes. But unfortunately, he didn’t get any stats.

Nonetheless, he felt great after that intense runs he did as it kinda brightened his mood a bit. Then it was time. He went back home, took a quick shower, and grabbed a stack of cash on the table. A brief glance at the cooldown and he said the magic word.

“Warp to Renaissance JB Hotel Room 420.”

* * *

He appeared in his hotel room, looking around as it was the same as he left it last time. At the same time, the door to the hotel room opened and a gorgeous lady came inside in a velvety one-piece dress. “When did you get back?” Tiz asked. As she was pretty confused. “I was just here a few minutes ago, but I went out since you’re not here.”

“Oh . . . I, uh . . . I was in the bathroom, doing my thing. You know,” he said. Barely controlling himself not to scratch the back of his head. It was one of his telltale signs of lying and his long-time cousin would definitely know about it.

“Your thing?” she questioned. Narrowing her smoky eyes. “Forget it. Just wear this first.” She took out a sleek pair of suits from the cupboard as if it had been there for a while. Zane had questions, but he stopped himself. Saying less was the best option here.

“Am I wearing this correctly?” he came out looking dapper like a Kingsman. He just needed a few more touches in his hair and he would be perfect.

“I don’t like your hair, but it’s fine I guess,” Tiz grabbed Zane by the arm and dragged him out of the room. He found himself in the elevator going up rather than down.

They reached the rooftop sky lounge. No one was there to greet them, so they took a seat in the corner by themselves and watched the best view of JB city. The light was dim and the intimate ambiance was just right for a private outing for two. Not to mention the lounge was mostly empty as it was a bit late in the night. Yet for Tiz, her plan was just starting to begin.

They ordered some drinks and sat beside each other in a sofa-like seat. Yet the setting was far from being casual as everything around them looked luxurious and highly expensive. The music was a good mix and it fitted very well with the overall ambiance, giving off a classy experience. Zane gulped a mouthful as this cousin of his was really going all out with this.

“Give me your hand,” she said. He did as told and Tiz interlocked his fingers with hers. She leaned closer to Zane as her Chance Chanel perfume grew stronger, filling his nose. And all of this made him question his cousin.

“Is this necessary?” he asked.

“It is,” she affirmed. “So sit there and just act like my boyfriend.” Tiz started taking pictures of their interlocking hands together with the beautiful night scene of JB city in the background. After almost a hundred pictures, she let go of his hand and started hash-tagging her soon-to-be Instagram post.

Zane just watched from the side as he still didn’t understand why she needed to go through all this hassle.

“Why can’t you just say you have a boyfriend already?” Zane asked.

“Too many to reply, and too troublesome to bother,” Tiz answered. “With these new pictures, I don’t think anyone would be sliding into my DM for a while.”

She smiled as she felt triumph over such a small matter.

“Can’t you ask a friend or something to do this?”

“Too many loose lips and I hardly trust them,” she said with poise as if it was normal.

While Zane had other thoughts. If she couldn’t trust them then they were probably not even friends at all. But he sort of understood her a bit. She was young and had a successful thriving business. A self-made woman one could say. But under all that glory of being a new emerging nouveau riche, she had faced betrayal and also disappointment from those she deemed as close.

Tiz started taking selfies with her resting over Zane’s shoulder. She made it as intimate as possible while barely letting Zane’s jawline be seen.

“You sure my face isn’t showing?” he worried.

“Just enough for those cock-minded males to be fuming,” she smirked. As if taking in the pleasure to know that those suitors of hers would be enraged that their efforts for the past months went all down the drain.

“Can’t you just block them?” he asked the obvious.

“Too troublesome,” she quickly replied.

And this isn’t? Zane kept that thought to himself as he continued entertaining this cousin of his.

“Come closer. I need to take a picture of me kissing you,” she said nonchalantly.

“Wait, what?” he backed away. Looking at Tiz rather strangely. “This is getting weird.”

“It’s just at the cheek, Zane. It’s nothing serious.”

“But we’re cousins,” he said.

She gave him a bored look. “You do know I’m adopted, right?”

“So? We are still cousins, me and you have known each other since we were kids,” Zane said.

“Then think of it like a good cousin giving a friendly kiss on the cheek,” Tiz insisted.

“You do know we don’t do that here, right?” Zane pointed out. As south-east Asia wasn’t that type of place where they showed that level of affection to their extended families.

“Stop being a baby, and let’s just do this. It’s not like we’re French kissing each other, it’s just a peck on the cheek,” Tiz said. And before Zane could say anything else, she leaned closer and went for it. A sultry peck as she kept trying different poses through that single kiss alone. Her iPhone’s shutter noise kept clicking until who knows how many hundreds of pictures she had taken.

She parted away from Zane’s cheek, but still leaned on his shoulders. Typing on her phone screen, she prepared to send the last blow to these assholes that kept bothering her even after being rejected.

“Happy?” Zane asked. Looking down at her.

She looked up, smiling. “Ecstatic.”

After a few drinks and a little bit of reminiscing about the past, both of them went back to his room. “Shouldn’t you get back home?” Zane asked.

“And get scolded from mom? No thank you,” she landed on the queen-size bed, snuggling with the duvet as she made herself at home.

“Fine. I’ll take the couch,” Zane said. Grabbing a pillow.

“Don’t be stupid, the bed is big enough,” she said. Tapping to her side.

He narrowed his eyes at her. Trying to figure things out. But he gave up, this cousin of his was too trusting of him.

“Nope, I’m not gonna do it. That part of the promise is done,” Zane said. Puffing his pillow as he then lay down on the couch.

“Aw, come on, Zane. It’s just like old-time,” she whined.

“Goodnight, Tiz,” he ended it there and both went to sleep. The next morning, Tiz was already gone. Probably off to work as she was always busied with her business. Leaving him a note, telling him she had planned dinner together with a bit of an XOXO at the end.

“Tiz, Tiz,” he shook his head with a smile. Zane changed his clothes to his usual sweatpants and a tee, pairing them with his sports shoes. He stretched his arms a bit as he prepared himself for the day.

“Training montage, cue!”