Los Angeles International Airport arrivals hall was bustling with people.
The mont Luke stepped out of the arrival corridor dragging a small rolling suitcase, a fiery red figure rushed toward him on a wave of sweet perfu, slamming into his arms with enough force to make him sway.
For a second, the scene looked like a movie poster.
"Luke!!"
Mia's voice overflowed with undisguised joy and longing. She threw her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him passionately.
Her soft lips carried the familiar sweet fragrance, instantly washing away the fatigue of the long flight.
After this period of "training," Luke had long grown used to the direct, enthusiastic Arican style of greeting—eting ant kissing!
He steadied the suitcase with one hand and naturally wrapped his other arm around Mia's slender yet energetic waist, lowering his head to return the loving kiss. The surrounding travelers responded with good-natured whistles and smiles.
After a long while, they finally parted. Mia's erald eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed with excitent and the heat of the kiss.
"You're finally back! I was so worried you'd miss Thanksgiving, or that you'd disappear for months again like last ti…"
Her tone was half-coquettish, half-relieved.
Luke smiled and gently tapped the tip of her cute, upturned nose. "I promised you, how could I break my word? Thanksgiving is still a few days away, isn't it?"
During this period, whether he was on the battlefields of Westeros or racing across Earth, Luke had made a point of video-calling or ssaging Mia almost every day.
Whenever he was in Arica, he would drive from Los Angeles or Green Forest Ranch to UCLA every weekend without fail to see Mia and spend ti together.
Their relationship had deepened rapidly through constant communication and companionship and was now an open, stable couple.
Aside from the core secret of "traveling between two worlds," Luke had shared almost everything with Mia—his "business" plans (part truth, part embellished) and various "Eastern" ideas.
Mia's trust in him grew day by day. They talked about everything, and their bond had long surpassed re physical attraction, evolving into deeper understanding, dependence, and even the unspoken understanding of future marriage.
That night, a small party was held at the Beverly Hills mansion to celebrate Luke's "return."
Alexandra, Jennifer, and Elizabeth arrived as soon as they heard the news. After a long separation, the girls were still as warm and exuberant as ever. The party was lively.
Music, wine, laughter by the pool—everything temporarily swept away the fatigue and tension Luke had accumulated traveling between two worlds.
Absence made the heart grow fonder. The passionate reunion with Mia was filled with long-missed intensity and tenderness; both of them knew each other's tastes well by now!
Besides Mia, the other three beauties also "taught" Luke English.
Luke studied very diligently, accepting these "foreign language lessons" from the tall foreign mares.
After the lessons ended, Luke collapsed in a sweaty heap, foaming at the mouth, and could only sigh in admiration: "Foreign languages are great… foreign languages must be learned!"
The next afternoon, under perfect sunshine.
A low-key yet luxurious black Range Rover Autobiography rolled out of Beverly Hills, carrying Luke, Mia, and Alexandra—who had insisted on "supervising" her little sister—on the journey to Phoenix, Arizona, their hotown.
They left downtown Los Angeles and rged onto the eastbound I-10 interstate, the most direct, best-maintained, and best-serviced highway to Phoenix.
Luke was driving. Mia naturally sat in the passenger seat, while Alexandra lounged like a lazy cat across the spacious back seat.
Pop music Mia liked played on the car stereo. The city scenery outside the windows gradually gave way to open wilderness.
"Straight through should take about seven hours," Luke said, glancing at the navigation estimate.
"Seven hours? Too boring!"
Alexandra imdiately protested from the back, sitting up straight, her blue eyes sparkling. "This is a road trip! We can't just drive the whole way! Mia, think of so fun stops along the route!"
Mia perked up too, her erald eyes brightening as she thought. "Let see… Palm Springs! They have a huge outlet mall and super cool retro architecture! Plus desert cactus gardens! We can stop there!"
"And Indio!" Alexandra added. "Coachella Valley has amazing scenery. It's not festival season, but we can still see the giant wind turbines and art installations!"
Luke watched the excited sisters and shook his head with a smile. "Alright, your call. We have plenty of ti anyway. We'll take it slow, enjoy ourselves, and get there when we get there."
And so, what could have been a seven-hour straight drive instantly turned into a relaxed, scenic road trip full of spontaneous stops and photo-ops.
First stop: Palm Springs.
They exited the highway, and the desert oasis atmosphere washed over them.
They did visit the huge outlet mall, but Luke wasn't particularly interested in shopping—he was mainly there to accompany the two ladies.
Mia and Alexandra happily browsed for a while and bought a few discounted sumr outfits. Even though it was winter, Arizona's climate was warm.
What truly captivated them was Palm Springs' unique mid-century modern architecture. The clean lines and bright colors of the houses, set against the deep-blue sky and palm trees, looked like works of art.
Mia dragged Luke in front of every beautiful building for photos, while Alexandra marveled at the well-preserved vintage convertible cars lining the streets.
"Luke, let's build a house like this in the desert soday, okay? We can co here for weekend getaways!" Mia leaned against him, pointing at a pure-white single-story house with huge floor-to-ceiling windows in the distance, her eyes full of longing.
"We can think about it. Once my 'Draco' is built, maybe we can have a vacation ho here too," Luke nodded.
"Draco?" Alexandra asked curiously.
"Oh, it's a large community project Luke is investing in… um, very far away. He told about it. Sounds super cool—like a city of the future!" Mia explained with a touch of pride, though even she only knew limited details.
Alexandra blinked but didn't press further. She simply sighed, "You two already sound like you're planning a future together."
Second stop: Crossing the Colorado Desert.
Back on the road, the I-10 stretched straight toward the horizon. On both sides lay the vast, endless Colorado Desert dotted with low shrubs and giant cacti.
The afternoon sun turned the sand golden, while distant mountains took on a dreamy pale purple hue.
It was vast, desolate, yet possessed a breathtaking wild beauty.
"Look! There's a herd of wild horses over there!" Mia pointed excitedly at a sparse patch of grass in the distance.
"Where, where?" Alexandra leaned toward the window.
Luke slowed down so they could see better.
Several mottled wild horses were lazily grazing, completely unbothered by the cars speeding past on the highway.
"So free," Mia rested her chin on her hand, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Sotis I think living like that in the wilderness would be nice."
"Co on, silly sister," Alexandra scoffed. "No air-conditioning, no Wi-Fi, no showers—you wouldn't last three days."
"Just imagine! And with Luke around, he'd definitely figure out a way to get all those things!" Mia retorted, looking at Luke with complete trust, as if he were an all-powerful god.
Third stop: Indio and the wind turbine farm.
By evening they reached the area near Indio.
Although it wasn't festival season, the Coachella Valley itself was scenic enough to make anyone stop.
Huge white wind turbines stood like silent giants across the twilight plains. Their blades turned slowly, emitting a low hum that blended with the magnificent sunset into a surreal painting.
They parked at a roadside viewpoint.
Mia and Alexandra excitedly jumped out and took photos from every angle.
"It's so majestic! Every ti I feel like I've stepped onto an alien base!" Alexandra marveled.
"These wind turbines generate a lot of electricity, right?" Mia was more interested in practical use. She turned back to Luke, who was leaning against the car. "For your 'Draco' project, would you use wind turbines? Or solar panels? You ntioned focusing on environntal protection and self-sufficiency."
Luke was slightly surprised that Mia rembered these details. He nodded. "Yes, we're considering it. Wind and solar are excellent clean energy sources. The exact implentation will depend on local conditions."
In his heart, however, he silently complained: Environntal protection my ass… the poor end up paying for the rich's environntalism. When I was young and naive, I actually believed the adults' lies. Turns out the last drop of water on Earth is the tears of the poor… Wealth has nothing to do with , but I get to shoulder the environntal burden? "First environntal protection leads to later environntal protection…"
"I knew it! You always have so many smart ideas!" Mia ran back and linked arms with him, her face glowing with pride.
As dusk deepened, they didn't push on to the next planned stop. Instead, they found a decent-looking motel in a small town along the way.
The motel was ordinary but carried the carefree spirit of a true road trip.
The three of them squeezed into one room, shared snacks bought on the road, watched a rather explicit old erotic movie, practiced so English, and laughed and chatted until late into the night.
What could have been a seven-hour drive was stretched into a relaxed, laughter-filled two-day journey filled with stops, photos, and idle dreams.
When the skyline of Phoenix finally appeared on the horizon, Mia pointed ahead excitedly. "Look! We're almost there! My house is over there! Luke, are you nervous? You're about to et my mom and dad!"
Luke looked at Mia's joyful profile, then caught Alexandra's appraising and slightly teasing smile in the rear-view mirror. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Honestly, a little. But for you, I'll face any 'challenge.'"
The wheels rolled on, carrying the three of them—and a new chapter about family and commitnt—toward the warm lights of Phoenix.
For Luke, this was not rely a "et the parents" trip. It was another deepening of his emotional ties on Earth, a precious warm color belonging to the "ordinary person" Lu Ke amid his life of traveling between two worlds.
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