The meal ended on a high note.
As Hunter stood up to clear the plates and wash the dishes, the admiration in Mia's eyes deepened.
"Thank you, Hunter," she said warmly when he returned. "I honestly can't remember the last time I had a lunch that good."
"As long as you liked it," Hunter replied, sitting down beside her. "Food is meant to be shared. Usually, I just eat alone to stay alive, so this was nice."
Mia took the cup of instant coffee he offered and thanked him, but didn't drink it immediately. She hesitated for a moment, tracing the rim of the cup with her finger, before finally voicing the real reason for her visit.
"Hunter... I actually came here to apologize."
"About Vince... I'm really sorry."
A bitter expression crossed her face.
Mia's mother had disappeared before she could even form memories of her—whether she died or left, nobody knew. Mia had asked Dom, but always received vague, evasive answers. Growing up without a mother, she hadn't received much fatherly love either. Her father died in a racing accident when she was barely old enough to remember him.
After that, she was briefly cared for by her second brother, Jakob. But when Dom got out of prison, he exiled Jakob, and for the last seven or eight years, Mia had lived solely with Dom.
And Dom? His mind was entirely consumed by underground racing and making money.
Dom surrounded himself with roughnecks. Letty was the only other woman in their circle, but she had been raised like one of the boys. While Mia never lacked money, none of the men in her life—her brother included—ever stopped to consider her feelings.
Dom knew perfectly well that Mia disliked, even loathed, Vince. Yet, he never stepped up to act like a real brother. He never warned Vince to back off. He only intervened when Vince pushed Mia to the absolute breaking point.
Frankly, Mia had had enough.
"Can you imagine?" she vented, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm a normal teenage girl."
"Forget about having a boyfriend! For the past few years, practically every guy my age who gets near me has been chased off by Vince."
"If I'm being honest, Hunter... you're the first guy my age I've actually had a real conversation with in years."
Mia was clearly on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Maybe she sensed that Hunter was a good listener, or maybe the novelty of finally talking to a normal guy her age opened the floodgates.
Whatever the reason, she poured her heart out to this young man she barely knew.
Hunter listened patiently as she complained about Vince's harassment and her brother's emotional negligence—how Dom thought throwing cash at her solved everything.
He could hear the longing in her voice. This rebellious girl was starving for genuine affection and family connection.
But clearly, the "Family Man" himself—Dominic Toretto—was failing miserably at his most basic duty as a brother.
After listening to her vent for a while, Hunter felt a sudden, powerful urge to pull her into a hug and comfort her. His heart ached for this mixed-race girl sitting in his tiny apartment.
Subconsciously, he reached out and gently patted her soft, coffee-colored hair.
Mia froze for a second, but she didn't pull away.
"Thanks," she whispered. She took it as a gesture of comfort, but deep down, she felt a spark of happiness simply because someone had truly listened.
After sitting for a while longer, Mia finally stood up. She apologized once more for Vince's behavior and thanked Hunter for the delicious Chinese meal. After a few more polite exchanges, she left.
Hunter walked her out, watching as she got into her blue Honda and drove away. Only then did he turn back to his apartment.
"She's a good girl," he murmured.
Back inside, the scent of Mia's perfume still lingered in the air. He'd heard stereotypes about Westerners having strong body odor, but sitting next to Mia, all he had smelled was a pleasant, floral fragrance.
Originally, Hunter hadn't planned on pursuing Mia. He had plenty of ways to get back at Vince and avenge Hunter.
The plot of Fast and Furious 1 hadn't kicked off yet, but Dom and his crew weren't exactly saints. To fund their modified cars and lavish lifestyles, they were hijacking semi-trucks all over California. The FBI and LAPD were already watching them.
All Hunter had to do was drop a few anonymous tips to the feds, and Vince—along with Dom and the rest of the crew—would be rotting in prison.
But the moment that thought formed, Hunter crushed it.
"Dom's character flaws aside..."
"The Fast universe would be boring as hell without Toretto and his family."
However, just because he wasn't going to nuke the whole team didn't mean Vince was safe. Hunter could still target him specifically.
And as for Mia... well, Hunter definitely had some ideas about that charming girl now.
But first things first. He needed to grind his skill proficiencies. He needed to unlock more skills to boost his physical stats.
And considering his abysmal financial situation, he needed to make some money to improve his quality of life.
Plans swirled in his mind.
"I think," Hunter mused, "I'm going to need to take a few more sick days from the garage."