My mind was blank.

What was happening?

Althea and I… are we kissing? What is going on?

As all of those thoughts rushed through my mind, my lips were parted by Althea’s invading tongue. Like a serpent finding its prey, Althea ravaged my mouth with her clumsy lips. Occasionally, she would gently bite on my lips without warning. Other times, her tongue would be thoroughly intertwined with mine.

Knowing that she was in control, Althea shut her eyes. She tightened her grip on my neck as if she was declaring that she wouldn’t let me escape. Her cheeks blossomed into two rosy blushes as her actions became bolder and bolder.

It was a battle of tongues. I was utterly and wholly defenceless. Althea, on the other hand, was a relentless beast that couldn’t take no for an answer. Battle? No, it was a massacre. Althea never allowed me to react as she tasted every nook and corner of my mouth.

Sultry moans escaped from both our mouths as we struggled to gasp for air.

God knows how long we kissed. In the end, Althea only parted with my lips after we became sore. However, her hands never left the back of my neck. Her face still steaming red, Althea smiled and said:

“... That was my first kiss.”

“A-Althea…” In a daze, I murmured out her name. “W-What did you do?”

“What I should have done long ago...” Althea’s pretty smile turned into a stern grimace as she released her grip on my neck. She took one step back and regained herself before declaring:

“Desir! I like you! Please be my boyfriend!!!”

“W-What?”

Althea… She likes me? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! So her feelings weren’t that of dependency? She really likes me as a man? No, that can’t be! The rain must have gotten to her head. Shit, I should have forced her to take an umbrella!

“A-Althea… You’re not in the right state of mind. Take a shower first, alright?”

“No, my mind has never been clearer!”

Instead of heeding my advice, Althea stamped her feet down and grabbed my hands with her own. As our fingers touched, I could feel the anxiousness permeated out from her body. Her hands were shaking, and so were my own. I gingerly met her gaze, only to feel the iron behind it.

This girl… She’s serious.

“Desir, I like you! I want to be with you! I don’t want to be just your neighbour anymore! So… Please start a relationship with me!”

“I...”

A thousand thoughts ran through my mind. What caused her to confess? Why was she drenched to the bone? What prompted her to be this emotional? There were plenty of questions that I wanted answered.

However, as I watched those determined emerald eyes stare me down… I could only push those thoughts aside. For now… I must give her an answer.

“Althea, I… I’ve sworn off all relationships...”

“I know that! But give me a chance! I can change your mind!”

“You don’t get it! There are millions of men far better than me! When you return to school, I’m sure that you can find a nice guy that-...”

“I don’t care about other guys! I only want you!”

“...”

This is going nowhere. For the first time since I’d met her, Althea was being headstrong. She didn’t care about anything I had to say and was firmly trying to become my lover. I glanced down at her beautiful, ebony black hair that seemed to be woven out of silk. Her perfect proportions and otherworldly beauty… Maybe it won’t be a bad idea to actually…

No, what am I thinking?! I have sworn off all relationships!

“Althea… I’m sorry, but I don’t think that I can be your boyfriend… I just don’t like you in a romantic way.”

With this, Althea should finally back down. As much as it would break her heart, this was a necessary evil that needs to be said.

“... I know that.”

However, the result wasn’t what I’d expected. Rather than being heartbroken, Althea looked up at me with an even firmer gaze.

“I know that I’m not your type. I’m immature, undeveloped, I can’t cook, I don’t have a job and… basically, a child compared to the girls you hang out with.” Althea clenched her firsts and stared right at my face. “So, I’ll do my best to become the girl that you would like! A woman that’s worthy of your love!”

“Y-You...”

Althea’s firm declaration was coupled with an expression that I’d never seen from her before. She looked like a mountain that couldn’t be moved, a monolith that would stand tall in the middle of an endless storm. At that moment… Althea looked like an Amazonian that could take the world on her shoulders.

And that beautiful face… made my heart skip a beat.

No, what am I doing? Getting lost in her eyes? Focusing on the task at hand was more important!

“Althea, I… really don’t want to be in a relationship.”

“Yes, I know that. Len and Sienna told me all about it.”

Ah, so Althea went to meet those two today? What the hell did they talk about? Why did she change so abruptly after coming back? Looks like I should give them a long lecture.

“Even so… I’m a selfish person. I don’t want to give up without putting up a fight. I know that if I back down today… I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!”

A-Althea? What are you saying now?

Before I could say anything, Althea noticed my inner conflict and chuckled. Taking advantage of my daze, she tiptoed up and gently pecked my cheeks without my resistance.

“So, get ready! I’ll be the one who will break down your barriers!”

And with that, she skipped backwards with her hands behind her back, showing off a smile that I’d never seen in my entire life. There weren’t any fauna in my apartment, but I swore I could see roses bloom around her crown.

Beauties that could bring down a kingdom… Was this how they looked?

As I stood there silently, I watched as Althea shuffled her feet out of my apartment and returned back to hers. In the end, I wasn’t able to mutter out any other rebuttals to the determined young lady. And from the looks of it… She wasn’t going to change her mind anytime soon.

This situation…

Is dangerous!

Will I be able to survive Althea’s onslaught?

❖❖❖

The next day.

I stood nervously in my exercise gear in the middle of my recreational gym. It was currently seven-thirty in the morning, and usually, I would be doing my warmups by now. However, I was unable to draw my attention away from the shut door of my apartment.

After Althea left last night, I suffered from a sleepless night. While I had firmly rejected her, Althea didn’t seem to take no for an answer. Rather, it felt like she doubled down on her resolve.

So… What kind of face should I put on to welcome her? Should I behave like nothing ever happened? Or should I keep my distance?

There was always the option of cutting ties with her… No, I can’t be that cruel. Her mother had entrusted me with her wellbeing, and I was more than willing to provide her with food and WiFi.

But… It seems like her mind had been corrupted. Althea desires a relationship with me. While I’m flattered, I knew that her feelings didn’t come from an honest place.

The main reason why she had some good feelings for me was because I had saved her on that holy night. Then, she began to spend much more time with me than anyone else in her life. If Althea’s parents were in the country or if she could still live with her friends in the dorms, the girl wouldn’t have an ounce of feelings for me.

That’s why she’s confused.

All human beings craved connections, especially during these trying times. Althea just misunderstood her feelings for me, that’s all.

Okay, I’m going to convince her to change her mind! It’s not too late for us to revert back to the good friends that we were. I’m sure that-...

“Desir! I’m here!!!”

As I steeled my resolve to change her mind, a sweet voice broke me from my internal thoughts. I gazed towards the source of the call, and immediately… my brain froze.

Althea was standing right in front of me. It was the same Althea that I’d known for months now. The same young girl that needed my help for her daily meals and other miscellaneous tasks. The same girl that I’d saved all those nights ago.

But, I didn’t recognise her.

“A-Althea? W-What are you wearing?”

“What are you talking about? I’m wearing my exercise clothes! We are going to exercise, right?”

Yes… We are… But that’s not what you usually wear!!!

Still smiling with the most brilliant smirk on her face, Althea raised her arms above her shoulders and started tying her flowing black hair into a ponytail. With her hair out of the way, I could see the full grandeur of Althea’s new outfit.

A white sports bra covered her top, preventing anyone from peering into those soft things on her chest. But that was it. Instead of wearing a tank top or a shirt above her undergarments, Althea just left her top defenceless from any perverted eyes. And with that, I could see more than seventy percent of her upper torso.

Althea’s delicious white collarbones, her swan-like arms that reached to her pits, her smooth and milky navel that imitated an hourglass… Everything was laid bare for me to see.

And that wasn’t all. For her bottom, Althea went for a more liberal style as well. She wore stunning tight-fitting black yoga shorts, which contrasted the healthy white thighs that it covered. They were high-waisted pants, which meant that I could see over eighty percent of her gorgeous, long legs.

Althea wasn’t a model, and neither was she in the pink of health, but the lack of excess fat on her body was breathtaking enough. She had a near-perfect body. One that would make any man drool and any woman green with envy.

Alas, that was just the beginning.

“Desir? Do you like my new look?”

Althea took one step closer towards me, and my eyes snapped away from her clothes and back to her face. An intense fragrance tickled my nose while my stare turned towards her flawless, symmetrical face. Althea’s face was already perfect enough, but there seemed to be something different about it today...

“Y-You… You’re wearing make-up?”

“Hehe, busted! Do you like it? I worked hard on it!”

“W-Won’t it be uncomfortable when you sweat?”

“Don’t worry! It’s waterproof! Also, I’m not wearing a lot, so it won’t clog my pores!”

“O-Okay...”

This girl… She’s serious about trying to attract me. Of all things, why did she have to pull out the sexy gym girl look?! How am I supposed to concentrate on exercising now?!

No, Desir… Calm thoughts. Calm thoughts. You are Buddha now. Nothing will tempt you, and nothing will make you fall. All you need to do is to get through this exercise session, and all will be well!

Ignoring my inner turbulence, Althea grabbed on my hands and gently guided them towards her waist. Foolishly, I regained consciousness far too late, and her body was already glued to mine. And as if to snap the final strings of my sanity, Althea leaned in close to my ear and whispered seductively:

“Help me stretch.”

Lord… Please help me.