“Yes, Carl, I’ve sent the email... Yes, your code is fine... No, I won’t help you compile it... Hah, yeah, let’s end the meeting here. Thank you for your time, everyone.”

Saying my last words at the video conference meeting, I locked my desktop and threw my back on the chair. It was just like any other weekday afternoon. I had codes to compile, meetings to attend and plans to develop. However, I was a little more tired than usual.

Why?

The apartment was completely empty.

As she’d promised, Althea returned home with her parents. It was to be expected; the girl had just reunited with two of the most important people in her life. Even if she said that she wanted to stay with me, deep down, I knew that the girl wanted to spend some quality time with her family.

I will admit, it took some time for me to adjust to the absence of my girlfriend. The silence that I’d thought I was used to had started to creep me out. The cold nights without someone else to warm my bed took became torturous for me. And most importantly… The bitter loneliness that I’d become accustomed to all my life now ate at my very soul.

Urgh, wasn’t I the one who suggested to Althea that we took some time apart so that we won’t become co-dependent? Look at me now…

I’ve really been moulded by the black-haired beauty.

Sighing, I walked to the kitchen, where my Thai Curry Glass Noodles laid in wait. It would be an early lunch for me, so I decided on something easier to cook. Settling down on the dining room table, I twirled my chopsticks around before finally deciding to dig in.

However, before I could enjoy my meal, my phone vibrated violently. Honestly, I didn’t even need to check the screen to know who the sender was.

[I miss you, Desir. ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ]

A text in full bold caught my eye. Just like that, the bad day that I was having gradually melted away and a broad smile replaced my frown.

Even though we were apart for the moment, that didn’t mean our hearts were separated. Althea made sure of that when she texted me almost every waking minute that we had. Not only that, Althea insisted on video calling me at least three times a day. Once in the morning when I woke up, once in the evening after my work, and once at night before I slept.

Some might say that it was excessive, but I felt that it was normal for a young couple like us.

After all, even though we couldn’t meet each other in real life, the virtual world could be the bridge that connected us.

[I miss you too.]

[Hehe, guess our telepathic connection is still functioning.]

[When did you install that? How come I wasn’t informed?]

[I invoke my girlfriend privileges to remain silent. (>‿◠)]

[What the hell?!]

This kind of back and forth was now a common everyday occurrence during our daily texts. It was evident that we dearly missed each other, so we could only ease the pain by talking online.

[By the way, how are your parents?]

[Hmmm? They’re doing good. We are driving to a restaurant for lunch now.]

Wait a minute… They were currently together?

[Hold on, Althea… Are you messaging me in front of them right now?]

[Well, I’m in the backseat, but I guess you could say so? Why? What’s the matter?]

Wow, this girl is really oblivious. No, I was probably at fault as well for not noticing it sooner. The girl had been messaging far too often, after all. Naturally, for her to do that, she must be texting me in front of her parents!

[Althea, while I’m happy that you’re texting me, I think that you should spend more quality time with your family.]

[... Am I really texting you too much? (╥﹏╥)]

[No, not at all! I think that our texting is fine. It’s just, you’ve taken the week off just to spend time with your parents. If you’re texting me all the time, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of your return?]

The main reason Althea left for the week was to spend time with her two parents, whom she’d hadn’t seen in almost a year. As much as I missed talking to her, I didn’t want to encroach on their family bonding time, especially since they’d just reunited.

Furthermore, I didn’t need to give Harper any more ammunition to reject me being together with his daughter.

[... I understand. I’ll try not to text when I’m with my parents. t(>.

[Now that’s a good girl.]

[٩(˘◡˘)۶]

In the end, I managed to persuade the girl to slow down her texting. Though, Althea was still adamant about the three calls a day. She said something about refilling her daily Desirnium, even though I had no clue what that was.

Didn’t she say that we needed to hug for that to happen?

Hah… Either way, I was finally able to procure some peace and quiet. And before I knew it, my noodles had turned completely soggy.

Tch… Time to make another bowl.

❖❖❖

The week passed by in a blink of an eye.

Since nothing eventful was going on for me, I stuck to my routine and kept my head in focus mode. It was the only way for me to cope with the void that Althea had left. Exercise, eat, coding, meetings, cooking, sleep… Doing these on repeat gave me a sense of normality during these trying times.

Oh, Desir… How you have fallen.

Just a mere separation for a week, and you’re already falling into panic mode.

Well, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to worry about the loneliness anymore. Why?

“Desir!!!”

A few hours into my Sunday, I could hear the password of my front door being typed in. However, before I could stand up to receive my visitor, a black-haired figure dashed from the supposedly closed door and slammed right into my chest.

“A-Althea...”

“Desir! I missed you so much!”

“I-I missed you too...”

I tried my best to reply, but the impact from Althea’s headbutt still resonated through my chest. Damn it, girl! Your love is painful…

Taking some time to regain myself, I asked: “Weren’t you supposed to reach in the afternoon? I was thinking of picking you up at the station.”

Unlike my country bumpkin ass, Althea was a bona fide city girl. She lived in Kofuku for most of her life, and her childhood home was just a few hours away. If she really wanted to, she could take the train from her home to our apartment block.

“Yes, that was the plan, but I wanted to return as quickly as possible. So I begged my father to drive me here.”

“Oh? Is your father here? Should I go and greet him?”

“No, he’d already left.” Althea chuckled sweetly. “Also, I doubt he would want you to greet him. There was a sour look on his face when he dropped me off just now.”

Ah, I could imagine that. I mean, no father would be happy about dropping their young daughter at a guy’s house. It was tantamount to sending their beloved kin to a lion’s den.

If Althea and I had a daughter, would I feel the same way? I tried to put myself in Harper’s shoes and began to seriously think about it. A daughter between Althea and me… She would be as cute as Althea, no, maybe even more adorable. That little thing would call me daddy, and I would protect her with everything that I had…

Yeap that decides it.

If Althea and I have a daughter in the future, I will never let any random guy get close to her. NO, it would be better if she never dated.

“Anyway, that’s not important!” Althea bit her bottom lip and snuggled in my embrace. “I need my cuddle time!”

“Haha, I still have to prepare lunch. Why don’t you sit back and relax for now?”

Even if Althea’s father had driven her back, there were still many things that she needed to do to settle down. Clothes were one of those examples. She had to unpack whatever luggage that she had and perhaps even synchronise herself to our apartment again.

But Althea was having none of that.

Yelping, she declared: “I don’t want lunch! I want my boyfriend’s essence! Give to me, or I’ll wither up and die!”

“What are you, a flowering plant?”

Exasperated, I could only sigh at Althea’s childish demand. In the end, the girl stuck to me like a koala bear while I operated the kitchen, making it a little difficult for me to complete the usual tasks. However, no matter how much I asked for her to separate, the girl would only tighten her grip.

Goodness, did she miss me that much?

Luckily, we were having a simple lunch, and it could be made relatively quickly. Otherwise, I would have spent hours in the kitchen with this koala bear latching on to my every move.

“So, how was your week?”

“Terrible! I couldn’t touch or smell you, so I couldn’t sleep at night! There were some days where I missed you the entire time and couldn’t focus on anything!”

… That’s not what I meant, Althea.

“No, I was asking about how your reunion was. Didn’t you spend time with your parents? What did you guys do?”

“Hmmm? Nothing much, to be honest?” Althea tilted her head and replied. “We went out to eat, but that’s about it. Most of the time, we would just stay at home and just talk.”

Oh, I didn’t expect their week to pass so normally. I heard from Althea that her parents had at least three houses scattered throughout the country, excluding the one next door. A high-rise apartment at the heart of the city. A summer villa near a private beach. And finally, a winter home for when they wanted to go skiing.

Given that it was the beginning of Autumn, I’d thought that they would at least visit their summer villa to experience the last blistering heat before the colder months, but I guess I was wrong.

“We should visit them next time when we’re free,” I added with a smile. “They must have missed you dearly the whole time they were overseas.”

“Yeah, I know that too… That’s why I’ve been spending time with them as much as I could.”

“Hehe, that’s my little Althea...”

Now that we were eating lunch, Althea had found her own seat, but it was plastered right next to mine. So it was a simple affair to just reach out and pat the adorable girl on her petite head.

“Althea...”

“Hmmm? What’s the matter?”

“Desir… Why do you only call me Althea?”

“What do you mean? Isn’t that your name?”

“That’s not what I meant!” The girl stomped her feet and glared right at me. “This whole week that I’d spent with my parents, I noticed something...”

“What is it?”

“My mom rarely calls my dad by name. The same goes the other way. She calls him Dear, and he calls her Honey.”

“Ah, so that’s what you mean...”

Now that Althea mentioned it, many couples call each other by nicknames. It was just a more affectionate way of addressing one another, rather than the boring names we would call each other.

Typically, it would be betrothed or couples that have been together for years who would give each other nicknames. But given how close Althea and I were, I guess it was about time.

“Do you want me to give you a nickname?”

“Yes!” The girl’s emerald eyes sparkled brighter than any gem in existence. “We should find a better way to call each other!”

“Haha, so what do you have in mind? Should we follow your parents’ example?”

“... As tempting as it may be, I don’t want to call you Dear. Since that’s how my mother calls dad.”

Makes sense. Althea has grown up hearing her father being addressed as Dear. If she did the same with me, it would feel like she’s calling her father rather than her lover.

“Okay then, I won’t call you Honey as well. So what do you want to call me?”

“Hmmm, since you’re Desir and the person I love the most… Why don’t I call you Darling?”

“I’m fine with that.”

Darling, huh? It was simple and sweet. I quite liked that. Going by that theme, I believe I have found the perfect name to call my sweetheart.

“Then, I’ll call you Baby!”

“B-Baby? W-Why?”

“Because you’re my little baby girl!” I bellowed out in laughter.

“N-No, change that! I’m not some child that you have to look after!”

“Really? I beg to differ.” I chuckled. “But if you feel so strongly, why don’t I call you Babe instead? That’s how many guys call their significant other.”

“... I’m not happy with your way of thinking, but I’ll allow it for now.”

Hehe, I’ll call her Babe for now, but I’ll slip in a Baby every now and then. On formal occasions, I’ll call her Babe. When I wanted to tease her, I’ll change to Baby. Eventually, Althea would get used to how I call her, and her official nickname would still be Baby.

“So, Babe… What do you want to do now?”

We had just finished our lunch and had the entire day ahead of us. We could go on a date or even visit Len and Sienna for a get-together party. There were countless activities that we could do now that we have reunited after a week apart.

Alas, there was only one thing that Althea wanted to do.

“Darling… Why don’t we wash up for now?” Althea pulled on my shirt and pointed to the bathroom. “I-I’ve just returned from a long road trip and, y-you know…”

This adorable creature…

You’re asking to be pampered and still deny the nickname Baby?

“Your wish is my command, Baby...”

That Sunday was one to remember. Due to our extreme activities, we could barely get out of bed the next day, causing both of us to miss valuable meetings. But well, it wasn’t a day that we would ever come to regret.