… You know, I’d never felt this exhausted from an exercise session in my life.

Even when I was just beginning my weight loss journey as an overweight university student, I’d never felt exhaustion like what I did this morning.

It took all that I had just to avert my eyes away from the dangerous areas of Althea’s body and given her skimpy clothes… Believe me, there were many.

But on top of that, I had to protect myself from Althea’s bold advances. I’d lost count on the number of times she ‘accidentally’ fell onto me or the countless light touches we shared. Althea was smart and didn’t cross any physical boundaries that would make our exercise session rated R, so I didn’t have any logical reason to keep my distance.

All I could do was grumble internally while we concluded our steamy morning workout.

However, that was just the beginning of Althea’s onslaught.

After exercising, she returned back home to shower. I’d thought that would give me a moment to rest, but Althea promptly returned in a different set of seductive clothes. We were still at the beginning of Spring, so the weather wasn’t that warm. Yet, Althea chose to wear a spaghetti-strapped black dress that was tight enough to show her curves.

She topped it off with a robust makeup foundation to brighten up her snowy white face and a thick fragrance that I could only describe as mature perfume.

No woman in her right mind would wear that in the comfort of their homes. But alas… Althea wasn’t in the right state of mind.

Though, there were a few moments where Althea stopped her flirtatious advances.

During our lunch preparations, Althea started working on the dishes in her tight clothes, a feat that was remarkable in its own right. Althea also focused on the task in earnest, as she tried her very best to learn how to cook.

That wasn’t all. Whether it was her lectures or just learning how to assist in the household chores, Althea was doing her absolute best.

The words she’d declared yesterday came to my mind.

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

The revealing clothes, the mature makeup, the change in her character...

Althea… She was serious about becoming more like my ideal woman.

This lass… Why is she doing so much? She’s a beautiful young girl, and there are thousands of guys who would love to be her boyfriend. Why does she lower herself down for someone like me?

Honestly, I didn’t get it. I tried talking sense to her, many times in fact. But Althea just won’t listen. Each time I tried to bring up the subject, she would deflect it by changing the topic or initiate some physical contact to get my mind distracted.

Before I knew it, the day was slowly bleeding into night, and our first day together since we’d kissed was coming to a close. Nothing much was accomplished on this day, other than a few times where I had to pinch my thighs to keep my libido from acting up.

“This fish curry is amazing, Desir! I can’t believe you were able to bake Pita bread as well.”

“It’s not that difficult,” I replied from the opposite side of the table. Althea was still wearing her tight black dress, so I had trouble keeping my eyes away from the two soft things bulging out from her chest.

“No, really… Your cooking skills have improved since December!”

“Is it? I can’t really tell...”

I’ve been cooking for myself since forever, and so I would be the last one to know if I had improved drastically or not. Only Althea, someone who had been eating my food for almost half a year now, could tell if I’d improved.

“Yeah! The first time you made curry for me, it was too spicy! Remember that?”

Ah, that’s right. Althea didn’t have a taste for spicy or bitter food, so I tried toning down the first curry I’d ever made for her. Alas, it was still too spicy for this little lass. Over time, I’d gotten used to Althea’s taste buds and configured the spice level accordingly.

Still… Has it been that long? I’d actually fine-tuned my cooking to fit Althea’s needs.

“Hmmm, maybe I should make it a little spicier then?”

“W-Why would you do that?!”

“Hehe, looks like you’re still a child, Althea.”

“Y-You!”

Althea’s face blushed as she bit the bottom half of her lips. She fell back on her chair while her tongue became entangled in her own words. Ah… There’s the Althea I’m familiar with. Acting all mature wasn’t her style. The Althea I knew was far more attuned to her own emotions.

“I-I can eat spicy food now, you know!”

“Oh, is it?” A sinister grin crept up my lips as I reached for the sambal chilli that I’d made for my curry. “Here, have some of this then!”

“T-This...”

Althea gulped. A torrent of thoughts ran through her mind, probably thinking of either backing down or swallowing the spoonful of chilli whole. In the end, it looks like her desire to look more mature beat out her logical mind.

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“I-I’ll take it!” Althea grabbed the spoon and thrust it into her mouth. After chewing for a bit, the girl swallowed the spicy chilli into her stomach and opened her mouth triumphantly. “There! I did it!”

“Wait for it...”

“... GODS!!! IT’S HOT!!!”

Althea leapt to her feet as if the floor was filled with venomous serpents. Her face turned crimson red as her pulse rate rapidly increased. She then rushed to the fridge and got out a bottle of iced tea. Without bothering to pour it into a cup, Althea pressed her lips against the opening and gulped down the tea like she was a hippopotamus.

“Urghhhhh!!!”

“Slow down, Althea. You’ll spill the tea.”

“What... now?”

“Slow down, argh, too late.”

Before I could warn Althea, the girl accidentally let go of her grip, and the gallon of tea came spilling out like a broken dam. Directly under the impact, Althea took the full brunt of the spillage as her face and body became drenched with freshly squeezed lemon tea.

“C-Crap!”

“Crap indeed,” I face-palmed as I walked over to the kitchen.

“D-Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up!”

“No, you’re cleaning nothing!” I sneaked a peek at the young girl who had made a mess of herself. Her cleavage was popping out as her tight black dress got tarnished with iced tea. Water was one thing, but lemon tea was sticky, and it stains easily.

Also… Who knows what would happen to my sanity if I saw a wet Althea bending down to clean the floor right now.

“Go home and take a shower. I don’t want you falling sick.”

“I-I’m sorry...”

Althea’s face quickly turned sour as her eyes began to mist. She dropped her head in shame, a far contrast from her confident poise just moments earlier. There it is… the infamous adorable puppy look. How could anyone get angry at that?

“I’m not blaming you, alright?”

I reached out and gently stroked Althea’s wet hair. Realising that I wasn’t mad, Althea finally gazed up and locked her eyes with mine. She grabbed my outreached hand and dragged it down to her face, where she leaned in on it.

Poor thing, the girl must be cold to seek warmth from my coarse hand.

“Go take a shower, okay? We’ll talk when you get back.”

“... Okay.”

Althea left for her apartment while I stayed to clean the mess she’d made. With the girl gone, I could have some time to gather my thoughts and calm down my beating heart rate. After cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes, I walked back to my couch to take a well-deserved rest.

Seriously… I’d underestimated this girl.

This whole time, I’d been treating her as a young, immature girl that was barely older than a child. Alas, recent events made me consider otherwise. When Althea became serious and dialled her charm up to eleven… Even the most celibate of men would break their vows.

So, Althea really likes me, huh…

Who would have thought that I would have girl problems?

Was it my mistake? Did I treat her too kindly when we first met?

Urgh… Just thinking about it gives me a headache. This is all Len and Sienna’s fault! I don’t know what they said to Althea, but it had changed her mindset entirely. Looks like I must bring them out for a little chat…

“D-Desir, I’m back.”

“Oh, welcome back.”

I gave a muted response to the girl who returned. Unlike before, Althea wasn’t wearing any skimpy clothes. She wore a simple cotton shirt and comfortable chino shorts. It was the standard dress code for someone who stayed at home all day and the attire that I was most used to.

Even her makeup was thoroughly washed away. It seemed like Althea rushed over after taking her shower, not bothering to doll herself up anymore.

“...”

“...”

After our brief exchange, Althea walked over to the couch and nested herself right beside me. If it were a few hours prior, I would be certain that Althea was trying to seduce me once more. But from the look on her face… Althea had other plans.

“Desir… You must find me laughable.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“... I said that I wanted to become more mature, to become a girl that you would like. But, all I did today was make a fool out of myself.”

Althea frowned as she hugged her two dainty knees. She seemed like a young kitten that had been abandoned by its owner, left in the wild to fend for itself. It was both adorable and sad at the same time.

Sighing, I reached out with my right hand and tapped on her head.

“You silly lass… You’re still a young girl. Why should you force yourself to be more mature?”

“B-But… You like mature ladies, do you not?”

“Who told you that?”

“H-Huh?”

“Did I ever say that I like mature women?”

“... Come to think of it… You haven’t.”

I don’t know what gave Althea the impression that I liked older or more mature women, but it was a falsehood that came from her own imagination. I’d never once discussed my preferences with anyone, let alone a young university girl.

“S-So, you don’t like mature women?”

“Hmmm, if you were to give me a choice between a mature woman and an immature girl, I guess I would choose the mature woman.”

“T-Then!”

“But!” I stopped Althea before she could mutter out a word of rebuttal. “I like people that stay true to their character. Forcing yourself to behave like someone you’re not is not a sign of maturity, Althea.”

“That...”

Althea dropped her gaze embarrassedly.

“The Althea I know isn’t someone who wears thick perfume or puts on scantily clad clothes. She’s a strong girl who stands up to guys and does things her way. The Althea I know… would never let herself change just because of some random guy’s preferences.”

I believed that Althea’s feelings for me were just a phase that would pass. However, if I don’t correct her behaviour now, she would most definitely repeat the same mistakes when she found a new and better person to love.

“You’re not some random guy!” Althea protested loudly. “But… I understand your point.” The girl fell deep into thought before finally coming to a conclusion. “I won’t try to behave like someone I’m not anymore.”

“That’s the spirit!”

“Instead, I’ll make sure that you fall for me using my own charms!”

“... You really don’t get it, do you?”

I told her multiple times. I’ve sworn off all relationships. Was it that hard to comprehend? Or should I explain it to her in another language?

“Girls like you shouldn’t settle with guys like me. There are plenty of fish in the sea that you can catch. Firstly-...”

“Eyyy!”

“A-Althea? W-What are you doing?!”

“Tickling you,” Althea replied with a smirk as she pressed her fingers into my waist. “Remember, I told you that demeaning yourself will come with its consequences!”

“B-But! T-Tickling me! I-Isn’t it too… f-far?!”

“Not at all! If you can’t heed my words, maybe you can listen to my fingers. At least, that’s what Sienna taught me.”

“D-Damn you, Sienna!”

Althea ignored my pleas for surrender as she had her way with my sensitive spots. Succumbing to the mixture of comfort and torture, I fell back on the sofa, trying my best to break free from Althea’s grasp. Unfortunately, the girl was relentless. When I fell down, she fell forward like a serpent that had locked onto its prey.

Her legs coiled around mine to prevent any escape while her petite bum weighed me down at the waist. Being the stronger person, I could easily fling her away with a single thrust, but I would inadvertently injure Althea. So the only thing I could do was laugh maniacally as my neurons were being rapidly fired.

And just as I was about to succumb to my fate, Althea’s fingers stopped.

I took a moment to regain my sanity, calming down my nerves and lowering my accelerated heart rate. So, it took me a while to understand the situation I was in.

Althea was mounting me. Her snowy white legs were interconnected with mine, and her pelvis was just inches away from mine. Just like me, her face was flushed, either from the excitement of teasing me or from some other hormone kicking in her brain.

Either way, the girl was no longer in the right state of mind.

And well, you could say that I was in a similar state.

After being tickled repeatedly, my brain was in a state of heightened excitement. Adding to the fact that there was a gorgeous girl seated above me with a flushed, sultry face… My male instincts reacted.

Our hearts began to synchronise.

As if they were linked, their beats became faster and faster.

In that drunken state, all we could see were each other’s faces.

Althea leaned in, her lips parting as her upper body free falled onto my chest. Her hands climbed up my back, and her collarbone rested on my neck. And before long…

Her face was just an inch from mine.

And then…

“Shit!”

I awoke from the trance and pushed Althea away from me. Leaping out from the couch, I left Althea there before turning to face the balcony. I couldn’t let the girl see me now… At the very least, she shouldn’t see my lower body.

“I-It’s getting late! Y-You should get some rest!”

“Y-Yeah! I-I should do that!”

Althea sensed the awkwardness and turned her body towards the door as instructed. As expected, although she wanted to get closer to me, she didn’t expect that kind of physical contact.

Only after I heard the door lock behind her did I breathe a sigh of relief.

That… That was dangerous.

If Althea were to keep this up, I don’t know how long I could keep my sanity.

No, this can’t continue…

I have to do something about this.