The next few days passed by in a flash. Although the country had reopened, neither Althea and I had any plans on going out to party like animals. It was the opposite, in fact.

Both of us were private people and would much prefer a day lounging on the couch rather than going out and about like Len and Sienna.

Unknowingly, the two of us had formed a routine.

Every day, we would wake up and exercise for an hour straight. Following that, we might relax for a bit before working or studying if it was a weekday. On weekends, however, we would take this time to watch dramas or play games just to bond.

It goes without saying that I would cook all of the meals. While Althea had gotten much better with her culinary skills, I would be behind the knife most of the time. The girl would accompany me to the supermarket or assist in washing the vegetables, but that’s about it.

Of course, we didn’t spend all of our time locked up in the apartment. We would go for a stroll in the park or wander around the city on a shopping date on certain days. Speaking of shopping dates, Althea found a shop that specialised in couple shirts. Apparently, she found it unacceptable that we didn’t have a single synchronised outfit.

And well, that was our routine.

Most days were spent indoors, with several outdoor dates. It wasn’t anything special, and some might say that we did the same things before we were dating. But who cares? The two of us were content with that kind of life.

Well, there was one different thing.

My eyelids lifted up heavily as the morning sun gently warmed my face. As my consciousness returned, I was hit with a severe feeling of soreness as both my neck and chest felt uncontrollably itchy. At the same time, a familiar weight was resting on my outstretched arms.

And finally, a distinct aroma that I could recognise even with my eyes closed tackled my sniffling nose.

Deja vu?

That was the first thing that came to my mind as I turned towards the same naked figure that was in my bed every time I woke up. Last night, just like many others in the past month… Althea and I bonded vigorously.

In the beginning, both of us were novices, and thus we weren’t doing as often. There was also the issue of our mental blocks. I didn’t want to hurt Althea since she had been sexually assaulted in the past, and Althea wasn’t sure if she could have such a physical relationship with me.

However, once we’d passed the first hurdle, our nightly activities became all the more commonplace. Instead, it has reached a point that it would be odd if we didn’t have some sort of intimate tryst before we went to bed.

So it begs the question…

Was this normal?

I don’t know many couples, and even if I did, I would never ask this sort of question to them. I mean, how would I even word the question? Is sleeping with your girlfriend normal? If I asked that, I was certain to be punched in the face.

I looked at the young lady who slept soundly like a baby. Her face was rosy red, and every so often, her lips would twitch into a satisfied smile. Unable to hold back my playfulness, I leaned into Althea and brought her into my arms.

As if on instinct, the girl moved in her sleep. She placed her face deeper into my chest, and her hands rolled up my exposed stomach. Even when she was brought into the deepest dungeons of dreamland, the girl was responsive to my touch.

It goes to show how much the two of us had bonded throughout our time together.

“Still… This can’t continue for long...”

While I enjoyed our nightly activities, I had no idea if this was healthy or not. Not to mention, protection wasn’t cheap. If we continued at this pace, I would have to dedicate a sizable portion of my salary to fund our new found hobby.

“I didn’t want to do this, but I guess I have no choice...”

❖❖❖

“Desir, over here!!!”

Walking into the ramen restaurant that I usually frequented, I saw a young blonde man seated at the tail end of the room. Like always, he was dressed impeccably with a style that I would never pull off.

“Len, you’re early,” I said as I settled down on the table.

“Haha, you rarely call me out anymore, so obviously, I would be on time!” Len chuckled with a smile.

“What are you talking about? We met during Althea’s birthday.”

“Yeah, but that’s with others around! Tell me, when was the last time we actually came out together? Just you and me?”

“That...”

Now that Len mentioned it… It did seem like we’ve rarely met alone. Ever since Althea had come into my life, the girl had been present for most of our gatherings. And since Althea and Sienna got along, it would probably be the same in the future.

As for why we were meeting alone this time without our girlfriends around… Well, I had something important to ask him.

“Hah… While I’m happy that you’ve got a girlfriend, I kind of miss the days where we would brave the night together.”

“Brave the night… Must you make such suggestive comments?” I sighed and placed my order on the touchscreen menu. “Besides, you’re welcome to come over to my house anytime if you want to play games or just talk.”

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“Can I really, though? Your girlfriend is probably over twenty-four-seven. Even if I visit you, we’ll hardly be alone.”

“... That’s true.”

“That’s why! We should treasure these moments together! Bro to bro!”

Len raised his glass and urged me to do the same. Taking up his offer, I raised my mug and clinked our glasses together. That’s right. Even if I’m having trouble, I could always count on Len, my best friend.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Len placed his lips on the beer mug, ready to take a good gulp of its adult goodness. Steeling my nerves, I didn’t bother to beat around the bush with my best friend. And so, I said plainly:

“How much sex is too much?”

“PFFFTTTT!!!”

Len spat out everything in his mouth, staining much of the wooden table. No, some splatters made it to my area, with my face and shirt being the primary victims. Reaching for some tissues, I purged the disgusting beer spit from my body and provided some for the blonde asshole who discharged everything out.

“Disgusting...”

“W-What do you mean, disgusting?! You’re the one who shocked me!!!”

“I didn’t mean to shock you,” my lips twitched in defiance. “I just asked you what was on my mind.”

“S-Still! You shouldn’t just spring something like this up on me! You need to give me a mental heads up!”

“Duly noted,” I replied with a sigh. Truth to be told, I just wanted Len to answer my question as quickly as possible. Though, I wasn’t that insensitive and allowed the man to clean himself up.

“Why are you asking this, though?”

“This...”

How should I say it? To protect my girlfriend’s image, I don’t think I should reveal details of our sex lives. How often we were doing it or what kind of kinks she enjoyed was obviously out of the table. So…

“As you know, Althea and I have started a physical relationship.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you know that Althea is my first girlfriend, right?”

“Naturally.”

“So, I don’t know if I’m overdoing it with Althea.”

“Hmmm… How often are you doing it with her?”

“...”

I can’t tell him every night, right?

Now, what would be a delicate way to put it?

“I can’t tell you the frequency...”

“Just a ballpark figure. If I don’t know how much you’re doing it, how am I going to judge if it’s too much or too little?”

The man had a point. Still, I would like to protect Althea’s image as much as I could. Sighing, I decided to give a vague answer.

“... I’ve spent over a hundred dollars on protection since Althea’s birthday.”

“...”

There was silence on the table. I looked Len in the eye, and he stared into mine. His mouth was left hanging, and his brows were twitching uncontrollably. And given his reaction to my answer… I guess it was too much.

“Hey… It has been barely a month since her birthday, right?”

“... Yeah,” I replied softly.

“And you’ve already spent a hundred dollars on protection?”

I couldn’t say that it wasn’t just a hundred dollars. It was closer to two hundred according to my calculations. But it was a happy misunderstanding that I would love Len to have.

“Jesus… After being suppressed for twenty-six years, your drive sure is amazing.”

I couldn’t even muster up a retort to Len’s teasing. Sighing, I reverted to my slouched shoulders: “Yes, and that’s why I had to come to you. I can’t tell Althea since I don’t want her to think I don’t like it. So… Can you advise me?”

“What’s there to help?”

“It’s just… I don’t know if it’s healthy or not. I’m not sure if people in a healthy relationship do it as much as we do.”

“Hmmm, I think that your case is a little special,” Len replied after a brief moment to think. “When couples get together, they don’t usually move in straight away. Many of them would just dab their feet into the relationship and wouldn’t commit as much.”

“That’s logical.”

It was common for relationships to play out that way. People always wanted to test out their options, and unless you found your perfect half, they wouldn’t put all their eggs into one basket. I was fortunate enough to get the perfect woman for me in my first relationship.

“However, the two of you were basically living together already, even before you began your relationship. With no parents around and no one to bind you, the two of you can progress quite quickly.”

That made sense. If Althea was still living with her parents and if they weren't overseas, I doubt that the girl would be able to sleep over at my place every day.

“Also, as for your sex lives… It’s all relative. Some people do it once a month; others do it multiple times a day. I can’t tell you what a normal relationship will be like because it depends on the couple.”

Ah… So Althea and I weren’t the outliers.

For some reason, those words lifted a heavy weight off my heart.

“Honestly, you should just let nature take its course. Right now, you guys are new to sex, so you might want to explore it more often. In time, your drive will settle down, and you probably won’t do it as often.”

Len explained it with a knowing smile. I guess the man was speaking from experience, then.

“That’s why you should enjoy it while it lasts.”

Enjoy it while it lasts, huh…

I guess that made the most sense. I doubt that Althea would get even more clingy than before. If that’s the case, I guess I shouldn’t think too much about it.

❖❖❖

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Len and I enjoyed our ramen and beer before bidding farewell at the end of it all. If it was before, Len might have come over to play some War Defence or complain about how restrictive Sienna was. But now that we both had girlfriends and someone to return to, neither of us could be that responsible anymore.

Which leads me to my current predicament…

“Desir! You’re back!”

The moment I entered my apartment, my beloved was already lying in wait. Like a huntress that sprang on her trap, Althea pounced onto my body and clung to it like a koala bear.

“Hmmm? What’s wrong?”

“I just missed you,” Althea said with a muffled voice.

“Haha, but we’ve only been apart for a few hours!”

“That’s long enough!” The girl exclaimed while still in my clutches. “It’s strange… I’ve never been one to feel empty when I’m alone, and yet… These hours apart felt like days. What do I do, Desir? I think I can’t live without you anymore.”

“Althea...”

It didn’t seem like Althea was getting off anytime soon, so all I could do was saunter my way to the couch as I carefully tried not to harm her in any meaningful way. Resting my butt on the sofa, I gently caressed the young lady who felt desolate at the moment.

“I guess this is natural… We’ve been spending almost every single second together.”

“Haha, it’s strange, isn’t it? The fact that we’re already like an old married couple.”

“Yeah, it is strange.” I laughed at my girlfriend’s adorable little quirk. However, as much as I liked how clingy Althea was, if we can’t function independently in the future, it might prove detrimental to our relationship growth. And so, I suggested:

“How about we make an arrangement?”

“What arrangement?”

“To prevent us from becoming too codependent, why don’t we spend an hour alone every day?”

“... Are you getting sick of me?”

“No! Of course not!” I quickly corrected Althea’s misunderstanding. “It’s just… We’ve been spending too much time together. In the future, if I have to return to the office or if you need to be at school for the entire day, we might not be able to work properly.”

“... I get the logic, but must we really spend a full hour apart?”

Isn’t it only an hour?! There were twenty-four hours in a day, and we virtually spent every one of them together! Is an hour too much to ask for?

“We have to start somewhere,” I replied decisively.

“Okay… Just for you, I’ll try.”

“Haha, thank you, Althea.”

Good, that’s one hurdle down. Althea’s clinginess would likely subside with this step, and eventually, our nightly activities should settle down.

“Hmmm, what’s that smell?”

“Huh? Oh, I stink of beer and sweat.” The moment Althea mentioned it, my nose picked up on the heavy stench of alcohol emitting from my body. I did spend an entire evening at a steamy ramen shop drinking beer throughout the meal, after all. “Give me a second. I’ll go wash up.”

I gently tapped Althea’s perky bottom to get her to release me. Unfortunately, the girl didn’t oblige, and her grip on my shoulders became even tighter.

“... No,” Althea muttered. “Don’t you think that you should pay the price for making me feel lonely?”

“A-Althea?”

“I’ll listen to you, but you should do one thing for me as well.”

“W-What?”

Finally, Althea let go of my shoulders, but the girl had no intention of separating at all. Rather, she held my hands firmly so that I couldn’t escape and gradually dragged me into the bathroom.

“Don’t worry… I’ll wash you… thoroughly.”

What the hell does that mean?!

Powerless… I was utterly defenceless against my girlfriend’s aggressive assault.

In time, I would come to understand how naive I was. Sex was the inevitable outcome, and I would learn that the hard way.