“D-Desir! You’re actually hiding such a beautiful girl from me?!”

“Len… It’s not what it looks like...”

No, what does it look like?! The moment I said that I realised that I had fallen into a logical pit from which I could never crawl out. Argh, this really is the worst-case scenario!

To my left, there’s a nosy blonde man who would do everything in his power to see me with another girl. And to my front, there was a black-haired beauty whose face was blanker than a sheet of paper. Looks like I only had one solution…

Silence the witness!!!

Just as I was preparing to raise my hand and give a karate chop to Len’s neck, a feeble voice interrupted my killer move: “D-Desir… Y-You didn’t say that you were coming home early...”

“Oh? OHHHH?!” Len flashed a disgusting smile as he alternated his gaze between the two of us.

Althea! Why the hell must you say it that way? Now, it sounds like you’re a young wife who has been eagerly waiting for her husband’s return! Urghhh, my brain is starting to hurt…

You know what? One problem at a time.

I ignored my supposed best friend, who was about to dance like a monkey and turned to Althea: “... Why are you in my apartment?”

“I-I… I didn’t have the right utensils and ingredients to make dinner, so I came over here to cook… Also, it’s much more comfortable to eat here rather than...”

Althea paused as her two index fingers twirled around each other. She looked like a young girl who had been caught red-handed trying to steal from the cookie jar. Her adorable upturned eyes stared right into my soul and tingled my heartstrings.

… So this is why they say beautiful girls rule the world. Who could ever stay mad at that lovable face?

“Hah… I don’t mind you coming over, but you have to at least tell me first.”

“Hic! I’m sorry...”

Althea apologised once more, but this time, she was emitting an aura akin to that of a guilty puppy. Jesus, can’t she restrain her cuteness for just one second? I’d almost reached out to comfort her out of reflex!

“Huehuehue… Desir, I didn’t think that you were this capable! Snagging a university beauty all by yourself! Way to go, man! Hey there, young miss! What’s your name?”

“Errmmm...”

“How old are you? What drew you to Desir? How long have you been in contact with him? Has he been good to you?”

“...”

Len you… Could you read the room, man?

I glanced over at Althea, and I could see her body visibly tremble at Len’s crass words. She shuffled her feet backwards, and her face was flushed completely red. As I tried to initiate eye contact with her, Althea immediately looked away as if I was a plague that should be avoided.

The way she’s behaving… It’s like when we first met.

Obviously, Len’s words had made her uncomfortable and given that she had a bad history with men… I should really stop Len from pouring oil onto the fire.

“Len, could I borrow you for a moment? Althea, just stay put. I’ll be back soon.” After reassuring the trembling girl, I pulled Len out of my apartment and slammed the door after us.

“Huehuehue! Now I know why you’ve denied all of the blind dates I’ve wanted to set you up with! Turns out, you already have a girlfriend!”

“Len, just shut up for one second. Please.”

I rubbed the temples of my forehead to gather myself. Where should I begin? For her own privacy, I can’t tell Len about Althea’s past experiences with Paul, but I could warn him, right?

“Listen,” I lowered my voice to a commanding tone. “Let’s get one thing straight first. Althea and I aren’t dating.”

“Huh? There’s no way you’re fooling me, Desir! That girl was in your apartment this entire time!”

“There’s a reason for that! Just calm down and listen to me… Last Christmas, Althea fainted on my doorstep due to malnutrition. I brought her to the hospital and found out that there’s no one to take care of Althea. Feeling bad for her, I started cooking her meals.”

“Woah, so she’s already a commuting wife?”

“No, you idiot...” I deeply sighed.

Why the hell is this guy hell-bent on getting me a wife? Is it because he’s going to be married soon?

“Look, I can’t tell you too much, but Althea is extremely uncomfortable with men.”

“But she was in your apartment after dark!”

“That’s… There are various reasons for that...”

I wasn’t lying. For one, there really was a lack of cooking utensils at her home. If she wanted to prepare a meal, it made sense to make it in my kitchen. Additionally, Althea had a bad internet connection at her home. If she wanted to stream dramas to watch, it was still best to come over to my place.

“Anyway, Althea isn’t comfortable with guys and the way that you’ve questioned her might have worsened her androphobia!”

“Ah… I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.”

Finally understanding how serious the issue was, Len dropped his head in shame. However, just when I’d thought that he’d turned over a new leaf, the man turned his back towards me and said: “Okay, let’s go back in! I’ll be careful with my questions this time!”

“No, you’re not going anywhere!”

I pulled the man by the collar and froze him in place. Letting Len back into the apartment with Althea? That was akin to throwing a lion into a rabbit cage.

“Why?! Shouldn’t I be entitled to learn more about my best friend’s future girlfriend?!”

“She’s not my future girlfriend!”

“Really? You don’t even have an ounce of feelings for her?!”

“Of course not! Althea is just a friend, and to her, I’m probably just a caretaker. I’m looking after her just like how one would take care of an abandoned puppy! There’s nothing more than that!”

“That’s hard to believe...”

Why is that hard to believe?! I’ve been taking care of you for sixteen years! I’m definitely an expert caretaker!

“Besides, you know my stance on relationships! I’m never getting a girlfriend! Period!”

“...”

Affected by my shout, Len was stunned, speechless. He looked straight into my eyes, and the mask he’d been wearing began to crack. I could see the traces of regret in his eyes. No, there wasn’t just regret there.

There was sympathy.

And a sadness that I’ve seen many times before.

“Desir… You really haven’t let go of the past...”

Some words were left unspoken.

And so… I remained silent.

“Desir… Do you think that she’ll be happy with how you’re living your life?”

“There’s nothing to let go off, Len. I’m already living the happiest version of my life. Just because a relationship might have worked for you doesn’t mean that it’ll work for everyone.”

“Desir...”

Time stood still.

The two of us stared each other down as if we were locked in a mental war. No, we were stuck in a mental war. After over a decade of knowing each other, we could easily communicate using expressions rather than words.

And…

It didn’t take long for cracks to form in Len’s armour.

Len’s face began to turn green, and his expressions turned softer. His clear blue eyes began to sparkle like the luminous night sky as his perfect cheekbones began to drop.

“Desir, I...”

“There’s no need to apologise. I’m happy for you. I truly am...” I reached out and tapped Len’s shoulder.

“I’m glad that you’re thinking about my well-being, but I’m fine with my current life. I really am.”

“...”

Len stared silently at me. His mouth would open ever so often, but no words escaped his throat. In the end, the blonde Adonis was unable to take the atmosphere, and he caved in.

“... I should go,” Len said after a brief silence.

“Yeah...”

I watched the man walk down the corridor as he disappeared into the lift lobby. The forlorn back that I’ve seen many times before… The pained expression that I swore to never see again…

It all came back to me now...

Hah… What a sour note to end the day.