Our trip to Harrison Park ended without anything significant happening. After Sienna and Althea returned from their little toilet break, we continued our picnic in relative peace. Yes, there were the thirsty stares from young guys and odd looks from girls, but other than that, our flower-viewing session was quite the delight.

Once we’d finished our trip to the park, Sienna dragged us around the area, brought us to a nice dinner and then, we went our separate ways.

Honestly, I’d thought that Len and Sienna would bother us more than they already did.

Anyway, with our little picnic concluded, Althea and I reverted back to our daily lifestyles. Unlike the social butterflies that Len and Sienna were, we didn’t have hordes of appointments eyeing us down.

I was surprised to find that Althea didn’t have many outings either. There was one instance where she went out with some of her university mates, Grace included, but other than that, she mostly stayed at home—my home, to be exact.

Call me crazy, but there seemed to be a shift in how she behaved.

It was common for her to stay at my apartment due to our prior arrangements, so there wasn’t anything wrong with that. The problem was… she was spending way too much time over.

Usually, she would come in at around eight-thirty in the morning, between my daily workouts and my morning shower. Then, she would stay for the two meals that I’d cooked for her, which meant that she could stay until the evening. However, what really perturbed me was the fact that she stayed late into the night.

Sometimes, she would even stay after I showered and changed into my pyjamas.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Althea was spending every waking hour of hers with me. If I didn’t know that she had an apartment next door, I would have thought that she was a homeless person that needed a roof over her head.

And while it did get a little annoying at times… I can’t say I hated it.

See, while I have decided to swear off dating anyone, this pandemic made me realise that I wasn’t a heartless steel man. Just like anyone else, I craved human intimacy, even if it was just having someone in the room while I was working.

Althea wasn’t someone I’d known for years, and neither was she a treasured love one. But the girl was quickly becoming someone I trusted most.

I can’t explain why, but I would feel at peace whenever she was at my apartment. There were many times where she would help me just by listening to me rant. And I would do the same for her. Whether it was complaining about her friends’ constant boyfriend problems or the idiots that she had to work with for her group project, I would be a listening ear for her.

And if it was in my power, I would try to help her with her problems as much as I could.

Even if they were caused by me…

“DESIR!!! Big problem!!!”

One day, Althea barged into my apartment at seven in the morning, way earlier than she used to. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were dilated with a mixture of shock and fear. It was the first time I’d ever seen her that afraid. She wasn’t this frightened the first time she saw me. It felt like… Althea had just witnessed the end of the world.

“What happened?! Did Paul try to harass you again? Or did something happen to your parents?!”

“Worse!!!”

Worse?! What was possibly more alarming than any of the things I’d said?

“Desir… I’m… FIFTY-TWO KILOGRAMS!!!”

“Huh?”

“I’m… Fifty-two kilograms!!!” Althea wailed.

For a moment there, I’d thought I lost my hearing. Fifty-two kilograms? What was wrong with that?

“Fifty-two kilograms?”

“Fifty-two kilograms!!!”

“Fifty-two kilograms...”

“Fifty-two kilograms!!!”

Like a broken record, we kept repeating the exact three words over and over again.

“Forgive me for asking, but… What?”

“What do you mean, what?! I don’t know how I got this fat!!!”

“Is fifty-two kilograms fat?”

Althea looked at me as if I was a dumb animal that needed to be talked down to like a child: “Let me tell you this, Desir! I’ve never exceeded fifty kilograms in my life! No matter what I ate, I’ve always stagnated below fifty kilograms!”

“Okay...”

A body that never got fat? I’d thought those only existed in legends. Come to think of it, Althea has always been on the thin and slender side. While she lacked fat, she also lacked muscles. But if I’m not mistaken, it was normal for a girl of her height to be over fifty kilograms.

Besides, after giving her a cursory glance, I could tell that Althea wasn’t fat at all.

“I don’t know what happened! I’d never reached over fifty kilograms in my life! Even when...”

Althea paused from her sobs and looked up at my profile. Her eyes suddenly lit up as if she’d found the last fire of Olympus.

“Desir… I’m overweight because of you!”

“Me?”

“Yeah! I’d never had any weight issues… until I’d eaten your cooking! It’s your fault!”

“Ah… That makes sense.”

Rather than denying Althea’s accusations, I just plead guilty. When I met Althea, her diet was beyond horrendous. Her poor eating habits had even caused her to collapse, and I had to rush her to the hospital. And given how bad she was at cooking… I could only assume that Althea had never considered the nutritional value of her food.

When Althea was a teenager, she still had her family to look after her, plus she was in the midst of puberty, and her metabolic rate was naturally high. So, it made sense for her to always remain beneath fifty kilograms.

However, now that she’d met me and was placed on a better diet, Althea’s body was overcompensating, and it was slowly becoming more balanced.

It was a good thing, to be honest.

“You! How can you be so blase about this?!”

“There’s nothing to be shocked at.”

“Nothing?! I've gained over seven kilograms when I’d never gained weight in my life! How’s that not shocking?!”

“Well, for one, you’re looking much more healthy and womanly now.”

“W-Womanly?! H-How so?”

“Back when I first met you, you were bony and barely had any flesh on your body. Although it wasn’t as bad as an undernourished person, you seemed like you could break with just a flick of my fingers. Now, however...”

Now that she’d mentioned it, I started to carefully examine Althea’s current body state.

Just like she always did, Althea wore casual wear whenever she visited my apartment. And as the seasons became warmer, the clothes she wore similarly became bolder. She wore a thin, single-piece v-neck cotton pink shirt for her top, which significantly highlighted her curves. The same went for her bottom. Instead of holding back, Althea wore classic tight denim shorts, which allowed anyone to ogle at her long, slender legs.

Trying my best not to stare at her chest, I gave a conservative estimate of her bosom size. It was slightly above average, but not overly so that it would draw every man’s attention. However, her beautiful arms and gorgeous legs were a different story.

They were pure white as if they borrowed the winter snow to colour their pigments. A healthy layer of pinkish fat surrounded her four limbs as well, giving Althea the signature glow of vigour and womanhood.

And who could forget that adorable little face?

Before, Althea’s cheeks were hallowed in, and it barely had any fat. However, after recovering over the past few months, Althea’s cheeks had reverted back to their healthy state. In addition, she had a small layer of fat just beneath her jawline, making the girl much more captivating.

“Yeah, I prefer your current look,” I declared unapologetically. “Also, don’t call yourself overweight. In my opinion, you’re still underweight. Perhaps we should double your food intake. Should I make Salisbury Steak for you today?”

“R-Really?” Althea’s face beamed at the possibility of eating her favourite meal.

“Yeah, of course! Okay, it’s settled! Don’t worry about your weight and leave it all to me!”

“Okay!!!”

Althea giggled as she placed all of her faith in me. I’d thought that this would be the last time I would hear about this problem, but alas, the very next day…

“DESIR!!! I GAINED ANOTHER KILOGRAM!!!”

Goodness… Can’t I have one day to rest?