.....even if it meant complicating whatever was forming between them.

.....even if it meant complicating whatever was forming between them.


Carissa’s defenses fell apart completely. She was now curled up comfortably in Leon’s warm embrace, lying on the same bed as him. This was not the first time they had shared a bed, but tonight felt different in a way she could not explain. It was not because of necessity or an emergency. This time, they had chosen to be here together with full awareness of what that meant.

Carissa spoke in a soft voice. “Sir…”

Leon answered with his eyes still mostly closed. “Hm?”

Carissa hesitated for a brief moment before asking, “Have you ever had sex?”

Leon’s eyes opened wide at once, and he turned his gaze toward her with clear surprise. He had not expected a question like that from the girl lying beside him.

He let out a slow breath, then looked up at the ceiling before answering. “To be more exact, I have made love before.”

Carissa did not react with shock. She accepted his answer as something she had already considered. In her mind, Leon was a grown man who had likely been with several women in the past. In today’s world, that kind of experience was not unusual. Many people in relationships even shared hotel rooms and spent the night together early on.

She did not need to look far for examples. Right now, she was lying in the same bed as Leon without any official relationship, simply because the air conditioner in her room was not working. And Leon was the kind of man who understood how to take advantage of a situation when it appeared.

Carissa lifted her head and looked at him with innocent eyes. “Is there a difference between sex and making love, sir?”

Leon gave a small laugh. He found it difficult to explain something like that to Carissa, even though she was old enough to understand.

“Yes, there is a difference, Car. Making love happens when there is love involved. Sex is usually only about physical desire,” he explained.

Carissa nodded slowly. “So you have made love with someone you cared about?”

She asked it lightly, but there was a quiet feeling behind her words. She tried to keep her expression normal.

“Hmm,” Leon replied.

A woman from his past came to mind. Someone who had once held a special place in his heart.

Leon was not the type of man who casually slept with strangers he met at clubs. He had been with women before, but he was selective. He did not repeat the same kind of closeness with the same woman more than once, except for one person. There had been one woman he had been with more than once because she had meant something more to him at the time. But that was in the past, and things were no longer the same.

“Who was it, sir?” Carissa asked. She knew the question was bold, but Leon himself often asked about her private matters. After a short pause without an answer, she added, “You do not have to answer if you do not want to.”

“My ex,” Leon replied.

Carissa fell silent. She had not expected him to answer so directly, but she felt a small sense of relief that the name he mentioned was not one that would trouble her further.

The conversation ended there. Carissa closed her eyes and moved closer to Leon, wrapping her arm around his waist so that their bodies rested against each other without any space in between.

In Leon’s arms, Carissa felt safe. She no longer worried about anyone entering her room without permission. At that moment, Leon was right there beside her, holding her close without needing to be asked.

“Sir,” Carissa said softly.

“Hmm?” Leon replied.

“Your body is warm, sir,” she added.

Leon let out a quiet laugh. “It was made that way so it can keep you warm, Car.”



Saturday night arrived.

For the first time, Carissa showed excitement for a night that many young people usually looked forward to. Leon noticed it right away when, in the late afternoon, she began sorting through her clothes and pulling nearly everything out of her wardrobe.

“Car, you are still in the flat, so why are you struggling so much to choose an outfit? The only person who will see you is me,” Leon said. He was used to Carissa’s routine by now. Saturday nights were usually no different from any other night for her. No one ever came to pick her up, except Alvero.

Carissa clicked her tongue in annoyance at his words. “Who told you I am staying in the flat? I am going out to hang out with Alvero tonight.”

Leon paused in his movement and turned back toward her. He watched as she stood in front of the mirror, trying on a pastel-colored dress against her body.

“Hang out?” Leon repeated, his tone showing clear disapproval. “Do not follow things that are not good for you, Car. It is better if you stay here.”

His words made Carissa shoot him a sharp look. “That is my decision,” she replied firmly.

Leon let out a small sound of frustration, his expression growing more serious. “You never listen when I give you advice.”

“Why are you trying to control me anyway? Miss Angelina supports me. You were the one who told me not to stay stuck in the past,” Carissa said as she turned back to the mirror. “From now on, I want to open up more. I want to have more friends, and I want to have a partner.”

“Car!” Leon raised his voice without meaning to. His emotions rose as soon as he heard her last words.

Carissa went quiet, then looked at his face, noticing how serious and tense he looked.

“I do not like the idea of you having a boyfriend,” Leon said, his tone turning formal again. His eyes focused directly on hers, filled with clear disapproval.

Carissa swallowed, feeling small under his intense gaze. Still, she gathered her courage and tried to act normal.

“If you do not want me to have a boyfriend, then you should be the one who dates me,” she blurted out.

The moment those words left her mouth, Carissa immediately regretted them. She had no idea what pushed her to say something like that.

Silence filled the room. Leon said nothing. He kept looking at her without breaking eye contact, as if processing what she had just said.

After a few seconds with no response, he finally turned away and walked out of the room without saying a word.

Carissa stood there, stunned. Her pride felt hurt. She could not understand why he left without answering her question. In her mind, it felt like a quiet rejection.

Her hands clenched into fists, and her jaw tightened with frustration. Inside, she began to feel anger building.

She decided then and there that she would find a boyfriend. She wanted to see how Leon would react when he saw her with someone else. If he disliked the idea, then she would make sure he felt even more irritated. She wanted to push his emotions and see how far he could take it, even if it meant complicating whatever was forming between them.