—Knock! Knock! Knock!—
The days of Jess and Jeff living together under the same roof began with a series of gentle knocks as she called him down for breakfast.
"Wake up already, you idiot—Eh?"
Jeff hurriedly opened the door to his room to answer her call—but not to comply and come down for breakfast. Instead, he grabbed Jess by the hand, pulled her inside, and promptly locked the door.
"Don't do lewd things this early in the morning, perv!"
"I'm not doing anything lewd though, Jess."
In Jeff's defense, he wasn't exactly doing anything lewd—not even anything that could be considered naughty.
Although his left arm wrapped around her waist and his right arm around her back, grabbing her shoulder to pull her closer, pressing their bodies close enough to feel each other's warmth—what he was doing was just a simple hug.
At least, that's how it was from Jeff's perspective.
But for Jess, that wasn't everything. After all—
"Then why can I feel your erect rod pressed against my stomach?"
"I told you, didn't I? This is just my natural erect—I mean, reaction to you."
Hearing Jeff's response to her question, Jess couldn't decide whether to feel delighted—since she was the one making Jeff aroused—or mad, because Jeff was clearly planning to do that so early in the morning.
However, despite her mind not knowing how to respond, her body knew what it was craving.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Jess was about to turn Jeff's morning embrace into something more intimate as she pulled him down for a kiss.
But before their lips could meet—
—Knock! Knock!—
Another series of knocks came from behind the door.
"Mother said to eat breakfast first before you two get into it!"
Hearing Jeff's younger brother calling out with a message from their mom, both Jeff and Jess realized a fatal flaw in the arrangement of Jess and her mother living in Jeff's family home:
They'd rarely have time alone for intimacy.
Yes, they had done it and crossed the line together, but doing it while knowing that both their families could be listening right outside the door—that was something neither of them was willing, nor probably ever going, to do.
Putting a pin in their intimacy, Jeff and Jess went down for the family breakfast. And at the dining table, everyone couldn't help but stare at the two, flashing mischievous, teasing grins.
Aside from Jess's mother, who had already heard Jess's confession under interrogation, Jeff's mother, father, and younger brother also now knew that the two had already done it.
Why? All thanks to the bite marks Jess had left all over Jeff's neck—clearly visible above the collar of his shirt.
Noticing where everyone was looking, Jess couldn't help but feel embarrassed, her face blushing red all the way to her ears.
Jeff, on the other hand, grinned proudly, showing off the bite marks on his neck like they were badges or medals of honor.
Setting aside Jeff's idiotic expression—as Jess would call it—the bite marks weren't the only thing that had everyone's attention.
There was also the engagement ring Jess bashfully wore on her ring finger.
Despite her flustered embarrassment, Jess didn't take off the engagement ring unless necessary. She wore it proudly for all to see.
Still, one look at the white platinum diamond ring was enough for anyone to tell just how expensive and luxurious it was.
Concerned that Jeff might have spent his entire savings from four years of work on it, his mother decided to question him in front of everyone. Though she didn't need to voice it—Jeff could already understand what her threatening glare meant.
"Nubia-senpai helped me buy it," Jeff said, offering no further explanation. But his mother and everyone else immediately understood.
"Why didn't Nubia attend your birthday?"
"She said she had to attend a meeting at her father's place."
The only ones who didn't understand were Jess and her mother. Or more likely, just Jess.
"You mean that Nubia, Jeff?" Jess's mom asked, surprised that Jeff was acquainted with the person she was thinking of.
"She was my senior in high school."
Hearing that, Jess couldn't help but feel secretly jealous.
Or maybe not so secretly.
Because she quickly finished her bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, offered her thanks for the meal, and dragged Jeff back to the guest room—even though he was only halfway through his breakfast.
"So who is that Nubia-senpai, Jeff?" Jess asked, her voice dripping with jealousy and her eyes full of possessiveness as she straddled Jeff, grabbing the collar of his shirt.
And Jeff understood something dangerous would happen if he didn't explain things properly.
"She was my senior in high school, Jess."
"What I'm asking is: what's her connection to the engagement ring?"
With his usual gentle embrace and soft, deep voice, Jeff explained everything to Jess.
How he had planned to buy an engagement ring for her by asking Nubia for help—only to later find out that the ring she bought was different from what he'd asked for, and much more expensive.
"And why would she do that?"
Though the dangerous aura around Jess had faded after his explanation, her tone still carried a sense of possessiveness.
"Because she wanted me to propose properly to you, Jess."
That caught Jess off guard. Knowing the person she had been jealous of was actually supporting their relationship made her feel conflicted.
Still, she couldn't help but feel jealous—especially at the thought that Nubia had spent time with Jeff when he had been avoiding her.
"Then what is she to you, Jeff?" Jess muttered, burying her face in his chest.
"Well... she was my—" Jeff paused, sensing Jess's dangerous aura returning. Then he changed his words slightly, without lying:
"—She was our beloved Nubia-senpai."
The matter of Nubia had been settled—for now.
However, that wasn't the end of it for Jeff.
"Actually... Nubia-senpai didn't give the ring for free," Jeff said, as Jess slowly pulled away from him.
What he said immediately caused a huge misunderstanding.
"You mean she asked for something in return?" Jess asked, her aura turning murderous with jealousy and possessiveness.
"Yes…"
"What did she ask for?... Your body—?"
"It's you, Jess."
"—Eh?... Me?"
"Right. Nubia-senpai wanted you in exchange for the engagement ring."