Ash Leclair wasn’t expecting his life to change when he moved into his best friend’s apartment. It was meant to be temporary, just a quiet few weeks while his place was being renovated. But what he didn’t count on was Celeste Noelle Rivera, the best friend’s little sister, now older, bolder, and breathtaking in ways he wasn’t prepared for.

She walks around the apartment like she owns it, teasing with a smile, speaking with confidence, dressed in clothes that shouldn’t look as dangerous as they do. Ash, ever the polite one, keeps his distance. He’s soft-spoken, reserved, careful with everything he does, especially when it comes to women like her.

But Celeste has always known how to push boundaries, and she’s not afraid of chasing what she wants. And what she wants, more than anything, is him.

At first, it’s playful—flirting, subtle touches, stolen glances across the room. Ash tries to ignore it. He tells himself it’s harmless, that it doesn’t mean anything. But deep down, her presence is starting to unearth something in him he’s buried for years: desire, longing, curiosity, the need to be seen and touched and wanted.

As the days pass, the air between them grows heavier. Their conversations stretch longer. Their silence deepens. One moment, they’re sharing coffee in the kitchen. The next, he’s memorizing the shape of her mouth as she smiles. And soon, she’s kissing him like she’s always known how he’d taste, and he’s kissing her back like he’s afraid to stop.

Ash isn’t the type to chase. He doesn’t take risks. He doesn’t fall easily. But with Celeste, he doesn’t stand a chance. Because the more she touches him, the more he needs her. And the more he resists, the more he aches.

She pulls him into her world with every teasing word and every lingering look. And slowly, he begins to surrender, not just to her body, but to her presence, her boldness, the way she makes him feel seen for the first time in years.

This isn’t just about lust. It’s about emotional seduction, about a quiet man being undone by a woman who never once asked him to change, only to let go. And when he finally gives in, when he lets her see all of him, he discovers that maybe corruption was just another word for being chosen.

And once she has him, Celeste has no intention of letting him go.

All the teasing, kissing, unholy amounts of sex, friendship chaos, and emotional damage finally wrapped up into one story.


First of all, thank you for reading until the very end.


You could've been doing productive things. But instead, you chose to emotionally invest in a man who hoards condoms like Pokémon cards and a girl who thinks birth control is a suggestion.


To Ash, Celeste, and the rest of the chaotic crew, thank you for living rent-free in my head and refusing to shut up. Especially at 3 a.m. when I was trying to sleep. Lol.


To my readers, I hope you laughed, blushed, sighed and seriously questioned your birth control drawer location.


And I really hope none of you actually put condoms next to the rice cooker. If you did, please… reconsider.


This story is for the messy lovers, the soft overthinkers, the friends-to-lovers shippers, and anyone who still believes in late-night conversations and love that doesn't always make sense but still feels like home.


Now go drink some water, text someone you miss, and if someone sends you a random baby photo, prepare yourself. Emotionally.


Chapter 79 - Author’s Note