I wasn't expecting that at all.
His cheeks were slightly flushed, he looked confused yet somehow happy. He didn't even realize he was showing it. That sudden shift in his expression pulled me in too. When he noticed I was blushing, I quickly changed the subject to escape.
"So… um, where am I going to sleep?"
"You can sleep in my room. I'll take the couch," he said.
I paused, then gave him a small smile.
"Thank you, but you don't need to act like such a gentleman. I'll sleep perfectly fine on the couch, but with that huge frame of yours, you'll suffer. And besides, isn't it me who's the guest here?"
He had no choice but to accept.
That night, my mind drifted. He really reminded me of someone… Leonardo.
Leon or Leonardo… I must've been losing it. He was already married anyway—happy, unlike me.
Feeling love again, only to compare him to the man who made me feel the most inadequate in my entire life…
Those days when I constantly compared myself to that girl and felt worthless…
After such an exhausting day, I surrendered to my fatigue.
My eyes slowly, heavily drifted shut…
The next morning, I woke up slowly. I reached for my phone to check the time—11 a.m. Already. I turned to get up and thump—that's when I remembered I wasn't in the dorm. I was in Leon's home.
"Something wrong, Valeria?"
"No, no, I'm fine. I just… missed my princess bed a little," I said with a laugh.
"Then, princess, would you honor me by joining me for breakfast?"
"You could've woken me up earlier."
"It's fine. I'll take care of my guest today."
I thanked him sincerely. After breakfast, we cleaned up together.
"I'll head out soon. To look for apartments. Do you have any plans?" he asked.
"Apartment hunting? Why?"
"Because I can't live here forever, that's why."
"Well… then I can drive you there if you want."
"Thank you. We can leave in a bit."
We went to the part of the city with the real estate offices. I had thought about returning to the dorms, but it didn't feel safe anymore.
"Leon, I can get off here. For when I return… just in case, could you send me your location?"
"No need. I'll come pick you up."
"Absolutely not. You already dropped me off—if you also come pick me up, I'll feel even worse."
"It's fine. Call me if it takes too long."
I was surprised by how thoughtful he could be. All I could do was thank him.
After visiting a few places, I came across one apartment I really liked. But someone else was checking it at the same time as me. A tall, slim, blond guy—looked about my age. When our eyes met, he gave me a warm smile.
The apartment was beautiful—checked every box I had. I turned to my agent.
"I'M TAK-ING IT!"
"I'm taking it!"
"W-what?!"
We had both decided at the same moment. The agents looked stunned. The place was spacious but cheap because it was a bit old. And… maybe Leon would move nearby too. As I drifted off into fantasies, a hand reached out.
"I'm Sunny. If you want, we could share the place."
"What? How!?"
My eyes went wide as I stared into his blue eyes. "This… doesn't make sense," I said.
He smiled lightly. "If you want, we could live together here. Rent would be half for both of us. Just think about it."
Sunny even gave me his number. Was this really possible? We talked a little; he didn't seem like a bad guy, but trust wasn't something I could give easily. The place was big enough, and the agents said it was doable. But living with a man…
The thought scrambled my brain.
It had gotten dark without me noticing. I called Leon immediately.
"Can you come get me? I didn't realize it was already dark."
When Leon arrived, I knew I had to talk about it.
"I liked an apartment. I'm thinking of renting it today."
"What's it like?"
"Pretty big, a little old, but the location is great and it fits my budget."
"That's great. I'm happy for you."
"But…"
"But?"
"A guy also wanted to rent it."
"He might give up, but that's unfortunate…"
"No, no. He offered to move in together."
"What! Valeria, absolutely not!"
"I know, I know… but he didn't seem like a bad guy," I said, shrugging. "And the place is huge, all the doors have locks. Splitting the rent would be a big advantage."
Leon's face tightened instantly.
"Valeria, you can't trust a random man just because he seems nice! Have you lost your mind?"
I knew it wasn't completely logical, but why was he yelling at me?
"I said I was only thinking! And also…" I stopped, locking my eyes with his.
"You're a random man too. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted you either."