After our disaster of a first date, Althea and I decided to stay home the following day. Well, it wasn’t so much of a date; instead, it was more of a walking simulator.

 

No matter how good your cardio was, it was natural for us to get tired. Althea’s feet became red with blisters while her legs were so sore that she couldn't hold herself up. Even I felt weakened by the constant walking and opted to skip working out my lower body for the day.

 

So our second day as a boyfriend and girlfriend began with a simple house date.

 

And speaking of a house date…

 

What do couples actually do?

 

It was a question that puzzled me. Althea came over to my house like any other day. We sat around the house, prepared lunch together, and even watched television on the couch. Was this how couples behaved at home?

 

I didn’t know.

 

The same could be said about Althea. Both of us were amateurs when it came to relationships. I hadn’t dated in my entire life, while Althea only went on platonic dates with young boys that wanted to get in her pants.

 

So when it boils down to it… Neither of us knew how to proceed in a relationship.

 

Well, I shouldn’t be complaining. I’d only agreed to our month-long experiment because I wanted to show Althea how ludicrous relationships really were. If we were bored after the second day together, it would only prove my point.

 

Alas, Althea wasn’t one to go down without a fight. After we’d finished our dinner, Althea began her slow assault.

 

“Desir, what’s the furthest you’ve gone with a girl?”

 

“... What do you mean?”

 

“T-That… E-Ermm...” Althea moved her dainty eyes away, clearly unsure of how she was to proceed. “Y-You know… Have you had any intimate relations with girls?”

 

“...”

 

Who is this imposter? Where did the pure and innocent Althea I’d always known gone to?

 

And to prove my point, rather than swallowing her words in embarrassment, Althea doubled down on her line of questioning: “I-I’m your girlfriend now! So I’m entitled to know everything about your past! All the girls you’ve been with a-and… Whether you had any nightly activities with them!”

 

“... Are you sure you want to know that?”

 

“W-What?! So there are girls that you’ve done that with? Who are they?! What did you do with them?! Tell me all the details! W-Wait… Don’t make it graphic… J-Just tell me in terms of baseball bases… N-No, I changed my mind! T-Tell me everything! I will accept any kinks-...”

 

“Calm down, Althea!”

 

Before her thoughts got derailed, I brought her back on track.

 

“I was just joking. I’d never done anything with a girl.”

 

“T-That’s a relief...” Althea held her chest and smiled in satisfaction. However, that happiness only lasted one second as an impure thought brushed through her brain.

 

“W-Wait… You said that you’ve never done anything with a girl...”

 

“Hmmm? That’s right.”

 

“T-Then… What about guys?”

 

“...”

 

I was at a loss for words. Why do her thoughts swing that way?

 

“Althea, I’m straight. I don’t like guys.”

 

“B-But...”

 

“No buts! I’m as straight as an arrow, alright?”

 

“No, the thing is...” Althea hesitated and squirmed about on the couch. “Grace told me that boys needed to unleash their lust, so most of them are perverts… Many of them would express themselves sexually to release their pent up lust. If they don’t have a partner, they will seek comfort in the hands of an escort...”

 

Ah, so that’s where she’d got her misunderstanding. Well, it made sense. Althea had been sheltered all of her life and barely interacted with boys her age until university. And when she’d entered that dreaded place, most of the guys that approached her were immature brats that thought with the lower half of their bodies.

 

“While that’s true for a few hormonal teenage boys, most guys aren’t as perverted as you think.”

 

“... I-Is that so?”

 

“Yeah,” I explained to her calmly. “While us men will have the occasional perverted thought, we can normally suppress it so that we do not act on them.”

 

“I-I see...”

 

Althea’s ears perked up: “So, Desir! Do you have perverted thoughts as well?”

 

“M-Me?” I stuttered with my reply.

 

Should I be honest? No, I can’t lie at all. Even if I denied that I had perverted thoughts, Althea would never believe it. After all, it was just simple biology. If you had reproductive organs, your body would tend to have reproductive thoughts. Even I wasn’t an exception to that rule.

 

“Of course I do. I’m a healthy man, after all.”

 

“R-Really?!”

 

Althea exclaimed loudly, excitedly even. Her eyes were reminiscent of that of a chemist that had inadvertently discovered a new molecule.

 

“W-What do you think about?!”

 

“I think about… Wait, why should I tell you my delusions?”

 

That was close. I’d almost got pulled into her pace and was a hair’s breadth away from spilling all of my deepest fetishes.

 

“Why not?! We’re a couple now, and boyfriends should be willing to share their hearts with their girlfriends!”

 

“Most people don’t!” I retorted heavily. “Besides, would you be willing to share all of your perverted thoughts with me?!”

 

“T-That...”

 

“See? It’s embarrassing, right?”

 

Althea paused and looked away. I knew it; this kind of talk was too soon for an innocent girl like her. Now that her guard was down, it’s time to change the topic to something a little more PG. Hmmm, maybe I can ask about her recent school projects or what she wants to eat for dinner…

 

“... you.”

 

“What was that?”

 

Althea said something in a demure voice, so I wasn’t able to catch her words.

 

“I… You!”

 

“Me? What about me?”

 

“Y-You asked me what kind of perverted thoughts I had, right?” Althea declared resolutely. “All of the perverted thoughts that I have were all about you!”

 

“H-Huh?”

 

“Every day before I sleep, I look at photos of you! I would imagine that we would cuddle all day, go on dates and do everything that couples do! E-Even the things that couples do… at night! I have those kinds of thoughts. Sometimes, I would even take the plush toy that you’d given me to...”

 

“Wait, wait, wait… WAIT!!!”

 

I stopped Althea before she could divulge too much information. However, she had already said enough. Photos of me? When did she take them? That plush toy we’d won at the arcade? To think that she’s using that…

 

Urgh, where did my prim and proper Althea disappear to?

 

“Althea… You do know that we’re only a couple for a month, right? Why are you telling me all these?!”

 

Once the month was over, Althea and I would return to simple neighbours that relied on each other during the pandemic. No one in their right mind would divulge their deepest secrets to someone that would leave them after a month.

 

Alas, Althea didn’t share the same sentiments as I did.

 

“No… It’s you that do not understand, Desir!” The girl sternly roared. “You are the one who’s not taking this seriously!”

 

“W-What do you mean?”

 

“Our agreement was for you to wholeheartedly try to be my boyfriend. For that to work, you’re supposed to open up your heart to me! I bet that you’re thinking that as long as you’ve passed this month, everything will return back to normal!”

 

T-This girl… She’s sharp!

 

“I-Isn’t that our agreement?”

 

“No, our agreement was for you to be my boyfriend for a month! So, you have to do boyfriend things! To surrender yourself to love! B-But, if you’re not serious about this, maybe we should terminate our contract!”

 

… She’s right.

 

I’ve been thinking about myself and not her.

 

Althea had mustered up the courage to confess to me and was even selfless enough to agree to an absurd arrangement just to keep me close. All this while, I’d been hoping to outlast her emotions and to change her outlook about romances. And in the process…

 

I wasn’t going to honour my word to her.

 

I wouldn’t behave like a boyfriend should. I wasn’t planning to bring her out on dates unless she forced me to. I wasn’t planning to open up my heart to her like lovers should do and… I most definitely wasn’t going to love her like a boyfriend would.

 

In the end, I was only thinking about myself and wasn’t prepared to face Althea’s feelings head-on.

 

Goodness, was I always such a coward?

 

I laughed bitterly. Sheesh, when it comes to emotions, Althea was more of an adult than I could ever dream of being.

 

“D-Desir?”

 

“You’re right, Althea. If I’m going to be your boyfriend for a month, I better do it right.”

 

“H-Huh?”

 

“You wanted to know what my perverted thoughts were? I like girls who wear skimpy exercise clothes and sexy lingerie. If I feel the need to release my lust, I browse the internet for R-rated websites and masturbate to them.”

 

“... I didn’t think that you would actually admit to that.”

 

“Why? Isn’t that what you wanted to hear?”

 

I teased the blushing girl. Apparently, my after-dark activities got her blood pumping. However, Althea didn’t admit defeat that easily.

 

“I-Is there anything else?”

 

“Anything else? What more do you want to know?”

 

“H-Have you ever… Ever had those thoughts about me?”

 

This… How should I answer that? If I said yes, wouldn’t it be sexual harassment? Would I be sued by the gender equality commission?

 

“Must I be honest?”

 

“Y-You are my boyfriend now! Of course you should!”

 

“I-I see...” I hesitated for a moment before finally admitting with a sigh: “O-On occasion.”

 

“R-Really? W-When?”

 

“Remember that time you wore that sports bra and yoga shorts?”

 

“T-Then?”

 

“Y-Yeah… That outfit was… A little too stimulating...”

 

I could feel the heat rush up my cheeks as I said those bold words. Unable to look at her in the eyes, I turned around and placed one palm over my blushing face.

 

“I-I see...” Likewise, Althea was unable to look at me. To break the steamy hot atmosphere, the girl abruptly turned around and headed towards the door. “It’s getting late! I should return to my apartment!”

 

“Y-yeah! Do that!”

 

Good… I don’t think I could stay with Althea another minute after admitting my latent sexual feelings towards her. However, before Althea could leave for her apartment...

 

“E-Ermmm, Desir?”

 

“Y-Yes?”

 

“Is it possible to begin our exercise session a little earlier tomorrow?”

 

“H-Huh?”

 

“T-Then it’s settled! I’ll come thirty minutes early! Do look forward to it!”

 

Saying that Althea bolted out of the door and left me alone in silence. Wait, why would I look forward to tomorrow’s exercise session? No way, is she trying to…

 

Nah, I’m probably overthinking it…

 

Right?