Chapter 3

Zoe asked, "Xandra, how much older are you compared to Leon?"

I thought for a moment and answered, "Seven years."

"That much?" She widened her eyes, feigning curiosity. "They say a three-year gap is a generational gap nowadays. Don't you two have a wide gap between you, then?"

"Not really," I replied calmly.

"Would his family even approve of someone your age?" Zoe laughed, covering her mouth. "I don't mean you're old or anything. Don't take it the wrong way."

I laughed inwardly. Her provocation didn't irk me at all. It just felt ridiculous.

I set down my cutlery and looked at her with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Yeah, I think our age gap is pretty big. But Leon likes me, so what can I do? It's actually kind of troubling."

Zoe's smile faltered. "I still think people should be with someone more or less their own age. It's fine now, but when he's 30 years old and at his peak, you'll be almost 40. If you go out together, people might think you're his mom."

"That's not something you need to worry about," I responded steadily.

Then, I placed a piece of meat onto her plate and smiled. "You should worry more about yourself. You don't have a job or a boyfriend. Are you planning to keep crashing at your cousin's place forever? But I guess if you have enough cousins, you could rotate between them."

Zoe's face darkened instantly.

Leon quickly tried to smooth things over by reaching out to take my plate. "Hey, Xandra. Want another plate of pasta?"

I set my cutlery down and said, "No, I'm full. You two enjoy."

…

I was a light sleeper. When Leon carefully got out of bed in the middle of the night, I woke up. I lay still in bed, listening as his footsteps quietly moved toward the door before heading out.

A few minutes later, faint sounds of running water came from the bathroom.

I sighed and sat up. I really did like Leon, and I wanted to keep things going with him a little longer. After all, every extra day enjoying a young man's body felt like a bonus to me.

But now that things had reached this point, I couldn't tolerate it anymore.

How he chose to fool around outside was his business. But bringing another woman home was a different story—he was disrupting my life. I didn't want to come home exhausted from work every day just to bicker meaninglessly with some other woman.

I wasn't a lovesick teenage girl anymore. I'd long passed the age when girls fought over a man.

I walked to the bathroom door. Through the narrow gap, I saw two overlapping silhouettes.

Zoe's breathing grew heavier. "Won't that old hag notice you came out? What if she gets mad and breaks up with you?"

Leon laughed in a carefree manner, his wet kisses drowned out by the sound of water. He said, "Relax. She won't leave me."

Zoe sounded a little unhappy. "What do you even like about her?"

"I like how good she is to me," Leon answered her as if he were stating something obvious. "She takes care of me like my mom. I feel comfortable when I'm with her."

"Then, why cheat? Aren't you afraid she'll feel hurt?" Zoe pressed.

"I've offered my youth, haven't I?" Leon replied.

I stood behind the door and listened expressionlessly.

Perhaps people tended to feel a little bit more emotional or sentimental at night. Even though I had already prepared myself mentally, I realized I wasn't as indifferent as I thought at that moment.

After all, I'd been with Leon for three years. There was bound to be some attachment. This was such a pity.

Leon grabbed her waist and bit her shoulder, laughing softly. "Come on. Let's not ruin the mood by talking about that. Stay a few more days. I think this makes it even more exciting…"

I didn't listen any further. I went back to my room and started packing.

I have my own place. I only moved in with Leon to take better care of him.

Over the past six months, I had already been gradually moving my more important things back home. What remained here wasn't important. I didn't need to take them with me.

I took one last look at the blue-and-white couple's pajamas hanging on the balcony, the pile of cartoon mugs on the table, and the two pairs of plush indoor slippers on the floor. One was large, and the other was smaller.

Quietly, I closed the door and left.