Liam told Lydia that she could come to the house later and leave her belongings there for now.
They set off together toward the club. Since Liam's income from the club was low and Lydia had just started her job, neither of them owned a car. Because of that, they planned to take public transportation nearby.
When they reached the bus stop, the crowd was noticeable. They got in line and waited for the bus to arrive. There were children with school bags, adults in suits preparing for work, and elderly people. After a while, the bus arrived. The inside was at least as crowded as the stop itself. There was barely any room to move.
To make Lydia more comfortable, Liam used his arm to create a small space for her. Noticing this, the woman gave him a warm smile as if to thank him. As the bus swayed while moving, Lydia was unintentionally pressed closer to Liam, creating physical contact between them. Wanting to take advantage of the situation, Liam placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to himself. From the outside, their posture made them look like a couple.
Annoyed by how close they were, Lydia leaned toward Liam's ear and whispered,
"Why did you hold my waist? Aren't we already way too close right now?"
Without changing his poker face, Liam replied,
"We'll have to maintain this kind of contact anyway while controlling your body. Besides, there's no one we know nearby. I thought you'd be more comfortable if I held you like this."
Lydia's heart began to race. She was feeling emotions she had never experienced before.
"Thank you… I guess I'll be troubling you for a while," she said, placing her small, delicate hands around Liam's waist.
As the bus continued on its route, the tension between them grew stronger. Holding the woman so closely caused movement in Liam's lower body. Even though he tried to restrain himself, a slight erection formed, pressing against Lydia's legs.
Feeling something against her thighs, Lydia looked down and noticed the bulge in Liam's pants. Normally, she would have reacted angrily, but because of Liam's gentle behavior, she didn't. Internally, she thought,
"So my body affects him,"
and smiled faintly.
Seeing her smile, Liam felt a sense of accomplishment. When he opened her status window, he saw that the intimacy level had risen to 32.
After getting off public transportation, Liam looked around. Lydia, not understanding why he was looking, had just started walking toward the club when Liam grabbed her arm and stopped her. The unexpected movement caused her to freeze briefly in surprise.
"Why did you stop me? Aren't we going to the club?" she asked.
Liam spoke calmly,
"If we go together, it might be misunderstood at the club. You go first. I'll come a bit later."
Lydia nodded in agreement. At this hour of the morning, being seen together could indeed lead to misunderstandings.
"What if they think we're dating…"
The thought crossed her mind, making her squeal internally and grin without realizing it.
Noticing this, Liam asked,
"Did something happen? You look very happy."
Lydia immediately put on a serious expression.
"No, nothing. Then I'll go ahead first. You come later," she said, and walked toward the club.
Liam waited for a while under the newly risen sun, squinting his eyes. The sounds of passing cars and people echoed in his ears. During this time, he observed the status windows of the people around him. Most showed a value of 0. Due to his physique, some women displayed values between 0 and 10.
While observing his surroundings, a notification sound came from his phone. A new message had appeared in his high school class group chat, which had been inactive for a long time. The sender was Lucas. Back in high school, Lucas had been known for his sociability and friendliness. Although his overly social nature didn't quite suit Liam, they still shared a past acquaintance.
He opened the message:
[Hey everyone. It's been a long time since we all got together. If you're free, let's meet somewhere tomorrow evening. It'll be fun and we can reminisce about the old days.]
Positive replies started coming in quickly.
[That sounds great, I'm in.]
[Works for me too.]
…
Once the majority agreed, Liam also confirmed. They would meet the next day at 7 p.m. at a Chinese restaurant not far from his home.
Liam's thoughts drifted back to his high school days. Back then, he played football for an amateur club and was also on the school team. Because he focused so much on football, he didn't spend much time with friends. In high school, he had a short relationship with a girl from another class. She eventually broke up with him, saying he didn't give her enough time. That breakup left a deep emptiness in him at a young age. Even in later relationships, that memory never fully left him.
Shaking off those thoughts, Liam decided he had waited long enough and headed toward the club.
After entering the club, he went to the locker room and changed into his training gear. Today, there was a team training session. Once on the field, he joined Andrew and Max, the two teammates he spent the most time with. Like him, they were usually substitutes. Before training began, they chatted briefly about matches and football.
Suddenly, a grin spread across Max's face. It was obvious he wanted to tell something. Liam and Andrew noticed and asked what was going on.
"Hahaha! The other day, I went on a group date with some friends from the neighborhood. I talked with the girl I matched with, and we got closer. Then I invited her on a one-on-one date. There's definitely a spark between us," Max said.
Liam and Andrew shot him mockingly jealous looks. Thanks to their closeness, they could joke freely with one another.
Laughing, Liam asked,
"So how far did it go? Any physical contact?"
Grinning, Max replied,
"After dinner, we went for a walk. We kissed once. I'm planning to get even closer soon."
In a joking tone, Liam said,
"Don't forget to carry a condom. And make sure you seal the deal at the right moment."
At that moment, he noticed Lydia looking at him from across the field. When she realized their eyes had met, she turned her head away. That behavior made Liam completely forget the coldness he had once associated with her. Beneath her strict exterior, he could now clearly see how sweet her personality actually was.
Training began. Today's session focused on tactics and analysis. Playing as a defensive midfielder, Liam concentrated fully and gave it his all. After two hours of training, the session ended with cooldown exercises.
After training, Coach Arthur gathered the team and analyzed their upcoming opponents. Lydia projected data from other teams onto the board using her tablet.
As the tactical discussion continued, the coach announced the squad for the next match. When Liam didn't hear his name, disappointment washed over him. Just as he was about to lose hope, the coach continued:
"If the selected players understand their roles, I'm considering bringing Kyle and Liam into the game in the second half depending on how the match goes."
Hearing those words, Liam's eyes widened in shock.