When they got off the bus, Lydia felt unusually warm. When she looked at Liam, that warmth only intensified. As they walked toward the house together, she felt genuinely happy and wanted the moment to last.
When they arrived, Liam opened the door, and Lydia sat down on the living room couch as if it were her own home. Seeing her sitting there, Liam found himself imagining what it would be like to live with her—coming home together every day, spending time holding a woman with such captivating legs and full hips.
Noticing that Lydia seemed a bit less tired, he asked,
"Would you like something to drink?"
"I'd like a plain coffee, actually. But you're tired too—let me make it," Lydia replied.
"I want one as well, so there's no need to worry. I'll do it," Liam said.
Despite Liam's refusal, Lydia walked toward the kitchen. With a proud expression, she said,
"Don't worry, I make really good coffee. Once you taste it, you'll want me to make it every day."
Laughing, Liam replied,
"If I like it that much, I might end up bothering you to make it for me every day."
The words every day lingered in Lydia's mind. She imagined living with Liam, making him coffee daily.
'Living with Liam would be really nice,' she thought.
The moment she realized what she was thinking, her face grew even redder.
'What—what—what am I even thinking? Why would living with Liam be nice?'
As she started making the coffee, she kept glancing at Liam in the living room. She knew his face and body were exactly her type. Yet despite meeting many men who fit her preferences, she had never felt anything like this before. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she had developed feelings for him.
After pouring the coffee into cups, she carried them to the table in the living room and then sat beside Liam on the couch. She was curious about his reaction, so she looked at him with a serious expression.
Noticing this, Liam said,
"Could you stop staring at me like that? You're making me nervous. If I say something bad about the coffee, it feels like something terrible will happen."
Lydia laughed lightly.
"If you do say something bad, I don't even know how I'd react."
Liam took a sip. Lydia's coffee was far better than his own. A clear expression of delight appeared on his face. Seeing this, Lydia said,
"Told you. My coffee always tastes great. People I know always want me to make it. But I rarely make it for others."
"Then I should thank you even more for letting me drink coffee made by your hands. It's one of the best coffees I've ever had. I didn't expect you to be this skilled. I honestly wish I could drink this every day."
Lydia pursed her lips.
"What do you mean you didn't expect me to be this skilled? I'll ignore that comment for the sake of the compliment."
She picked up her own cup, slipped off the slippers she had given Liam to wear, and settled comfortably on the couch. As she tasted the coffee, a smile formed on her face. She truly enjoyed it. Then she looked at Liam, moved closer, and leaned against him. When she did, she noticed the surprised look on his face.
"This is more comfortable. We were closer than this on the bus. Is it a problem if I lean on you like this?" she asked.
There was a hint of concern in her expression. Liam realized it was impossible not to be affected by her closeness.
"Of course it's not a problem. Lean as much as you like," he said, sliding his arm under her waist and pulling her a bit closer.
Lydia felt a surge of happiness at his gesture and continued drinking her coffee.
Seeing her happy expression, Liam checked the status window, curious about their intimacy level. It had risen to 35 after the bus, but he wasn't expecting much more. When he looked now, he couldn't believe his eyes—Lydia's intimacy level had risen to 38. He didn't fully understand why, but something had clearly changed in her feelings.
While making the coffee, Lydia had begun to accept—at least a little—the affection she felt toward Liam. She wanted to be closer to him, to keep these warm moments going.
After they finished their coffee, Liam took the cups to the kitchen and washed them. Lydia simply watched him, making no effort to hide it. Liam noticed.
When he returned, he joked,
"Do you really enjoy watching me that much? You haven't taken your eyes off me."
Without backing down, Lydia replied,
"Yes. I really like watching you at home."
Liam sat down on the couch.
"You know, that could be misunderstood. Those are things you should say to your boyfriend."
Lydia slightly puffed her lips and frowned.
"Well, since I don't have a boyfriend, I'll say them to you for now. You'll just have to deal with it. Hmph!"
Liam looked into her eyes for a few seconds, then said with a resigned expression,
"In that case, there's nothing I can do. Besides, your behavior doesn't bother me at all."
Lydia laughed.
"Then there's no problem. I'll keep going like this," she said, grabbing his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.
As she rested against him, her thoughts returned to her feelings. Every time she got closer to Liam, she could feel the affection filling her chest.
'Hugging Liam like this makes me feel so calm. I don't want this moment to end. I want to be even closer to him… I think I've started to like Liam. I see him as more than just a friend. Ah! I can't control myself.'
Liam noticed Lydia growing bolder. When he checked her status window, he saw her intimacy level had reached 41—she had crossed the affection threshold. At that moment, a system notification sounded:
[Because you have raised a woman's affection level to 40, you have earned the right to receive double reward points for one day.]
"How can I use this reward?" Liam asked.
"The user may activate this reward at any time by thinking of it. Once activated, it will last for one day," the system replied.
Liam felt extremely happy—both because of Lydia's rising intimacy level and the reward he had gained.
Feeling bolder now that he knew Lydia cared for him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He leaned back on the couch while Lydia lay against his chest.
Lydia's face turned bright red. She didn't know how to react. Liam held her firmly with both arms. She could feel her body responding to his sudden closeness, which only made her more embarrassed.
Biting her lip, she turned to him and said,
"Isn't this a little too close?"
Liam looked confused.
"Huh? Why? I thought you'd like it. You've been holding onto my arm this whole time. This way, you can hug me more comfortably."
Lydia's face was still flushed.
'Does Liam really think that about me? What if he starts seeing me as someone easy?' she worried.
With an anxious expression, she said,
"Don't think I act like this with everyone. I'm only like this with people I'm close to, okay? Don't get the wrong idea," and she wrapped her arms around him.
Liam smiled slightly.
"What could I misunderstand? You told me yourself that I'd have to endure this while you're here. I'm just spoiling you a little in return."
They looked at each other and laughed.
At that moment, both Lydia and Liam were finding it increasingly difficult to restrain their desires.