"So…" Geesa continued, her voice low, cautious—mid-conversation.
"You can… sleep with him, if you want to?" she clarified.
Across from her, Aria nodded eagerly, almost too fast.
"Yep."
"And he wouldn't have a problem with that?"
Geesa's brows arched, her tone edging toward disbelief.
"Not even a little?"
Aria shook her head, already swaying slightly under the fog of alcohol.
"Nope. Never. Not at all."
Geesa watched her in silence for a moment—uncertain.
"You're saying…"
Her fingers idly traced the rim of her mug.
"You've slept with him. Numerous times."
"Yep. Yep." Aria nodded again, oblivious.
Geesa blinked."
And still… you two haven't advanced? Not even a cuddle?"
Aria kept nodding—then abruptly paused, eyes narrowing as she actually thought about it.
"Wait… did you cuddle?" Geesa asked, watching her carefully.
Aria tilted her head, thoughtful.
"I… I suppose we did," she murmured, brows slightly furrowed.
"Yeah. Every day."
She almost let it slip—then quickly corrected herself.
"I mean… every day—whenever we sleep," Aria added with a forced chuckle, trying to wave it off.
Geesa stared at her for a long moment—unsure whether to call her out again.
But instead, she just sighed, a deep exhale from her chest, and let it go.
"Alright," she said finally, shaking the thoughts from her head, trying to reset the mood.
Aria straightened in her chair, eyes locking onto Geesa with full attention.
"Yes!" she said, alert now—eager.
Geesa raised an eyebrow, then returned the look, her tone shifting slightly—more focused, more deliberate.
"Alright, here it is…" she began, lifting one finger and holding it upright between them.
"This… is the question. The one that decides everything."
Aria leaned in, her eyes wide, posture stiff with anticipation.
"Ask away," she said, nodding quickly.
Geesa cleared her throat—dramatically.
"Ahem. Now… put some pressure on your mind," she said, her voice adopting a mock-serious tone.
"Alright," Geesa began, leaning in slightly, her eyes locking onto Aria's—firm, probing.
"Remember—whenever you cuddled…" she said slowly.
"Did your hips ever touch his pelvis? Like… tightly?"
Aria blinked, falling into thought. One finger lifted to her chin.
"I guess…" she murmured, recalling.
"Always. We always sleep like that."
Geesa froze. Her eyes widened.
"You sleep together, you cuddle, and you're telling me you're not in a relationship—or even fuck buddies?!"
She leaned back, incredulous.
Aria gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head with an awkward smile that tried (and failed) to look casual.
"Well…" she said. "It's… a little complicated."
She met Geesa's eyes again, hesitant but firm.
"Isn't that exactly why I'm asking you to teach me?"
Aria interjected quickly, trying to steer the conversation before it derailed too far.
Geesa, sitting across from her, stared for a moment—clearly taken aback—then sighed, rubbing her temple.
"Next you'll be telling me he's your cousin or something," she muttered, half-joking, half-dreading.
She scoffed. "Not like that's ever gonna happen."
Aria let out a nervous laugh—way too quick, way too awkward.
"Yeah, right! Of course not… not a cousin," she said, chuckling. "Definitely not my cousin."
Geesa just stared for a moment longer before exhaling hard, as if pushing the thought away. She downed the last of her drink and groaned, massaging the side of her head.
"Ugh—let's not stretch this out too long," she muttered. "I've got family plans this weekend… trip and all."
Aria nodded quickly.
"Yes, yes. Just tell me already—get this over with. We don't want to be stuck here all day."
She gave a light chuckle, trying to keep it casual.
Geesa nodded, still not entirely sure how she ended up in this mess.
"Alright," Geesa muttered, gripping her mug tightly as she leaned in, serious.
"Here's the thing," she began, locking eyes with Aria.
"The guy you're chasing… he must have a hell of a lot of willpower to resist."
She paused—her gaze drifting slightly, brow furrowing.
"Or…" she added quietly, "he might already have a girlfriend."
To that, Aria nodded without hesitation.
"Of course—yes. He does."
Her eyes lit up disturbingly, a too-wide smile spreading across her face.
"He talks about her all the time at home. Says he loves her. Never lets her go anywhere alone. Always following, always doting…"
Her tone was oddly cheerful—light and loving.
"That's why," she continued, voice slurring slightly through the haze,
"That's why I fell for him in the first place. He's… the ideal boyfriend.
The kind of partner I'd want to raise a child with."
She giggled softly—completely sincere in a way that unsettled.
Geesa stared at her, stunned.
"You… you're really something," she muttered, dazed.
Aria just looked back, blinking—uncertain.
"Why…?" Aria mumbled, her voice soft—stammering, confused.
"What happened?"
She looked up, her gaze searching—clouded, but sincere.
Geesa just stared at her, uncertain—lips parted, words caught somewhere in her throat.
She didn't know how to answer.
Didn't know if she should.
----------------
"What happened?" Aria asked, confused.
Geesa—her coworker, dressed in a fitted shirt beneath a jacket, pants tight at the waist—just stared back, her expression dazed, uncertain.
"You're saying..." Geesa began slowly, trying to process it.
"You want to take him away..."
Her voice wavered.
"From his girlfriend... from a happy relationship... and start something with you?"
She looked at Aria, unsure if she'd heard it right.
Aria blinked—her gaze distant at first, then slowly focusing as the words registered. She quickly shook her head, hands rising in defense.
"No," she said, firm. "No, you've got it all wrong."
She leaned forward slightly, trying to explain.
"I don't want to break his relationship," she said, eyes pleading. "I just want... to be with him too. I also want to be with him."
Geesa stared at her, puzzled—uncertain what to make of that.
"So you're saying you want to be with him..." Geesa continued, watching her closely.
Aria nodded—readily, without hesitation.
"And you also don't want his relationship with his girlfriend to end?"
"Yes. Yes." Aria nodded again, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Geesa slammed her palm down on the table—not loud enough to draw attention, but firm enough to jolt the mood.
"Then..." she said, leaning in slightly, eyes sharp with disbelief.
"How do you expect things to go... if his girlfriend rejects the idea of a multi-partner relationship?"
She stared hard at Aria, searching for any sign of reason.
Aria blinked, looking momentarily unsure—then tilted her head, brows softening, voice calm. Innocent.
"Who said anything about telling his girlfriend?"