I won’t touch you tonight

The man gently scratched her small nose. "What affects me? Is it that you're so charming it distracts me from my work? All I think about is what we have between us."

He actually made a joke. Lia blushed deeply, awkwardly mumbling, "I just mean that I sometimes bother you."

"Live in the servant's room, you want me to treat you like a servant?" he teased.

"I am one of them," Lia said, acknowledging her place.

The man grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows. There are plenty of servants in this house. Does everyone sleep with me?"

Lia was speechless, her face flushing at his bluntness.

"I'll go pack my things," she said, trying to escape the conversation.

"Put your things in the closet and bring me a pair of pajamas while you're at it. I'm going to take a shower," he instructed.

"Okay," Lia replied, trying to steady her nerves as she pushed the suitcase toward the walk-in closet.

The closet was massive, shaped like a U, and inside there was even a section just for ties. One side of the U-shaped closet was entirely empty, which made her wonder if it was left open for her things—or maybe it was just a coincidence.

After setting her suitcase down, she picked out a pair of his pajamas. Cassius had many, all dark-colored. She grabbed one at random.

As she was about to leave, she realized he might need more than just pajamas—he might need underwear. She opened a drawer, only to find it filled with unopened bras. 

Lia quickly closed it. How could he, a grown man, have these in his drawer? But then again, it made sense that he'd have such things. It wasn't like they were unusual for a man to own.

She decided not to overthink it. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

She finally found his boxer briefs in another drawer. Lia froze for a second, then quickly closed her eyes, grabbed a random pair, and wrapped them in the pajamas she had already selected.

She walked to the bathroom door and knocked softly. "Cassius, I have what you asked for."

"Come in," he replied in just two words.

Lia hesitated, then opened the door and stepped inside.

The steam from the shower hit her face. She stood awkwardly at the door. "I'll just leave it here," she said, holding the clothes in front of her.

The sound of running water stopped suddenly, and her heart skipped a beat. Cassius had stepped out of the shower, his body wet, the droplets sliding down his defined chest and arms.

"Are you going to wash?" he asked, his tone calm.

"I'll do it later," Lia replied, her voice faltering as she turned her back on him.

"Your clothes are wet," he said, walking toward her. His chest pressed against her back, then the wet fabric of her shirt sticking to her.

Lia felt her body freeze. "I'll wash them later," she stammered.

Cassius wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "No, let's get you dry first."

Lia was so caught off guard by his actions, her body trembling in his embrace. "No, really, I'm fine."

"You're still cold," he said gently, his fingers moving to pull at her wet shirt.

Lia's mind raced. "I can do it myself." There were many traces of that night on the little woman's body, and they had not faded at all. He was aware of her discomfort, and out of consideration, he said, "I'll step outside for a bit. You take your time."

Relieved, Lia exhaled. "Thank you," she murmured, sticking out her tongue in a moment of vulnerability. Cassius couldn't help but smile at her playful gesture.

He even helped her gather her pajamas and underwear, handing them to her without the slightest bit of embarrassment. It seemed natural for him, but for Lia, it felt overwhelming.

When Lia finally emerged from the shower, Cassius was sitting on the couch, reading a book. His bangs fell over his forehead, giving him an almost youthful look. It reminded her of the cold, distant man he had once been back in high school—so different from the man he was now.

She never imagined their relationship would evolve to this point.

This man—so indifferent and cold on the outside—was entirely different when it came to matters of intimacy. It reminded her of the saying: you can know a person's face, but not their heart. Everyone had two sides, and Cassius was no exception.

He seemed to know that she had been watching him for a while, and when their eyes met, a quiet understanding passed between them. 

"Come here," he said, not looking up from his book.

Lia walked toward him slowly, her heart beating faster. "Cassius?"

"Sit."

Her long, smooth hair cascaded around her face, her features looking even more delicate as she sat next to him. She wore cartoon-patterned pajamas, which were cute but modest. She sat stiffly, unsure of what to do.

Cassius noticed the gap between them. "Lia," he said.

"Hmm?" she responded, meeting his gaze.

"Sit next to me."

Lia obeyed, sitting closer, though she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, avoiding looking at him directly.

"Are we going to do this every night?" he asked casually, his voice low and soothing. "Don't be so uptight. Just do whatever you want."

"Okay," Lia mumbled, pulling out her phone and scrolling through videos to pass the time. It was awkward between them—two strangers, not quite lovers. There was no intimacy or casual conversation, which made both of them uncomfortable.

Lia often watched funny videos to distract herself from the tension that seemed to hang in the air. It helped her deal with the negative emotions that built up throughout the day.

"Do you hear the sound?" he asked again.

"There are subtitles," Lia said, not looking up from her phone.

"Turn the sound on. Don't worry about me."

"Okay." Lia obeyed, but she turned the volume down to the lowest setting so it wouldn't disturb him.

Cassius stopped reading and, instead, picked her up suddenly.

"Cassius!" Lia cried out, startled by his sudden movement.

"I'm sleepy. Let's sleep," he said, his tone lazy and relaxed.

"Okay," Lia said softly.

That night, they both lay down—Lia on the inside, facing away from him, while Cassius lay on the outside. But then, he shifted and turned over, his body now pressing against hers.

He looked down at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "In the future, sleep facing me."

"Okay," she replied quietly.

Cassius pulled her closer, hugging her tightly. It seemed like he liked being close to her, enjoying the feeling of her warmth.

Lia was unused to sleeping with someone, especially not a man she barely knew. It made her nervous, her body stiff with tension. The strong scent of his cologne surrounded her, and she felt his warmth seeping into her skin.

"Go to sleep. I won't touch you tonight," he whispered softly.

Lia felt a bit more at ease with his reassurance.

"Let's talk about this after we're both better," he added.

"Okay..." Lia said, her voice trailing off as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.