Chapter 2
The next morning, I got up early.
To my surprise, Emily had already made breakfast. She was holding a burrito in her hand, ready to head out for work.
She caught me as I was still half-asleep and walked over to me.
"Leo, your breakfast's in the kitchen. If you have a minute, could you help me with some laundry?
"Please. I found out this morning that my washing machine is broken," she said.
"Of course," I replied.
Honestly, with her soft, sweet voice, nobody could say no to her.
As soon as I agreed, she cupped my face in her hands and gently rubbed my cheeks.
"Thanks, I need them for tomorrow. Sorry to put you to the trouble," she said.
I thought, 'Was Emily some kind of angel? How could she be so gentle? As if her beauty were not enough, she was also incredibly charming.
'Why had Mom never introduced us before?'
Since I had agreed to help, I started doing Emily's laundry after breakfast.
I had agreed without hesitation, but now I felt awkward.
It had slipped my mind that I had never done laundry for a woman in my life.
The large items, like her blouse and work skirts, were easy enough. A quick hand wash and they'd be spotless.
If they had been my own clothes, I would have tossed them into a wash basin, stomped on them a few times, and called it done.
But these were Emily's clothes. I couldn't risk getting foot fungus all over them and having her blame me.
After debating with myself for a while, I decided to take everything to a laundry service instead.
Before Emily got home from work, I went back to pick up the clothes.
The girl at the laundry shop gave me an awkward look.
I felt super guilty and couldn't even look her in the eye.
*****
When Emily got home from work, she glanced at the clothes that had already dried and immediately sensed something was off.
"This smells weird. It's not my usual laundry detergent," she said.
"Don't believe me? Smell it yourself." Emily held the garment out to me so I could identify the scent.
Only then did I tell her the whole story.
Emily let out a soft laugh, "Leo, have you never been in a relationship?"
I grew nervous and stammered, "N-No, I haven't."
"No wonder. You're such an innocent, straightforward guy," she laughed.
I wondered, 'Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?'
"But since you helped me out, I'll take you out for dinner," she said.
Later, Emily and I went to a romantic restaurant popular with couples.
When we walked in together, we looked so much like a couple that no one questioned our relationship.
I still couldn't understand how a woman like her, gorgeous, kind, and with that irresistible mature vibe every guy dreams about, could still be single?
But then I accidentally discovered Emily's secret. Different men came and went from her room at night.
At one in the morning, I woke groggily and got up to use the bathroom.
When I stepped into the living room, I noticed that Emily's bedroom light was still on, casting a dim yellow glow.
The door wasn't fully closed, leaving a small gap.
To my surprise, I heard a man's voice coming from inside.
This was not the first time I had noticed it. I had seen the same thing on several other nights.
At first, I thought Emily's boyfriend had come home.
That guy was pretty mysterious, always showing up late at night, sleeping for a few hours, and then leaving before dawn.
But then I started to realize something was off. It seemed like there was a different guy every night.
I could tell from the voices that it wasn't just one man. There was a different man every single night.
That made me even more curious.
I swallowed hard, held my breath, and crept toward her door one step at a time.
As I peered through the crack in the door, my heart was pounding like I was some kind of thief.