Chapter 45: THAT DAY

"You know," Sarah said while we kept a steady pace, "you never really told me much about that day."

"That day?"

"The day you got beaten up."

"Ah." I gave a small smile. "I saved a cat the night before. Might’ve flipped the guy off while I was at it. Guess his ego couldn’t handle it, so he came back later. Rest is history."

"That’s about what I heard from the neighbors," she replied, voice low.

"You knew?"

"Kinda." She exhaled. "It’s so ridiculous. Why would someone come back just for that? I don’t understand people sometimes."

"Same here."

We ran in silence for a few more strides. I could feel the distance growing between what we had done and what we were now. If I let it keep cooling, she might start treating that night like a one-time mistake. I couldn’t let that happen.

"I also wanted to talk about something," I said.

She glanced at me. "About what?"

"About when we..." My voice dropped. "You know."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh... um. Yes."

"I just want you to know I don’t regret it," I told her. "And I hope you feel the same."

"I’d never cheated on Hubert before," she admitted after a moment. "But after that hooker showed up... and those photos... I guess part of me wanted revenge."

"Either way, I don’t regret anything. What about you?"

She stayed quiet for a while. We passed two men running side by side, and she waited until they were out of earshot before answering.

"I’m not sure," she finally said. "I’m... yeah. I’m not sure."

"Okay. At least it wasn’t a no. I can live with that."

She gave a small, almost reluctant smile. "When I tried to... flirt with you in the kitchen. After I found out Hubert trashed my drawings. You turned me down. Told me I wasn’t thinking straight. That I shouldn’t do something I’d regret later."

"Not the exact words, but close enough."

"Still." Her smile softened. "You actually thought about me. When was the last time anyone did that? My family? No. Hubert? Not a chance."

"Was that a wordplay?"

She chuckled and lightly hit my shoulder. "I just wanted to thank you. Talking with you is always... refreshing, Chance."

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 0%

> Dependence: 60%

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 0% [☑]

> Threat: None

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x2 Sexual Encounter EXP

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Four percent down. Sixty left. If I kept her talking like this, I might get it under fifty before we finished.

"Hey," I said, changing the subject. "What does Hubert think about Karim?"

"The guy who has sex nonstop?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He never says a word to him. But he has no problem giving me shit. I’m quiet. I never have people over. Meanwhile Karim’s fucking someone seven nights a week and Hubert acts like he doesn’t even exist."

"Maybe he’s scared of him?" Sarah suggested. "Karim’s a lot bigger than Hubert."

"Trust me, Hubert doesn’t scare easily. If he can complain about something, he will. You know him better than I do, but still."

"No, you’re right." She exhaled. "Should I ask him about it?"

"Ask Hubert? No. I was just curious."

"Now I’m curious." She laughed quietly. "If anyone could get Karim and his ’friends’ to stop ruining my sleep schedule, it’d be Hubert."

"Cops wouldn’t even show up here," I said. "You remember that time the neighbor across the street called them four times in one night?"

"We live in a shithole, Chance. I’d be surprised if the cops even know the roads around here."

"Yeah..."

"I was actually surprised when you moved into this building," she added after a moment.

"Blame my sister. I couldn’t make rent anymore after helping her, so I had to downgrade." I shook my head. "Let’s drop it. I really don’t feel like talking about her."

"Fair enough."

We fell into silence again, the only sounds our breathing and the soft rhythm of our shoes on the path.

As we continued, I started noticing something. Women glancing my way. Not just quick looks, actual lingering ones. A brunette in tight black leggings and a cropped top held my gaze a second longer than necessary as she passed. Further ahead, a tall blonde with an athletic build slowed slightly when she saw me. And then there was the milf.

She looked to be in her late thirties, maybe early forties, with a body that still turned heads. Thick thighs filled out her running shorts, a narrow waist, and full breasts that bounced softly with every step in her fitted sports bra. Dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail, confident posture, the kind of woman who knew exactly how good she looked. When our eyes met she didn’t look away. She just gave the faintest smirk before continuing past us.

The Charisma was doing real work. Also that passive skill, Watchful Eyes.

We kept running for a good while longer until Sarah finally slowed.

"Okay... break," she breathed. "I need a minute."

She walked a short distance to the nearest bench and sat down. I dropped onto the seat beside her, both of us catching our breath in the cold air.

Sarah unzipped her jacket further, letting the cold air hit her. She was clearly sweaty despite the weather. Underneath, her tight athletic top clung to her body, the fabric damp in places and stretched tight across her full breasts. Every breath made them rise and fall. Her black leggings left almost nothing to the imagination, they hugged her thick thighs and made her ass look even fuller as she sat on the bench, legs slightly apart while she caught her breath.

I glanced over before I could stop myself.

Fuck. She looked ridiculously hot like this.

Sarah caught the look. She didn’t say anything, just held my gaze for a second longer than necessary before I forced myself to look away toward the track. A few runners passed by. The snow was still falling, but lighter now, soft flakes drifting down instead of the earlier sharp wind.

She was still panting lightly, cheeks flushed from the cold and the exercise.

I clapped my hands once. "So... we keep going?"

Sarah let out a tired little chuckle and pushed herself up. "Yup. Right behind you."

We started running again.

❤︎‪‪❤︎‪‪❤︎

By the time we reached the street where our building stood, both of us had slowed to a walk. Sarah was holding a small paper bag with the cold medicine she’d bought for Hubert. The snow kept drifting down around us, quieter now.

"I still can’t believe you did push-ups after all that jogging," she said, glancing at me. "You’re really taking this seriously."

"Yeah. Trying to live a little healthier." I shrugged. "Can’t hurt, right?"

"Definitely not."

We walked a bit further in comfortable silence until she suddenly reached out and touched my arm, stopping me.

"Can I go in first?" she asked quietly. "I don’t want Hubert to see us walking in together. He’ll flip."

"Yeah, of course. I’ll stop by the gas station anyway. Out of cigarettes."

She raised an eyebrow, a small smile pulling at her lips. "What happened to living a healthier life?"

I smiled back. "Good point."

"See you later, Chance."

"See you, Sarah."

She gave me a last small wave and walked toward the building. I watched her for a few seconds, the way her hips moved under the long coat, the way she pulled it tighter against the cold, before turning and heading further down the street to the gas station.

Inside, I grabbed a pack of cigarettes, paid, and stepped back out into the cold. My phone buzzed almost immediately.

Sarah had sent a photo.

She was standing in front of her apartment door, still in the tight athletic top and leggings, jacket half-open. Her hair was a little messy from the run, cheeks still faintly flushed. She was holding up a peace sign with one hand, looking straight at the camera with a soft, slightly tired smile that still managed to look inviting. The way the top clung to her chest and the leggings hugged her hips made the picture feel more intimate than it had any right to be.

The text underneath read: ’Really had fun today. Thanks.’

I sent back a thumbs-up, then typed: ’We should do it again sometime.’

A few seconds later she replied with a single %100 emoji.

I slid the phone back into my pocket, lit a cigarette, and started walking toward my building through the falling snow.

Ninety-five EXP.

Not bad at all. A little more and I’d finally hit level 10. Part of me still wished I’d managed to complete that workplace quest with Sarah. Five hundred EXP would’ve been massive. But those were the cards I’d been dealt. No point crying about it now. Just keep moving forward.

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 9 [470/505]

RANK: Homewrecker

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 22

> END: 11

> PER: 22

> LCK: 4

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST: 192/200

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[ACTIVE PERKS: Expand]

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