The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 1443: Intermission 7: Each Of Their Love Lives (8)

Raymond’s POV

After talking with Leon about relationships and getting some advice from him, I somehow managed to gather enough courage to head back to the restaurant again.

Honestly, the entire walk there felt stupidly long.

Not because the place was actually far away, but because my brain kept doing that annoying thing where it overthinks absolutely everything right before something important happens. One second I was feeling confident enough to confess properly, then the next second I was wondering if I should just turn around and pretend I never came in the first place.

Leon really made it sound easier when we were talking.

Then again, he wasn’t the one about to confess to a woman who openly called herself a slut with a completely straight face.

Still, I already came this far. Backing out now would’ve made me look pathetic even to myself.

The moment I stepped inside the restaurant, I looked around the place almost immediately. The smell of food wasn’t strong yet, probably because they were still preparing everything for the day. A few utensils clinked somewhere in the back, and the place was quieter than usual.

Then I spotted her.

Monica was standing near the counter preparing something. Maybe ingredients. Maybe food. I honestly couldn’t focus enough to tell because the second I saw her, my thoughts started getting scrambled all over again.

But no.

My plan was already set before I came here.

I was going to confess to her again.

Well, technically, the first time barely even counted as a confession. I mostly just stumbled around my words while acting nervous like an idiot. This time felt different though. I actually came here intending to say things properly.

I was serious now.

Serious enough that even if I got rejected, I still wanted to go through with it anyway.

And honestly, I didn’t really care if she turned me down.

At the very least, I wanted to say what I genuinely felt without hiding behind awkward excuses or acting like I was only casually interested in her.

If I was going to embarrass myself, then fine. I might as well do it with style.

"Monica," I called out.

The moment her name left my mouth, I realized something weird.

It was actually the first time I had ever said her name directly to her face before.

That somehow made me even more nervous for no reason.

"Uh? Oh, you..." she said while glancing toward me. "What are you doing here? Are you planning to eat again? Unfortunately, nothing’s prepared yet since you came too early. If you want, come back later."

"I..."

The second I opened my mouth, my confidence immediately tried abandoning me halfway through.

Seriously, what the hell was wrong with me?

For a brief moment, I almost backed out completely. My brain started filling itself with all kinds of stupid thoughts at once. Was this really okay? Was I forcing myself too hard into something that obviously wasn’t going to work out? Should I have prepared smoother lines first instead of barging in here like some desperate idiot trying to speedrun emotional damage?

Because honestly, standing there in front of her suddenly made me realize just how unprepared I actually was.

I felt like I should’ve thought of something smarter to say. Something cooler. Something that didn’t sound like a nervous teenager trying to confess for the first time in his life.

But weirdly enough, every rehearsed line I thought about using suddenly felt fake.

So after standing there awkwardly for another second, I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay grounded.

"I... I actually wasn’t here for the food," I admitted. "I came here because I wanted to talk to you."

The moment I said that, Monica looked at me with obvious skepticism. Not even subtle skepticism either. She looked at me like she was trying to figure out whether I was serious or just suffering from a temporary lapse in judgment.

"You really can’t take a hint, can you, Mister?" she said.

Her tone wasn’t exactly mocking, but it definitely wasn’t encouraging either.

"I mean, I know you have a crush on me, and honestly, I appreciate it. But are you really sure you’d be okay with dating a slut?"

She said it so casually that my brain almost lagged for a second.

Like who just says that about themselves so naturally?

"I’m serious, by the way," she continued while leaning slightly against the counter. "If I got into a relationship with you, there’s basically no chance I’d stay loyal. I’ve never really been good at keeping it in my pants. That’s just how my relationships usually end up working."

I already knew about the rumors surrounding her.

Pretty much everyone did.

People constantly talked about how she kept jumping from one guy to another even while already dating someone else. Some people judged her for it. Some people acted obsessed with it. Some people pretended they hated her while clearly wanting her at the same time.

Honestly, people in town really needed hobbies.

"Could you seriously handle that?" she asked while looking directly at me. "And like I already told you before, my body belongs to someone else now."

Then she gave a small shrug.

"And honestly? The person fucking me right now has a cock so good I could probably spend the entire day bouncing on it without getting bored. Meanwhile, judging from the smell of mediocrity coming off you..." she paused slightly before giving me another look, "...I don’t really think you’d satisfy me much."

Ouch.

That one definitely landed.

She sighed afterward, though not in a cruel way.

"So I’m sorry, but I’m not exactly committed enough to give you the kind of relationship you probably want. You’d honestly be better off finding somebody else."

The weird part was that hearing all of this didn’t affect me the way I thought it would.

I felt hurt, obviously.

I wasn’t immune to getting emotionally hit in the face.

But at the same time, it wasn’t enough to make me hate her. And honestly, I already knew most of these things about her beforehand anyway. It wasn’t like she had hidden any of it.

I never came into this expecting some perfect fairytale relationship.

For some reason, while standing there listening to her talk about another man fucking her, my brain suddenly tried imagining it.

I pictured her beneath someone else.

Getting fucked.

Moaning for another guy.

I honestly thought the image would make me angry enough to snap out of whatever feelings I had for her.

But instead...

Something else happened.

A strange feeling rushed through my head before traveling all the way down my spine and settling directly into my crotch.

And that genuinely scared me a little.

Because instead of anger, I felt excited.

Not fully.

Not comfortably.

But enough that I noticed it immediately.

It stirred something inside me that I didn’t really understand yet. Some strange feeling that almost made me think I’d enjoy seeing something like that.

And honestly, realizing I wasn’t angry about it made me feel incredibly confused with myself.

Because I didn’t hate the thought.

For some reason, I actually didn’t mind it.

That realization alone made my chest tighten strangely.

Then before I could stop myself, the words slipped out naturally.

"If I told you..." I started slowly, "that I don’t really mind if your body belongs to someone else... would it still be possible for me to be the one who has your heart instead?"

The moment I said it out loud, even I got surprised by my own words.

But weirdly enough...

Instead of making me feel ashamed, saying it actually made me feel a little more courageous somehow.