After a few days in the hospital, Lysander returned home.
To make the act more convincing, I moved into the guest room and secretly changed the contact name in his phone for me.
But I must say, habits are a terrifying thing.
Without Lysander hugging me to sleep, I rarely experienced insomnia.
Scrolling through my phone, I wasn't tired at all, and the more I scrolled, the more excited I became.
Until I clicked on a post on a forum and found a familiar username.
It was Lysander.
I knew his account, which he generally used to answer professional questions. But just half an hour ago, he posted a question that didn't quite fit.
[I've fallen for my housemate at first sight, how can I win her over?]
The replies were varied.
[If you're already living together and haven't won her over, I have to say, bro, you need more practice.]
[Throw money if you're rich, seduce her with your body if you're fit, cook if you want to win her stomach, or just dream on if you have nothing.]
[Just go for it, be a man! If you're a real man, just do it!]
Perhaps he felt these methods weren't useful, so Lysander added another comment.
[Forgot to mention, I don't have a job. I'm her landlord and housemate now, and I'm living off her rent.]
As soon as he posted that, a bunch of replies flooded in.
[You're just dreaming.]
[Seriously suspecting that the original poster just wants to scare the girl into raising the rent.]
[Bro, your priority right now is finding a job, not chasing girls.]
Knowing Lysander, I was sure that these comments would only make him more determined. After all, it was this kind of resilience that won me over.
I decided to tease him a little.
I quickly commented below: "Are you sure your housemate doesn't have a boyfriend?"
Just a few minutes after I posted, I received a message from Lysander.
[Are you asleep?]
[Not yet.]
[Well... I have a question for you.]
[What question?]
[Do you have a boyfriend?] I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that message.
[No.]
Even through the door, I could hear Lysander's excited voice. I smirked, but kept typing.
[But I'm married.]
I might have gone too far with the teasing, because after ten minutes, Lysander still hadn't replied. Was he really going to give up just like that?
I stood up, intending to clear things up with him, and as I opened the door, we ended up facing each other.
He looked at me, a bit flustered and guilty, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Did... did you really get married?"
I didn't say anything, just sighed.
Seeing me hesitate, Lysander looked crushed, his eyes filled with bitterness. I couldn't help but soften.
I couldn't hold on.
With that face of his, totally fitting my aesthetic preferences, looking at me so longingly, it was hard not to feel my heart soften.
"Well..." I relented, "I was lying."
His face immediately lit up.
If he had a tail, it would have been wagging in the air.
I sighed deeply and continued, "There are always people who bother me pretending to be interested in me, so I just said I was married and living with my husband."
"If it bothers you, I'll move out tomorrow." I lowered my head slowly, trying to look as pitiful as possible.
"No, no! Of course not!" Lysander quickly responded, afraid I would start packing.
"Really?" I smiled at him, softening my voice, "Lysander, you're so nice."
His ears turned pink almost instantly, and he stammered, "I... I'm not that great... not particularly great."
Realizing he might have overreacted, Lysander stiffly added, "Well, I'll go back to my room and sleep now. Good night."
"Good night." He awkwardly walked back to his room.
