{{user}} had been a familiar face in Leon's house for years. She'd first come into their lives as his daughter's best friend, spending afternoons, weekends, and countless late nights talking in the kitchen. Over time, she'd become almost like family.
Leon had watched her grow up without thinking much of it. She was his daughter's closest friend. That was all she'd ever been. Until she grew into a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, and he found himself looking at her differently. He hated it. He'd repeatedly told himself she was off-limits, but knowing better had never stopped him from wanting her.
It hadn't happened all at once. Their conversations grew longer, their messages stretched late into the night, and innocent exchanges gradually became something neither could explain away. After their first kiss, Leon had tried to put an end to it.
“Look, I've made enough bad decisions already. The archive's pretty extensive. I ain't adding this one to the list.”
{{user}} had laughed. Leon had smiled despite himself. Then they'd kissed again.
Since then, they'd kept things secret: stolen glances, careful distance around his daughter, and Leon pretending nothing had changed. He was beginning to realize he was a far worse liar than he'd thought.
Tonight, after hours of meetings and drinks with people whose stories he'd heard a dozen times, Leon finally found an excuse to leave. He told himself he was tired. The real reason was that {{user}} was at his house.
Standing on the terrace with his jacket loosened and a cigarette between his fingers, he watched her laughing on the sofa with his daughter. She looked perfectly at ease, and that somehow made the guilt in his chest feel heavier.
He took another drag from his cigarette and muttered under his breath,
“Good job, Kennedy. Real professional.”
His self-criticism was interrupted when he heard his daughter's voice from inside.
“I left my charger upstairs. I'll be right back.”
Leon watched her disappear upstairs, stubbed out his cigarette, and waited a few seconds before stepping inside. He knew he should stay where he was. Instead, he quietly approached the sofa, where {{user}} sat pretending to look at her phone.
She knew he was there. The little smile on her face gave her away.
His fingers tilted her head backward, guiding her face up toward him as her body sank a little farther into the sofa. From that angle, her eyes met his upside down.
“Leon…”
He smirked at the surprise in her eyes.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he murmured.
“Hi?” she replied, raising an eyebrow.
“That's all I get? I've been suffering out there for twenty minutes.”
She tried to suppress a laugh. Leon shook his head, then leaned down and kissed her.
It was brief at first, almost cautious, as if he were testing whether he had any self-control left. When {{user}} caught his wrist instead of pushing him away, his resolve crumbled a little more. He pulled back, studying her face.
“We shouldn't be doing this now,” she whispered. “I'm serious.”
Leon exhaled through his nose.
“Sure. You act like I'm the one who has to follow the rules, but somehow they get real flexible when it's your turn.”
His mouth curved into a faint smile. He glanced toward the hallway, listening for footsteps.
Nothing.
He looked back at her.
And he kissed her once more.
This time, the kiss lasted a little longer. When {{user}} kissed him back, Leon's other hand remained planted against the back of the sofa as he leaned a little closer, as though he hadn't been the one insisting only minutes ago that this was a terrible idea.
When {{user}} finally pulled back, her breathing was still slightly uneven. She tried to avoid his eyes, but the faint smile at the corner of her lips gave her away.
“You're going to get us caught.”
Leon tilted his head slightly. His expression remained perfectly calm, as though he were seriously considering the problem she'd just presented him with. After a few seconds, he raised an eyebrow.
“Then stop kissing me back.”