"Who said anything about telling his girlfriend?"
Aria asked—uncertain yet oddly assured, her expression soft and innocent.
Geesa stared back, her eyes wavering.
"Not… telling his girlfriend," she repeated under her breath, trying to absorb it.
"So…" Geesa murmured, gaze drifting to a far corner as she tried to understand.
"Friends with benefits?"
Aria opened her mouth—paused—thought for a moment, as though searching her mind for the right shape of the idea.
"N… no," she said finally, her voice unsteady.
"Not just that."
She swallowed, her voice turning softer—aching, almost trembling.
"I want him to care… about me," she whispered.
"The same way he cares for his girlfriend. The same love."
Aria's eyes lifted to meet Geesa's—steady, certain in their longing despite the haze.
"I want that same feeling," she said, her voice deepening with emotion."The same feeling his girlfriend has when she's with him… I want that too."
"I want the same tenderness..."
