[Book of Eros] Chapter 137: Valerie makes up her mind. (Patreon)

When Valerie heard Leo say he wouldn’t try anything with her, she didn’t know how to process it. That night she figured it was for the best. There would be no more weird tension between the two and Valerie could just focus solely on what she wanted. Mixed martial arts would be her everything now, well, aside from school. Wouldn’t do to focus too much on one thing and end up failing her tests, right? Yes, it was better this way. Leo wouldn’t have to deal with her indecisiveness either. He had way too much on his plate to pay attention to a girl who wasn’t interested in sex or relationships.

So why was it that she ran away that next morning?

She had a bad night, going to bed early as usual but with sleep evading her for hours and still waking up at the usual time. She changed from her pajamas into something comfortable for the heat and went to the dining room, stopping just before she fully opened the door as she saw a familiar sight through the small gap.

Leo was already making breakfast and Angela was behind the counter, watching and talking to him. She didn’t dare go in yet, lest she interrupt something.

“So what’s this project they’re working on?” Angela asked.

“I wasn’t told not to reveal it, but I still won’t say. Ask them if you’re so curious,” Leo answered. “They very excited about it, so don’t laugh.”

“Oh? Is it something I’d find funny?”

“I don’t think so, but just in case.” He shrugged. “I bet Kaede would be happy if you showed some interest.”

“I have a hard time talking to her. I feel like she’ll break just from me watching her.”

“She’s not made of glass. You only ever talk when we’re in a group, right? If you’re curious, then approach her.”

“Fine, I’ll treat her to ramen one of these days,” Angela said.

A moment of silence settled between them, but just as Valerie believed it was okay for her to go in, she saw it. Leo turned around to pick up a bowl from the counter just as Angela began to lift the hem of her tank top, giving him a clear view of her teal colored bra and her huge breasts.

Leo chortled. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t think I don’t see you peeking at my cleavage,” Angela told him, her tone light and playful.

“You do have a very nice cleavage,” Leo admitted, shrugging.

“You know you can touch if you want.”

“I’d love to, but not here. The others should be waking up by now.”

“So what? Everyone else already does it with you, right? And Mrs. Wisler doesn’t give two shits. Actually, she’d probably clap.”

Leo frowned. “Valerie doesn’t, and just because she’s chosen not to does it mean we can ignore her and do whatever we want.”

“Oh shit, you’re right,” Angela said, quickly pulling down her top. “I’d forgotten. So… you’re really not doing it with her?”

“It’s been three months since she got here and she still doesn’t want to. I won’t push her, especially when she has a chance to be free of all the crap if she holds on a little longer.”

“…” Angela remained silent, and if their conversation continued, Valerie didn’t know. The redhead quickly went to the front door, put on her running shoes and left for a much needed morning jog.

She didn’t think about what she saw, focusing only on the road ahead of her, on her breathing, on her every step. Her pace was steady, yet faster than her usual jogs. Wanting a harder workout, she took the road up the hill.

Before she knew it, she was at Victoria’s Gym.

“I guess coming here’s become a habit now…” she said, panting and wiping the sweat off her brow. It was early, so it wasn’t as hot as it would be in a couple more hours, but running in this heat still wasn’t a good idea, especially without a bottle of water. It was why she had changed her routine to running near the evenings during summer.

“Valerie? What are you doing here this early? The Gym doesn’t open until eleven.”

Valerie heard Victoria’s voice and turned to her. “Sorry coach. I… went out for a jog and found myself here.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes and looked closely at Valerie as she approached her. “You ‘found yourself here’? I guess you do look pretty distracted.”

“I guess I am,” the young woman tried to laugh.

“…” Victoria sighed. “You know what the issue of living up here is? That when you notice you’re out of rice for breakfast you have to go all the way down to town to buy some. Wanna come with me?”

“…Yeah. I should be going back anyway.”

The two started making their way down to town, and Victoria didn’t waste a second. “So? What happened?”

“W-What? I’m not allowed to feel distracted?”

“Sure you are, but nothing happens for no reason. Come on, out with it.”

“I don’t think I should.”

“Is it about that kind of thing? You know, love issues?”

The fact that Valerie winced at that gave it away. Victoria grinned with pride at having guessed so quickly, and Valerie didn’t see the point of keeping it hidden anymore. “I wouldn’t call it love.”

“Alright, so what is it? Did you fall for a guy and the curse is getting in your way?”

Valerie blinked. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, if it was with Leonardo you wouldn’t really have issues, right?” Victoria shrugged. “It’s been… what? Three months already? You definitely don’t want anything with him if it’s taken you this long.”

Valerie grit her teeth. “Why does everyone bring up these three months? I was just… thinking if it was really what I wanted. Why am I the weird one when everyone else just went along with everything so quickly?”

Victoria frowned. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Leo make his intentions with you clear from the beginning?”

“…” He had. He told her he liked her and that he’d make her fall for him. Now he’d just… given up.

“Sorry to put it bluntly girl, but you kept him waiting for an answer for three months. I don’t know a single person who didn’t get antsy after two days of waiting, let alone this long. Anyone would assume you want nothing with him, which is why I asked if you’d fallen for another guy.”

Valerie groaned loudly and scratched her head with both hands. “It’s not that I don’t like him, okay!? I do! But…! But…!”

“But?”

“This is just too weird!” she snapped. “You’re sleeping with him! Angela is sleeping with him! So are four other women! What’s more, to us in the Tensai Clan, he’s literally our ONLY option! I thought… I thought it was inevitable that I’d end up sleeping with him too, so I kept putting it off, but…”

“But now he got tired of waiting and decided to stop trying?”

Valerie frowned. “You’re way too good at this. Do you have powers, too, coach?”

“You’re just too easy to figure out, girl. But wait. Mmm… Knowing Leo, he didn’t get tired of waiting, did he? He probably thinks he’s being pushy, so he backed off for your sake.”

“Gah! You even get him perfectly!” Valerie groaned.

Victoria laughed heartily. “Haha! He’s even easier to figure out than you are! He’d be pretty innocent if he wasn’t horny 24/7.”

Valerie’s cheeks burned. Was she really talking about this with Victoria? She was just her MMA coach. Sure, Valerie seriously admired her and respected her, but she was the last person she expected to be talking about this with.

“D-Doesn’t it weird you out that Leo is sleeping with other women? That you’re not his only one?”

“Mmm… Tough question,” Victoria nodded. “Alright, I’ve gotten enough out of you. I suppose I should be honest too. See, I’m in love with the dumb boy,” she groaned. “At first I wanted to help because I owed so much to the old lady, but then… Well, Leo happened. I thought I’d just keep a sex friend relationship with him, but turns out he’s exactly my type of man. Calm, sweet, methodical, open minded and grounded. He could be a little more ambitious, but I suppose that’s also part of his charm. It does bother me that I’m not his only woman, but you know… Maybe it’s because I knew what I was getting into from the beginning, but I’m not as against it as I probably should. Every time I’m with him, I feel like his whole attention is on me, and boy does that mean something to a girl. Everyone, man or woman, wants to feel like they’re special to their loved one, and I do feel like that with Leo, even if he has others.”

“…How can you say all that with a straight face?” Valerie asked, her whole face now burning. She thanked the heavens they were still walking down the empty mountain roads and no one was there to see or hear them.

Victoria gave her a punch on the top of her head that hurt a little more than she probably intended. “I’m doing it for you, you ungrateful brat! You think I’m not embarrassed? I thought I taught you this from your first lessons. Indecisiveness is death, both in and outside the ring. You took Leo for granted, and now he thinks you don’t want anything to do with him. If you don’t, that’s fine. If you like him but don’t want to deal with having to share him, that’s fine too. Just don’t blame him for things that are out of his control or for your own indecisiveness. You can do what you want, but some opportunities only present themselves once. Now answer me, do you like Leonardo?” Victoria asked forcefully.

“…I do!” Valerie admitted with a groan of frustration. “He’s hot, he’s considerate, stupidly attentive, he’s good at many things, he’s easy to talk to! I… I want to be as close to him as you all are, okay!? I… I want to hug him, I want to kiss him, I want to cuddle! I… URGH!”

Fuck. She’d said it. She’d finally said it out loud. Now, if the earth would just swallow her it would be juuust great.

“Then you have two options,” Victoria continued, unfazed by her outburst. “If you seriously can’t stand that he likes other women too, then you can just suffer a heartbreak like everyone else in the world and get over it eventually. But if you can accept the situation, you’re still on time to show him you like him.”

“…”

Victoria was right. Valerie still had a chance. A single chance, actually. She couldn’t show more indecisiveness. If she did, Leo would just grow frustrated. She needed to be sure of her own feelings and act with certainty.

She liked him, of that she had no doubts anymore. She was jealous of Seina and Lucia, who Leo treated so sweetly. She was jealous of Angela, who could be so damn direct with him. She was jealous of Kaede, who had done exactly what Valerie wanted to do despite having so many issues of her own. She was jealous of Victoria and Reiko, who seemed to so easy accept sharing him.

…

Valerie knew she liked him. She liked him a lot. What she was still unsure of was if she could be okay with him having others. She couldn’t act until she had settled her feelings on that matter, and she was in a race against time. Leo thought she wasn’t interested, and if she let him think that for too long, then he would seriously lose the interest he did have in her.

Because Leo liked her. He had said it, and it had made her happy. Despite having other women, he still found things to like about her. He would notice when she got a haircut or reapplied her dyes, even if the difference was minimal. He would listen to her go on and on about the things she liked. He would spar with her despite not being as into martial arts as she was, and he never looked like he felt it was a chore.

Valerie liked him, and she wanted to be okay with sharing him. And if she was going to get an idea of how to do that, there was one more person she needed to have a serious talk with.