Pedro had just finished his cleaning routine when the doorbell rang.

Feeling like he wasn't expecting anyone, the tattooed man's forehead furrowed as he tried to guess who might be visiting on a morning like this.


Not yet properly dressed, Pedro Viscout still left his upper body exposed, which unintentionally showed off the finest tattoo carvings on his body.

The man was silent for a moment, but the sound of the bell ringing again made him realize that someone up ahead was indeed intending to visit him this time.

Hence, Pedro swung his steps towards the front door, not realizing that he was still half-dressed.


"Who is that?" He called out as his hand reached for the door handle.

But before he got an answer, the woman standing in front of him had already answered his question.


Valerie's pink blouse caught his attention, with her eyes rolling slowly. More because he couldn't believe who he was seeing right now.

"Val?"

Still holding the door, Pedro blinked. "Is it really you?"

Valerie nodded vaguely, folding her arms across her chest.

"Do you have any beer?"

The three words that made up Valerie's greeting that morning certainly made Pedro chuckle, which was then followed by a wide open hand.

Inviting his little friend inside, Pedro looked relaxed in just a pair of knee-length shorts that covered his body from the waist down.

As if he didn't care about Valerie's gaze scanning his body, the fighter really didn't feel any awkwardness. Although in truth, this kind of situation was not justified for two adult men and women.

"What brings you here?"

Pedro led Valerie towards the kitchen, letting her set her bag down on the long table. Pulling out a bar stool and sitting on it, Valerie folded her arms again.

"You're not working?" she asked with her bead trained on the fighter's back. "Am I interrupting?"

Pedro turned from the fridge with two cold cans of beer in his hand, which then stepped towards the direction where Valerie had been sitting.

Taking a facing position, the man placed the cans directly in front of Valerie.

"How can I go to work?" Pedro half-mumbled. "When a woman with a bent face comes to my house in the morning, without a proper greeting, and asks for a beer?"

Valerie's crisp laughter filled the air as her hand reached for a can of cold beer. Opening it without difficulty, Valerie downed the liquid in a few gulps.

Ignoring Pedro who was staring at her with a strange look in his eyes, Valerie really didn't care.

"What's wrong?" Pedro asked again. "What made you fly from Munich to here unannounced?"

Valerie stomped her beer can onto the table, half clutching it with a heavy-sounding sigh.

"Let's get married, Ped," Valerie shot without warning. "I've given up, let's just get married."

Pedro seemed to shrug, his bead widening slowly. Valerie's words had just penetrated his eardrums, but somehow it just sounded like an invitation to eat out as usual.

Nothing special.

"Alright," Pedro greeted without wasting time. "Have you decided?"

Lifting her head, Valerie shook out her bangs that fell on her forehead.

"That damn man--Gosh, telling me to get married," Valerie said with a very flat emotion.

She was trying not to show what she was feeling, but Pedro could pick up something else from the way Valerie spoke.

Maybe there was... pain there.

"You mean Gosse?" Pedro took a pull on his beer can. This morning's discussion looked set to be interesting and quite lengthy.

"Who else?" chided Valerie. Her teeth were grinding together with mounting irritation. "He even said that you were the right man for me. Damn it!"

Pedro paused to take a sip of his drink, but his bead was still watching his interlocutor's every move.

Although Valerie didn't immediately reveal what she was feeling, Pedro knew something was wrong.

"Are you still thinking about him?" he asked. "Ah, of course you do."

Exhaling a long breath, Valerie shook her head vaguely.

"I don't know," she muttered. "I don't know why I'm like this, Pedro. It's just... so heavy."

Pedro took another swig of his beer, feeling swept up in the conversation that had taken place in his kitchen this morning.

"Why aren't you dressed, anyway?" grumbled Valerie suddenly. "Aren't you embarrassed to have people see you like that?"

"I live alone, miss," Pedro replied casually. "Besides, there won't be any guests in my house besides you. And lucky for you, you saw my body sculpture. How lucky you are!"

Valerie shrugged, looking indifferent though her bead glanced several times at the fighter's well-formed abdomen.

Pedro is clearly passionate about sports, and his sculpted body is now clearly the proof of his patience.

"So, shall we get married?" Pedro spoke up this time. "Are you sure?"

Valerie seemed to pause, probably thinking between the liquids that were filling her throat. No matter how much she thought, she was still stuck.

"Can you kiss me?"

Pedro seemed to flinch slightly at what he had just heard.

"Pardon?"

Valerie grinned.

"I asked if you could kiss me?" She repeated her first question. "Have you ever imagined, or perhaps thought about what it would be like if we slept together?"

Her relationship with Pedro, who was already very close as friends, might be a barrier to their marriage. For Valerie, Pedro was a man she never thought of as a real man.

It never crossed her mind to kiss him, because it would be weird and awkward.

"Have you ever imagined it?" Not giving an answer, Pedro asked back. "Be honest, tell me."

There was a two-second pause as Valerie let out a laugh.

"I can't imagine it," she said honestly. "Isn't it very strange to bite your best friend's lip?"

The two looked at each other again.

"This is all driving me crazy, Pedro," Valerie sighed in a tone that seemed heavy. "How do they expect us to get married and settle down when you and I are like brothers? How are we going to get through each night when--"

Without Valerie realizing it, Pedro had moved from his seat a few seconds ago.

Grabbing her best friend by the waist, Pedro successfully silenced Valerie's lips by pressing his own lips against hers.

Leaving Valerie now wide-eyed, not really expecting such an act from Pedro.

Not lingering on the brief kiss, Pedro pulled his face away after a few seconds of silence.

Valerie's breath was warm on the fighter's face, followed by a rosy blush that simply appeared on both cheeks.

"I can kiss you," Pedro said without much emotion. "And of course, I can sleep with you, too. Want to try?"

Pedro really just wanted Valerie to move on from her feelings for Gosse. And maybe with their marriage, she would completely forget about the man who was now her brother-in-law.

Valerie seemed half in shock, as she hadn't said anything yet.

"Let's just get married," Pedro continued, still in control of the atmosphere between the two. "Tell your family I'm coming this weekend."

Valerie blinked softly, then wet her lips with her outstretched tongue. Biting her lower lip that had just come into contact with Pedro's, she finally nodded her head.

Pedro never looked like a real man in her eyes, but this time the tattooed man managed to make Valerie's heart pound silently.

Perhaps, their story was just beginning. And a quick peck, isn't it sweet enough to start this story?