I wanted time to slow down.

Even as I opened my eyes again for the second time that morning, I had never felt so strongly about stopping the clock until now. The time to get ready for work was unbearably close and the idea of shifting away from Leo’s side made me grimace.

He had fallen asleep again, or at least, was resting beside me with his eyes closed, and I smiled, gently lifting my hand towards his face. And then he spoke, causing my hand to stop halfway.

“Good morning.” His eyes opened then and were instantly accompanied with a warm smile. I allowed my hand to gently fall and capture his cheek within it. He moved his face a little, nuzzling my palm with his nose. I giggled.

“We’re you always this endearing?” I asked, examining him with renewed interest. Even though Leo had been in my world for almost a month now, I felt as though I was only seeing him for the first time. Had he always been this handsome?

Leo shifted closer, grabbing my hand and lightly rubbing it. He then leaned in towards my face, hesitating to get any closer. “Can I kiss you?”

I melted right there, nodding once and his lips found mine in the sweetest embrace I had ever experienced. Much like our kiss last night, he kissed me with the lightest of pressure, and for a moment I wondered if I was moving my own mouth against his breath. And then he kissed me harder, our bodies entangling in each other in the process. I had never been kissed like this before, and when we separated, I felt as if my lungs were getting a workout trying to in air to steady myself.

My alarm sounded around the bedroom precisely on time, interrupting us completely. I pouted, not wanting to have to stop what we were doing. Leo nodded as if he had read my thoughts. He then smiled slyly. “I just searched the internet about sick leave. I think you’re running a fever, shall I call into the office for you?”

“You’re possibly wicked,” I said with a laugh, hugging him tightly. I couldn’t help but feel temptation from his words. “If only.”

“The weekend is so far away,” he sighed dramatically and I nodded. “Tonight is still over thirty-five thousand seconds away too.”

“Must you count in seconds as well; why not just say it’s about ten hours away?” I shook my head, bemused, remembering back to when he had counted the hours of sleep in minutes the first morning he was here. My smile grew, thinking back to then; at how juvenile I had acted. Mindlessly burying myself deeper into Leo, I wished I hadn’t wasted so much time with getting to this point.

Time. The concept was really annoying me now.

Leo sighed heavily and picked me up from the bedding suddenly. I clung to his strong arms in fright, my eyes trying to decipher what he was doing. He smiled as he carried me bridal style into the bathroom and then set me down, kissing my forehead gently. “As much as we want to ignore it, life goes on. I’m excited to go out into the world with you at my side now, noona. I’ll make you some breakfast. Don’t take too long, okay?”

He then mussed my hair affectionately and shut the door, leaving me to stare at myself in the mirror. Aside from my wild hair, my cheeks were flushed and there was a new element to my eyes. They shone brightly and I wondered to myself if they had always been so dull before. I was excited too; the feeling of lust coursing throughout me had given me an immense boost of hope and confidence. I appeared stronger than usual, even with the evident signs of my self-neglect of late. But mostly, I looked reckless in that moment, uncaring of my situation. My rationale had lost against my heart, Leo wasn’t something anymore.

He was someone.

It was as if I was experiencing what first love was like. For the remainder of the working week, we were completely lost in one another, sneaking kisses in the stairwell on my breaks and holding hands around the building when we felt were alone enough to. My thoughts were always on Leo, and when answering calls I felt like I was more patient and understanding, even giggling with Kate when she rang to gush about her new Kboy, finally understanding her reasons for needing to talk to someone about him. I felt like I was becoming a better version of myself, all thanks to the affection pouring out of Leo for me.

It felt like I had known him for months, not weeks, and as we walked hand in hand into the apartment, I couldn’t think of ever going without him either. I knew once the trial was up, I would be willing to do whatever it took to keep Leo in my life. I had even looked into my savings, ensuring I could cover the cost when it was asked of me. I would pay it triple-fold, just to keep him forever holding my hand.

Once inside, Leo barely had his mask off before I stretched up to attach my lips to his, the taller man supporting me effortlessly against him in the embrace. It deepened for only a moment before I had to pull away to take a deep breath. Leo smirked. “It took twenty-one seconds.”

“What did?” I asked, slipping my feet out of my boots and into my slippers. Leo stepped up into the landing and held out his hand for me to take. “And we’re back to seconds?”

“I could have counted the milliseconds too.” He then pulled me towards him, hugging me and petting my hair at the same time. “For you to kiss me once home. I’m impressed by your lack of self-control.”

Blushing, I pushed him off, Leo laughing at my embarrassment. He followed after me and enveloped me in a back hug, leaning down to kiss my shoulder. He then rested his head there and I felt myself begin to swirl giddily from the feeling of him pressed into me.

“I like you,” he stated, his arms wrapping around my waist more tightly. “I like you so much that if I had a heart, I’m sure it would stop. If I could breathe like you, I would be breathless after each and every kiss. If I was human-”

“You don’t have to say such things,” I quietly interrupted, my brain not allowing his words to register anymore. “Don’t compare yourself. I like you too, Leo. The way you are.”

“It’s hard though,” he admitted and I spun around in his grasp, soon playing with one of the buttons on his maroon shirt. I smiled; the colour seemed to look perfect on him. Despite the serious expression on his face, I couldn’t seem to mirror it, enjoying taking in the positives around me. His arms, his clothes, his everything. Leo didn’t need to be anything but himself. Gently lifting my chin up, he tried to grab my attention properly. “Yerin.”

“I’m listening, you said it’s hard.”

“I never knew robots could desire things that humans can. I thought we were designed to be satisfied with what we have but I can’t help but have dreams now,” he continued and I finally stared at him during the latter half of his statement, tilting my head in thought.

“Dreams like?”

“Like going on a date with you-”

I beamed. “We can do that this weekend!”

“Messaging you when at work-”

“I’ll buy you a phone!”

Leo sighed at my interruptions. His hand moved over my mouth in attempts to quieten me. “Going away on a trip together. Falling so deeply in love that when I propose you would say yes. Getting married under the twinkling of fairy lights. Having three children…”

He stopped for a moment, his eyes glossed over. I waited, tears b in my own.

“Growing old together,” he concluded bitterly, letting me go and moving straight over to the sofa.

I followed the now sullen man and stared down at him, chewing my lips in thought. And then I climbed onto his lap, his eyes widening but his hands instantly finding my waist and accepting the physical proximity. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I leaned down to kiss him, his lips trembling a little with his emotions. Once apart, I hugged Leo tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, you’re the human here,” he replied, though there was a hint of bitterness still laced within his words. “One day, you’ll find a human to do all those things with.”

“No, I don’t want anyone but you.”

Leo shifted back to search my eyes for a moment and then smiled. “You would give up a normal life, for me?”

“The only life I want now has you in it,” I confessed, his smile growing and his lips meeting mine.

I knew we couldn’t have everything he envisioned, but I would try to fulfil as many of his wishes as I could.