Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Leo had just gotten home as the sun dipped below the horizon. Walking into his rented apartment, he saw his roommates lined up, waiting their turn in the bathroom. "Hey, Leo! Where've you been? We were gonna invite you out for dinner this afternoon, but you were

MIA."

Leo replied, "University's out for the break, so I spent the day taking my girlfriend home."

Everyone knew about Leo's girlfriend. Some had even met her and commented on how the guy in the master bedroom had an exceptionally beautiful girlfriend. One roommate, an intern at a film production company, exclaimed, "She's way prettier than most of the people I've seen at work. She's got that unique look-naturally stunning without makeup, and even with makeup, she doesn't just blend into the crowd."

Leo smiled, soaking in their compliments with a gracious nod.

He added himself to a group chat on Messenger that included all his roommates. Some of them even scrolled through his profile pictures to get a glimpse of his girlfriend.

Back in his room, Leo enjoyed the privacy of his own en-suite bathroom. It was small but served its purpose.

Staring at his reflection, he couldn't quite pinpoint why he felt so lonely and melancholic. Maybe it was knowing there'd be no one waiting at the company entrance with his breakfast, or someone to meet him after work and walk back to the apartment together. Being in a relationship for a long time can become addictive; being alone felt a bit desolate.

After quickly finishing his nightly routine, his phone rang with a video call, "Chad, are you back home?"

Hearing the voice made Leo smile.

Being away from home, every time he heard "Chad," his heart felt lighter. Even through a digital connection, the feeling was the same.

...

The night was serene, with the moon hanging high in the sky.

At the Cedillo household, Mia was taking a bath, while the father and son, fresh from their baths, were having a moment of "deep father-son bonding." Henry was sitting directly on Andre's neck, drooling and enthusiastically nibbling on Andre's face, making it impossible for Andre to dodge.

Mia walked in after her bath and saw the scene on the bed. "Son, with your weight, be careful not to suffocate your dad."

Henry continued excitedly calling out 'Daddy' while nibbling on him.

my mom's place tomorrow

got something to do

nothing major, just give me a

son at home then,

to overburden him. The housekeeper isn't exactly his favorite playmate, and Naomi has her own things to do. I'm on holiday, so it wouldn't be right to trouble someone else with the childcare. I'll just take him with me in the stroller." After finishing her skincare routine, Mia roughly pulled Henry into her arms and onto

terrified seeing the doctors handling her son so roughly, thinking how delicate

her handling was nothing compared to

son, daughter-in-law, and grandson getting ready to

was on her knees on the floor, applying sunscreen on her son and putting on his sun hat. "We'll be back in the afternoon,

leaving for long, Hansen was relieved and didn't inquire

for work. The visit of his grandson made Aaron nearly miss a morning meeting. Madison chuckled, "Your dad was just talking

drove her mother to the office early in

around in the office this week; make sure you go out

"Don't worry, Mom, I've got it," following with

time did you

up until midnight watching a historical drama series with grandma,

you had work today and still stayed up so late.

office, Molly watered the plants on her desk,

become accustomed to her busy schedule, spending her mornings analyzing data and printing reports for her mother to review, then

an affinity for shopping, a habit she might have picked up from her childhood days spent accompanying her mother, Coleen, who would dress both herself and her

became busier, Chad took over the role. Gradually,

online shopping, pre-ordering from fashion shows, or magazine covers, if she liked something, she would

the Cedillo family had the most extensive clothing collections in

and headed to a large shopping mall to inspect

her true age and emotional maturity were hard

didn't leave immediately; instead, she wandered around, browsing through

continued her inspections, driving