Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties-Chapter 40: A Normal Day

Liam stared at Sofia’s name on his phone screen.

"Wasn’t expecting her to text after ghosting me for that long."

He sat forward on the couch, elbows on his knees, the phone heavy in his hand.

The beer Kelvin had left behind sat half-empty on the coffee table, condensation pooling around the base.

’What do I even say?’

His thumb hovered over the keyboard. Then the screen flickered.

[Option 1: "Hey, what’s up?" +0 Lust Points]

[Option 2: "Took you long enough." +4 Lust Points]

Liam blinked.

’The system’s giving me text options now?’

He read through them again. It had always been a face-to-face thing before. In-person conversations, reactions, body language.

But now it was branching out into texting too.

’Alright. Let’s see where this goes.’

He picked option two.

Liam~ Took you long enough.

He hit send and watched the message turn blue. Delivered. Then read.

Three dots appeared immediately. She was typing. Then they stopped. Then started again. Then stopped.

’She’s overthinking it.’

Finally, a message came through.

Sofia~ I know I know, my phone broke and I literally just got a new one yesterday also I would have felt bad texting you so late last night that’s why I waited until today.

Liam read it twice.

’I don’t know why but it sounds like a bullshit excuse to me.’

Another set of options appeared.

[Option 1: "It’s cool, don’t worry about it." +0 Lust Points]

[Option 2: "And here I thought you just weren’t interested." +3 Lust Points]

He picked two again.

Liam~ And here I thought you just weren’t interested.

The response came faster this time.

Sofia~ No! I was definitely interested. I still am. I just... I know how it looked. Like I blew you off.

Liam leaned back into the couch, a small grin tugging at his lips.

’She’s trying hard to explain herself. That’s a good sign.’

Liam~ So what now?

Sofia~ I want to make it up to you. Can we still do that food thing? The Mediterranean place I mentioned?

The system flickered again.

[Option 1: "Yeah, sounds good. When?" +2 Lust Points]

[Option 2: "Only if you make it worth my time." +5 Lust Points]

’Option two sounds familiar. But fuck it.’

Liam~ Only if you make it worth my time.

The three dots appeared. Stopped. Appeared again.

Sofia~ And how exactly would I do that?

’Nice.’

[Option 1: "Wear something I can’t stop looking at." +4 Lust Points]

[Option 2: "Come over and we’ll figure it out." +7 Lust Points]

Liam hesitated on this one.

’Option two jumps straight to inviting her over. Might be too much too fast.’

But then he thought about it.

About Miss Kelly, how confident he’d felt walking out of her apartment yesterday.

The system kept pushing him to be bolder and now this was exactly what he needed—another opportunity. Another heart to unlock. Another ten thousand in his account.

He picked option two.

Liam~ Come over and we’ll figure it out.

Send.

The three dots didn’t appear right away. He watched the screen, waiting. Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.

’What’s taking so long?’

Then, finally:

Sofia~ I don’t usually do this. Just so you know.

Liam~ Do what?

Sofia~ Go to a guy’s place after barely talking to him.

Liam~ I’m not like the other guys. You said so yourself.

Another pause. Shorter this time.

Sofia~ You’re right. You’re not.

Sofia~ Okay. I’ll come over. But I have plans this afternoon. I can’t get there until later. Like 5 or 6?

Liam checked the time on his phone. It was barely past noon.

Liam~ That works.

Sofia~ Send me your address.

He typed it out and hit send. A moment later, she replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

Sofia~ See you later.

Liam set his phone down on the coffee table and exhaled slowly.

’She’s actually coming over.’

He looked around his apartment.

It was cleaner than it had been an hour ago, but it still wasn’t great. The trash bag sat by the door. His bed was unmade. Clothes were piled on the chair by his desk.

’I’ve got a few hours. Better make this place not look like a disaster.’

He stood and grabbed the trash bag first, carried it out to the dumpster behind the building.

The morning air was cool against his skin, a light breeze cutting through his t-shirt. When he came back inside, he locked the door behind him and looked around with fresh eyes.

The apartment wasn’t big. One bedroom, a small bathroom, and a living space that combined the kitchen and a sitting area. But it was his, and right now it needed work.

He stripped the sheets off his bed, pulling the corners free from the mattress and bundling them into his arms.

His fitted sheet always gave him trouble, snapping back like it had a personal grudge.

He stuffed everything into the washing machine wedged into the corner of his kitchenette, added detergent, and turned the dial. The machine rumbled to life, water rushing in.

Next, he grabbed the pile of clothes from the chair by his desk. Most of it was clean, hoodies he’d worn once, jeans that didn’t need washing yet.

He folded them quickly and shoved them into his dresser. The dirty stuff went into a hamper in the corner of his bedroom.

He wiped down the coffee table with a damp rag, clearing away the ring marks from old cups and bottles.

By the time he finished and showered,

He then changed into dark grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt. Comfortable but not sloppy. The kind of thing that said he wasn’t trying too hard but still gave a shit.

Liam dropped onto the couch and turned on the TV.

Some action movie he’d seen a dozen times was playing on cable. Explosions, car chases, one-liners that didn’t land as well as they used to. He wasn’t really watching it, just letting the noise fill the apartment while his mind wandered.

His phone sat on the cushion next to him, screen dark. No new messages.

’Still got time.’

The movie droned on. He felt his eyelids getting heavy, the kind of tired that came from cleaning and waiting and thinking too much. He let his head fall back against the couch, eyes half-closed, barely registering the dialogue on screen.

He wasn’t sure when he actually fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, the credits were rolling and the afternoon light had shifted to something softer, more amber.

He grabbed his phone.

**5:47 PM**

’Shit’

He sat up quickly, and moved to the toilet

Liam stood in front of the bathroom mirror, running his hand through his damp hair one last time.

He walked back into the living room and checked his phone. No new messages.

’She said five or six. It’s almost six now.’

He sat down on the couch, leaning back, trying to look relaxed. The apartment was as clean as it was going to get. Fresh sheets on the bed. No dishes in the sink. Even the bathroom didn’t smell like mildew anymore.

His phone buzzed.

He grabbed it.

Sofia~ I’m outside.

Liam’s heart jumped. He stood, walked to the door, and pulled it open.

Sofia stood across from him, clutching a plastic bag.

She was in a tiny white crop top that didn’t leave a single thing to the imagination the thin fabric stretched so tight he could trace the black lace of her bra and the shadow of her nipples underneath.

Her jeans were painted on, cinching her waist and gripping her curves in all the right places until they gave way to the jagged rips at her knees. She’d tossed her hair up, but the loose strands falling against her neck only made him want to see her hair messy for a different reason.

The number above her head glowed.

[75/100]

’It has reduced, maybe that’s what happens when too much time passes between seeing someone for so long, now I know why I got so many options.’

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey." Liam stepped aside. "Come in."

She walked past him, and he caught the scent of something sweet, vanilla, maybe, or coconut. She set the grocery bag on the kitchen counter and turned to face him, her eyes moving around the apartment.

A smile tugged at his lips.