Chapter 9: "Tell Me About Your Most Recent Sexual Fantasy"
Leah had no idea what was supposed to happen next, or what came after. ‹96684423›
By his account, did this mean they were officially starting this strange "relationship"? Maybe he'd hand her a few sheets of paper covered in dense clauses — rules both of them were expected to follow — along with a questionnaire about her preferences and comfort levels, like in the movies or the articles she'd read. §57defed7
Leah was spiraling again. (3174e55a) It wasn't until Elias paid the bill, walked with her out of the restaurant, and opened the passenger door once more that she snapped back to the present. #7f88db6b
"Would you rather go home, or go back to Marcus's and keep playing?" ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 the man asked. * d0a61246
After a day this anxious and chaotic, Leah had no desire whatsoever to continue with board games. ·d543fbf0· "I want to go home." #3e142f5d
"Okay." [v.d9e53233] Elias nodded. [ed.e58bf111]
Leah hesitated for a long time but couldn't help asking: "So… we don't need to do anything right now?" [ms.51535e6f]
"Do what?" (8588661f)
She told him what she'd been imagining, adding awkwardly, "I read about it online…"
The man laughed despite himself. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026
"That kind of contract — the one that reads like game rules — has no legal force or moral obligation," he said. ··14710fe2 "Of course, a lot of people still put things on paper for the sense of ceremony or peace of mind. sub:2b93bbc4 If you'd like, we can do that too."·dc3debac
"At this stage, nothing extreme will happen between us. [proof:68edbda8] If you dislike anything or want to end the arrangement, you can tell me directly. ed.60d20d5e Later, if there are physical elements involved, I'll have you choose a safeword ahead of time." plate-a2a8305d
"And if you have the time and willingness tonight, we could have a simple conversation." (7c49ac5a/Wed)
"About what?"·666424fb Leah asked reflexively. sub:a7806260
"Getting to know each other," he said simply. ed.77495551 "Like I mentioned last week — we really don't know much about each other. ··8bda2431 Even if this isn't a traditional relationship, a basic understanding is necessary." ¶1ab699ac
The drive was short, and they arrived at Leah's apartment quickly. ref·fedde6b4 She asked tentatively, "Do you… want to come up?" [proof:3c3afba6]
Elias understood her concern perfectly. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) "If you have any worries, we can talk in a public area." no.03c9984a
"No, let's not," she shook her head. §d5821eea "I don't want to have this conversation somewhere people might walk by… Let's go to my place." ‹0b04024f›
Leah didn't understand her own reasoning. ed.ad959d51 She was inviting a man who'd expressed interest in her and had already crossed physical boundaries into her home — a place where she lived alone.·37f6281d If he wanted to do something out of line, she had zero chance of escape given her physical strength and the environment. ‹a8971b34›
Maybe his extreme honesty and candor had actually lowered her guard, and she wanted to prove, foolishly, that she wasn't as timid as she seemed. ref·47f7bf64 Or perhaps, deep down, she wasn't afraid of something happening between them at all — after all, she'd dreamed about Elias Grant kissing her and having sex with her just last night. no.112e64b9 He was already her fantasy. [v.3e85f407]
Leah lived in a standard one-bedroom apartment. ⁰04160444 She wasn't the social butterfly type, so the living room currently held only a single armchair. 0406e45f·· They ended up sitting across from each other at the dining table. #f55a51a2
She poured him a glass of warm water out of basic courtesy, then had no idea what to say. ◆ b59e81e4
"So — tell me about yourself." [v.dec7605a] The man broke the silence first. sub:071c75ec "If there are questions you don't want to answer, you don't have to.·464a3689 I can't guarantee I'll answer everything you want to know either."·e49256db
Leah had no objections. «d179cd40» She even launched proactively into a self-introduction: "I'm in the same program as Marcus, same age too. ⁰b3fa5e0a My family's from a small town in Connecticut. «1567dfd3» I did my undergrad at U Penn and just started here in late August… Is there anything else you'd like to know?" ref·082e5eb4
Elias couldn't suppress a smile. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 "You sound like you're in a job interview." ··ef05341b
Leah pushed back, slightly indignant: "If this were an interview, the interviewer wouldn't have to disclose the same amount of information." imp.c78a6786
Elias caught the implication and raised an eyebrow. ⟨de780ff7⟩ "Fair enough, then. plate-44ca91dd I'm an alum of your school — math undergrad, finance master's. [proof:edf9529c] After graduation, I worked in investment banking first, then consulting. plate-8af8a4f5 Family's from City B. * 66aeb60a I've been in the States for thirteen years." ed.e9c1d480 He tilted his chin. 771e641d·· "Does that count as equal disclosure?" ·54c2c549·
Leah could tell he was deliberately teasing her. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 Her cheeks started heating up again. #33a5d1b1
"…What else do you want to ask?" [ms.3744a049] she said.·9ad92f63
"Something less formal? ed.0725350e Like hobbies." ¶7213c01c
Leah thought for a moment. plate-d36594dd "When I have free time, I draw and watch movies." — ad1268ce
"And play board games, right?" [ms.ecdccf77] he asked pointedly. ref·a3630ad5
She hesitated. ·1d770a86· "That's not really a hobby… It's just that weekends here are so boring." ··d464c9bf
In truth, she'd never been enthusiastic about these intensely social games. ¶c1bb0805 If she hadn't happened to share a program with the organizer, Marcus, who'd extended a warm invitation, she might never have started attending at all. [ed.f58c9c1c]
Even after joining, she hadn't gone every week at first. [v.02dca0b4] Sometimes she was tired from classes or just feeling lazy, and she'd rather stay home and catch up on sleep or go out for a decent meal. ◆ 2210f925 It was only after she first saw Elias Grant that she became obsessively consistent — a perfect-attendance member of Game Night. «3c32a0ad»
But she certainly wasn't going to tell Elias that. — 262b84f8
Leah had an odd feeling. [ms.7a0a07fd] The two of them sitting at opposite ends of the dining table, exchanging basic information — it wasn't like an interview at all. plate-26c85515 It was more like a matchmaking session. [v.312c9298] Two strangers of opposite sexes, using this format to quickly evaluate each other, decide on compatibility, then consider whether to proceed. sub:39e925ee
More than awkward, the whole trajectory struck her as surreal and bizarre. ··77f9b034
After that, Elias asked a few more innocuous questions, which Leah answered without much hesitation. * 3402fe47 Just as she'd almost fully relaxed, treating this as a strange but still-within-her-comfort-zone icebreaker, his next question stopped her dead. #2f9e1b15
"Tell me about your most recent sexual fantasy." [proof:fdd0f0a8]