When the weekend rolled around, Leo pushed the incident from his mind. He never said anything about it and tried to pretend it never happened. He even wanted to take back his wish, but did not want to stop talking to Niko, so he pretended it had never happened.

"Mr. Knowles, have you decided to take on exposure therapy?" His therapist interrupted his thoughts.

"Is there still a need for it? I can still go to school, can't that count for exposure therapy?" Leo did not want to try; he knew himself, and no matter how many times they went through this, his affliction would not change.

"School cannot count. Because a university has many students, students must use scent blockers to a certain degree." The therapist corrected.

"I still hang out with my friends." Leo tried once more.

"And do you have them use scent blockers?"

Leo didn't say any more. He turned towards the window, scratching his mask as he was ready to go. He could never understand why he continued attending the pheromone therapist, but then he remembered his little sister.

Once she becomes a teen, she will present one day, and he does not want to be disgusted by being around her or force her to use a scent blocker every time.

But he did not want to do exposure therapy.

The therapist sighed, putting down their notepad, "Mr. Knowles, we must find a compromise."

Leo rubbed his face before glancing back, "Can I say I am trying? This is not easy for me; throwing up or becoming nauseous is not fun."

"I know. So, why don't we try small? You can have one of your friends slowly introduce their pheromones to you once a week until you don't feel nauseous anymore. And as time progresses, they can increase the smell."

Leo bit his lip; he did not want to do that. The thought of having to smell someone's pheromones made him sick. Even if it was a trusted friend.

But to end this, he nodded, "I will try."

"Mr. Knowles, if you are uncomfortable with the idea, you do not have to do it. I only want you to try something."

"I am fine with it."

Before the therapist could say anything else, the alarm went off, telling that the session was over. Leo quickly stood up, nodding at the therapist as he swiftly left.

When he reached his car, he turned on his Bluetooth and called his friends in a big group call. Everyone answered.

"Hey, are we still going to that Korean BBQ place?" Leo asked, wondering if he should drive over there now.

"I am already on my way with Jo and Cecil," Ruben replied. He picked them up since they lived near each other.

"Summer and I are driving there now, too." Noah agreed.

"I am here already, since the place is near my house. Do you want me to get the private room?" Nathaniel asked. They could also hear him speaking with the host in the background.

"Please do. I will be there soon," Leo replied, hanging up the phone since he had called only to see if the others were still coming. Sometimes, getting everyone on the same schedule to meet is hard.

When he reached the restaurant, Ruben, Jo, and Cecil were waiting outside. He approached them and asked, "Are Noah and Summer here yet?"

Cecil looked like he wanted to grab Leo's sleeve, but stopped while Ruben answered, "Not yet, but Nathaniel got us a private room. If all of you want to go, I can wait for Noah and Summer."

"Okay."

Jo walked into the restaurant and led Leo and Cecil to the private room. When they entered, Nathaniel was already ordering them drinks and meat. They did not say anything or interrupt Nathaniel with the server. The group always got the same thing, so it was never a problem when one person ordered for everyone.

Once Nathaniel finished ordering, the server left. Once the server was gone, Leo took off his mask.

He did not eat out much. He would have to choose a place with a private room, and most food places with private rooms are expensive. Leo may make good money, but it is not money that he can carelessly spend by eating out all the time.

That is why he would take the whole group out occasionally.

Although today is a bit different.

"If you want to order more food, you can." Leo offhandedly commented.

Jo popped up so quickly, her eyes shining, "Really! Leo, you are the best captain anyone can ask for." She started singing his praises as she grabbed the menu to see what else she could get.

"Is that okay? I can also help with the cost." Cecil asked Leo.

Leo waved his hand, rejecting the offer, "It is okay. I got it."

"Okay, if you say so." Cecil seemed skeptical; he knew how meticulous Leo could be with budgeting, especially since he had been supporting himself since he was a teen.

"Whatever the Captain says, I want a fancy drink."

"Don't get drunk, you are driving." Leo reminded.

His phone started vibrating as he pulled it out, seeing who was calling him.

Mad Dog is calling.

Cecil glanced over, seeing the name, "Who is Mad Dog?"

Leo didn't answer but stood up and said, "I am going to take a call real quick." He put his mask back on and left the room, moving to a secluded area. He answered the call.

"Hey."

"Are you at the restaurant?" Niko asked.

"Yeah. We are waiting for two more people to join us, but we already started ordering food." Leo replied.

"Hmm, let me know when the bill is due. Don't forget, the cost doesn't matter to me, so make sure you order everything you and your friends want."

Leo bit his lip.

The reason why today was different is that Niko is paying.

He had talked with Niko about going to Korean BBQ with his friends, and Niko, out of nowhere, said he would cover the cost. Leo rejected at first, not understanding why Niko wanted to do that; they hadn't known each other that long yet.

But Niko kept saying he had money to burn and nowhere to burn it, so he didn't mind paying. It took a few minutes of persuasion before Leo finally agreed, although he said he would pay Niko back.

Niko told him he didn't need to pay back with money; he only needed to continue playing with Niko in Starlight Journey.

"I will let you know." Leo felt weird. It was the first time, in a very long time, that someone was going out of their way for him. He didn't know how to feel, but he appreciated it.

"Good boy," Niko replied, causing Leo to flush. "I don't want to take up your time; return to your friends and enjoy yourself."

"Okay, I will talk to you later."

"See you."

After the call ended, Leo stared at his phone screen, trying to ignore his warm face. Niko knew how to throw him for a loop and provoke many reactions.

He couldn't understand what was so different about Niko.

"Leo." Someone called, causing him to look up. When he saw it was Cecil, he frowned.

"Did you follow me?" he asked, wondering if Cecil listened to his conversation with Niko.

Cecil shook his head, "I just came over. I was looking for you to tell you that Noah and Summer arrived."

"Oh, okay." Leo pocketed his phone and started walking to the private room. But he didn't get far as Cecil pulled his sleeve, stopping him.

"Who is Mad Dog?" Cecil asked, looking down as he felt too nervous to glance at Leo. Instinctively, he thought that someone was taking Leo away from him.

"Is it wrong for me to make new friends?" Leo asked, not answering Cecil's question.

"That is not what I mean!" Cecil quickly spoke, facing Leo.

"Then, let it go," Leo answered, pulling Cecil's hand off his sleeve, walking away. Cecil watched his back, biting his lip before following him.

Cecil did not want to let it go.