Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 4

“Actually, it’s someone Ash has met before.”

With that, Nicholas showed him a photo. Ash slowly straightened his posture. He scanned the man in the photo on the screen.

Indeed. As Nicholas said, it was someone he had seen before. He remembered encountering this man on the day Nicholas rejected him.

“Kyle’s brother, you said? It’s him.”

“Yes. His name is Karlyle Frost. If you’re okay with it, the payment, as I suggested earlier, would be…”

Ash half-listened to Nicholas’s words, looking at the photo. Grayish-black hair, cold gray eyes, tightly closed reddish lips. His skin was as pale as his hair.

With his hair neatly swept back to fully reveal his forehead, and dressed in an elegant, sharply tailored suit, the man had a cold, unfeeling face. He was handsome, indeed. His sculpted, sharp facial features gave him a cold charm. In terms of appearance alone, he was Ash’s type. Such a face would make a good sight crying on the bed. However…

“That’s surprising.”

“Yes?”

“When we briefly crossed paths, I don’t think you looked at me very favorably.”

“That’s true.”

Ash recalled the day he encountered the man. As he was dropping off Nicholas, who was saying goodbye, the man’s cold expression, mistaking Nicholas and Ash for a dating couple, naturally followed. It was an encounter without even an introduction.

The man, who looked at him with contempt, didn’t even speak to Ash. He simply ignored him and reprimanded Nicholas. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for Ash himself in many ways. His face was his type, but his first impression was really not good.

Moreover, the man’s personality was not the type he often encountered. To be precise, he wasn’t the kind Ash preferred. To be honest, it was a personality he disliked.

Clearly defined boundaries, an unreadable expression, and a somewhat arrogant demeanor. He suddenly appeared and ignored him, and his pressuring of Nicholas, someone Ash liked, frankly felt unpleasant.

It would be strange to view such a person favorably. For Ash, who didn’t particularly dislike or like anyone, such a strong dislike was uncommon.

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can just ignore what I said today. I apologize again, Ash.”

“Nick, it’s okay.”

Ash stopped him. It was impossible for him to feel good watching Nick apologize so meticulously. Although he was forgetting him, he was still someone he cared about. He wouldn’t enjoy seeing such a person humble himself.

Fundamentally, Ash Jones was a being who found the greatest joy in seeing the person he loved happy.

Yes… that was it.

“I don’t need payment, Nick.”

Nicholas slightly frowned at the words, which were difficult to grasp. Ash smiled gently and asked Nicholas a question.

“If you just answer my question, I’ll grant your request.”

“…Speak.”

As if to engrave the person in his eyes one last, truly last time, Ash gazed at Nicholas for a long while. Then he opened his mouth.

“If I accept this proposal…”

“Yes.”

“Does that make you happy, Nick?”

Silence fell. Still maintaining his smiling expression, Ash quietly drank his coffee. Nicholas, who had been pondering for a long time, slowly parted his lips.

“Yes, if you put it that way, it does.”

Of course. Ash knew Nicholas would say that. Nicholas loved Kyle. Doing something for his lover’s brother was also doing something for his lover. The answer was clear. Ash nodded lightly. That was enough.

“Then I’m happy too, Nick.”

If it made the person he loved happy, if his actions could leave some meaning for Nick… then it was good for him too.

“So, will you tell me what I need to do?”

The payment was simply Nick’s smiling face.

It was six in the evening, but the sun was still bright. It had been a while since London’s nights, where the sun remained up even past seven in the summer, felt like this. His body, accustomed to a quiet and calm atmosphere, felt awkward in the lively evening air. Karlyle loosely tugged at the collar of his thin suit shirt with his fingers. He felt uncomfortable, as if he had come to a place he shouldn’t be. His neck felt stiff.

Even now…

It wasn’t too late. He could still cancel the appointment and pretend it never happened. Treatment might be possible with medication or psychological counseling, and if nothing else worked, there might be a way to avoid sex altogether by taking suppressants for a while. As he thought this, regret washed over him. It was a foolish choice no matter how he looked at it.

To have a relationship with an Alpha.

It was absurd, unprofessional, and highly risky. It was far from his policy of investing primarily in stable and reliably valuable ventures.

His father, Jonathan, often told Karlyle that sometimes one had to take risks to gain what no one else had. Jonathan’s belief was that such a moment would come at least once in life, whether in life or business.

However, Karlyle disliked the word “risk.” Ever since his brother was kidnapped at a very young age and the family was shaken by unspeakable, disgusting events, Karlyle preferred certainty. He moved within situations he could control. Yet, the reason he made this choice was…

“You’re early.”

At the voice from behind him, Karlyle turned around. A shadow fell. His gaze lifted ever so slightly. Staring into the eyes looking down at him, Karlyle wondered.

Do you remember me?

“You’ve arrived.”

A low voice flowed out indifferently. Karlyle raised his eyes to observe the other person’s face. The casually swept black hair and the gently curving lips gave off a very gentle impression.

He was a strikingly handsome man. Even after a long time, his face was vividly clear in his memory. A soft face that looked a little more mature than six years ago, and kinder than a few months ago. Both encounters had been brief, less than five minutes. Yet Karlyle remembered the man precisely.

“Mr. Jones.”

He might have remembered him differently, but Ash Jones wasn’t significantly different. The sweet, deep baritone voice and the smile that melted others were the same.

Karlyle wondered again. Would Ash remember New Year’s Eve six years ago? Would he know that they had met before, that they had already kissed?

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No.”

His eyes curved into a clear smile. The gray and blue eyes beneath the perfectly curved eyelids were peculiar. For Karlyle, who felt nothing when looking at art, sculptures, or even people considered handsome, these were the only eyes that evoked a feeling. He had never seen eyes of different colors before. Perhaps that was why.

“The wind is quite cool, so I booked a place with a patio.”

Shall we go? Karlyle nodded at the words. Following the man who turned and began to walk first, Karlyle followed behind him.

The restaurant was not far from Notting Hill Gate station. The pub, painted a bluish-green close to white, was bright and cheerful. Silence hung in the air during the five-minute walk. Karlyle fiddled with his shirt collar again as the air gradually tightened around his throat. This kind of meeting was a first for him.

He had no idea what kind of atmosphere to create, or what topic to bring up. Meeting a difficult client felt easier by comparison. He had never felt that business meetings were difficult. So, to put it another way, this feeling itself was foreign to him.

Lost in a chain of thoughts, Ash suddenly stopped. Karlyle, not realizing it, bumped directly into Ash. His body touched Ash’s upper body as he turned.

Gasp, just as he was about to open his mouth in dismay, Ash’s hand touched his waist. Karlyle stiffened at the hand lightly wrapping around his lower back.

“What are you thinking about so deeply, Karlyle?”

The surprise was sudden. As his name was gently spoken, Ash’s eyes crinkled into a smile. The question was kind, and his voice held a hint of laughter.

Their bodies pressed slightly closer. Only a breath escaped his parted lips. He couldn’t utter a single word, as if his voice had been stolen. Ash chuckled softly.

“It’s okay if I call you Karlyle, right?”

The sensation of fingers touching his lower back through the thin suit shirt was overly vivid. His pulse quickened. Karlyle exhaled once more and slowly replied.

“…It’s fine.”

“Then, Karlyle, you call me Ash too.”

After speaking, Ash lowered his hand. As the sensation on his waist disappeared, he slowly calmed down. Ash gestured with his head towards their table. Karlyle, rubbing the suit trousers covering his thighs, slowly followed Ash.

They were guided to a patio within a garden-like space, separately created inside the pub. The patio was filled with various potted plants.

Amber lights glowed on the walls, matching the gradually darkening violet sky. In a calmer atmosphere than indoors, they sat facing each other.

Ash rubbed the menu with his fingertips, then offered it to Karlyle first. Karlyle, who was about to habitually offer the menu back, paused and looked at Ash.

“Shall we order drinks first?”

Ash, resting his chin on his hand, asked, looking at Karlyle’s face. Karlyle turned his eyes to the menu, fixed by the gentle gaze on his face.

“Alright.”

“You choose first, Karlyle.”

“It would be better if Mr. Jones chose first.”

The habitually stiff words came out. He himself flinched at the somewhat strong tone, which was more of a command than a suggestion, but Ash simply looked at him and smiled.

“I’ll have cider first.”

His voice, replying as if unconcerned, was gentle.

“Understood.”

As Ash chose the rather strong cider, Karlyle raised his hand to call a staff member. A waitress with a black apron tied around her waist came to their table.

The waitress, who first looked at Karlyle’s face, briefly glanced at Ash while taking his order. She asked again if they needed anything else, or if they wanted tap water, and finally disappeared after exchanging small talk about the weather with Ash. Karlyle fixed his gaze on Ash, who accepted her words as if accustomed to such interactions.

A premonition flashed that they wouldn’t match.