Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 65

Ash’s hand, which had been on his shoulder, gently caressed Karlyle. Karlyle blinked. In the darkness, he could faintly see Ash’s straight nose and well-shaped lips. No way.

5, 4…

“Until I remembered something important.”

Their eyes met. The surroundings were plunged into complete darkness. Even the lights from the nearby residential area vanished in an instant.

“Happy New Year.”

3, 2…

Karlyle’s eyes widened. He heard Ash’s whisper. It was a clear voice, incomparable to the misty voices of the crowd spreading from afar.

1…

“My, Lyle.”

For a moment, a very brief moment, a fraction of a second, Karlyle was enveloped in a deep, cosmic stillness.

Soon, Ash’s lips touched his.

A faint shiver spread from his shoulders. Hot breath scattered into his mouth. A tongue parted his lips and delved inside. The light kiss, which began gently, transformed into a deep, passionate kiss in the blink of an eye. Their intertwined tongues were skillful and slick.

A terribly sweet saliva passed down his throat. He swallowed it without realizing. Karlyle clutched Ash’s coat desperately, his eyes contorted. A chilling sensation and breathtaking joy flowed through Karlyle’s veins.

“Hmph,” Ash chuckled softly as Karlyle exhaled a surging breath. Ash’s gentle laughter flowed into his mouth. Karlyle stumbled. It was because Ash had stolen all his breath.

Their lips parted. Ash’s finger traced his lips, which were still moist with saliva, just like that day. His thumb gently wiped Karlyle’s thin lips. Karlyle took Ash’s finger. Their eyes met. They could see each other even in the darkness.

At the same time, the surroundings lit up brightly. Red and blue fireworks painted the black London sky with explosive sounds. It looked as if stars were bursting. Even though he knew how dying stars actually disappeared, this thought still crossed his mind.

Under the light-filled sky, Ash was smiling. He looked like a gift from God, sent specifically for Karlyle. Karlyle suddenly remembered that today had been his birthday. And he recalled that it had been like this that day too.

Faint tears welled up in his helplessly curved eyes. He didn’t know why he was crying. He was just so, so overwhelmed.

“You know what? I didn’t forget that day. I just never even guessed that person was Karlyle. Looking back now, Ash Jones was a huge idiot.”

To have him right in front of him and not know. Ash gave an awkward smile. As the fireworks began, the surrounding lights that had gone out started to turn back on.

“How could I have not recognized the person who made me decide to meet an Alpha for so long?”

Listening to Ash’s voice, which sounded truly apologetic, Karlyle blinked. Without a single lie, Karlyle had thought Ash wouldn’t remember. He just wanted to find meaning in having said those words. In having told Ash his true feelings.

He didn’t want to make Ash feel sorry by pointing out a fact he didn’t remember. But, but…

“Karlyle disappeared without showing his face. He vanished before the lights came back on, so I went back to that place the next day, remembering only his name. But I couldn’t find him. That was what made me decide. Before that, I had never met an Alpha.”

Ash’s hand stroked Karlyle’s cheek. Ash gently wiped away a single tear that had unknowingly fallen. A mixture of regretful and loving expressions appeared on Ash’s face.

The sky was blue and red. It also turned yellow. Lights that painted the black London night as brightly as day burst above Ash’s head. Ash stood with his back to the brilliantly bursting light.

It was like a painting. A beautiful painting, Karlyle’s alone, to cherish for a lifetime, was etched onto his cornea, his retina, his soul.

“You came to me first, Lyle, so we could meet again.”

Ash lowered his gaze. The eyes he glimpsed were wet and shining, just like Karlyle’s. Ash slowly lifted his chin. His lips touched Karlyle’s forehead.

“Thank you.”

With a reverent motion, Ash pulled back. Karlyle’s lips parted slightly. His chest felt heavy, as if tens of thousands of bubbles were bursting and surging within him repeatedly.

Karlyle’s fingers twitched, then he gripped Ash’s coat tightly. He didn’t want to let him go anywhere. He wanted to keep this person by his side forever.

He didn’t want anyone to steal this beautiful smile.

“So, Lyle, if even someone as pathetic as me is okay…”

As if knowing his feelings, Ash opened his arms slightly and asked,

“Will you make me yours, Lyle?”

“I’ll treat you well. It’s not a losing deal,” Ash added playfully. Karlyle couldn’t hold back any longer. The words he had suppressed with all his patience finally burst out.

“I…”

Karlyle smiled. He smiled while shedding tears. Had he ever made such an expression before? Probably not. To be so sadly happy, just from dating.

It was such an easy thing for others.

“So that I can openly love you…”

For Karlyle Frost, it was a very difficult and sacred event, one that would happen only once in his lifetime. He wanted Ash by his side. The fear that Ash might get tired of him or turn away due to his shortcomings hadn’t disappeared. But Karlyle would try his utmost to prevent such a thing from happening.

“I… would be happy if you would be my lover.”

“Please,” Karlyle pleaded. He desperately wished for it.

“Gladly.”

Ash said softly. His low, husky voice was dangerously sexy and at the same time gentle. Karlyle couldn’t resist the impulse and hugged Ash. He pulled the man who had opened his arms for him tightly into his embrace. Passion surged. Long, firm arms immediately wrapped around Karlyle in return.

The fireworks continued for a long time. Karlyle quietly closed his eyes and held Ash in his arms. The lights finally faded after painting the sky for nearly thirty minutes.

After the fireworks ended, they slowly left the park. The two, who had exited the quiet residential area, held hands and mingled with the crowd. Karlyle recalled the lovers he had seen before coming here.

Quietly recalling it, Karlyle looked down at his own hand.

Ash’s large, gentle hand held Karlyle’s. Ash’s hand had now absorbed Karlyle’s chill and become lukewarm. Karlyle’s hand, too, had melted from Ash’s warmth and was lukewarm. Two similar hands held each other. They were lovers’ hands.

Among the lovers seen on the street, Karlyle Frost was now added. Karlyle Frost, next to Ash Jones, was neither a half-noble nor a pathetic Alpha who had failed to become a dominant Alpha.

He was now Ash Jones’s beloved.

This fact made Karlyle the happiest person in the world. Karlyle slowly took his eyes off his hand, then looked forward again and smiled silently. Snowflakes that had fallen on his long eyelashes slowly melted into water. Karlyle’s face was the same.

A happy warmth circulated on his pale face, which had been frozen for a long time.