Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 76

“So, are you living together now?”

It was Sunday afternoon. Karlyle was on the Heywood family’s ranch, located in the London suburbs.

Karlyle, about to mount his horse, fell silent at Aiden’s sudden question. As his hand, gripping the reins, paused, Karlyle’s horse, Alexander, shook his mane. The horse, ready to be mounted by his master, gazed at Karlyle with a puzzled look.

“Alex has grown a lot. Still not thinking about breeding him?”

Having casually thrown out a surprising remark, Aiden walked nonchalantly beside Karlyle. Alexander snorted at Aiden, as if displeased with the nickname Aiden had arbitrarily shortened.

“…I believe I said I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“It’s rare to see such black fur among the Eclipse bloodline. Think about it.”

Aiden was more interested in horses than Karlyle. Both owned Thoroughbreds, but Karlyle always kept only one. Aiden, on the other hand, collected various light breeds. For reference, Karlyle’s horse’s name was always Alexander. This Alexander, now five years old, his mother, and all his ancestors, all shared the same name.

Anyway, getting back to the main point, Karlyle somehow felt incredibly guilty as he replayed Aiden’s question in his mind. Fortunately, Aiden seemed to have forgotten the question, his interest immediately captured by Alexander.

“Anyway, are you living together or not?”

He hadn’t forgotten. Karlyle rubbed the leather reins and turned his body.

“What does it….”

What does it matter to you? Karlyle patiently swallowed that retort. Aiden’s reaction was obvious. He’d rattle off how much he’d contributed, including his connection to Marquis Gordon, like an answering machine. It was better to just humor him than listen to that.

“It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“As far as I know, you’ve been commuting from that house for over a month now?”

Karlyle looked at Aiden with cold eyes.

“You’re unnecessarily nosy.”

“As a friend, I need to show interest, because your first boyfriend might be a strange person.”

It was a ridiculous excuse. Moreover, the premise that Ash was a strange person was absurd. Karlyle shook his head. Then he mounted Alexander. Wagging his tail gently, Alexander quietly waited for him to settle.

“It just… the situation ended up that way.”

“Really? You’ve been there for so long, and the topic of living together hasn’t come up?”

Aiden said meaningfully. Karlyle firmly resolved not to care, but his heart began to waver precariously. The truth was, it was a topic that had bothered him.

They were clearly living together now. Karlyle’s clothes, documents, and laptop were now at Ash’s house. Things they had bought together had also increased.

Of course, he wasn’t at Ash’s house every day. There were times he went to a hotel for short domestic business trips, and times he stayed at his family home. However, he spent 90% of his time at Ash’s house.

“…It hasn’t.”

Since it was something that greatly bothered him, Karlyle eventually answered Aiden’s question. Aiden smiled a knowing smile.

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

“Then shouldn’t you start looking for a house again? If the topic of living together hasn’t come up, staying like that is an imposition, isn’t it?”

Aiden started hitting raw nerves today. Was this retaliation for losing yet again in their poker game last week? Karlyle gazed at Aiden with anxious eyes.

“…An imposition, you say…”

“It is an imposition. You’ve just started dating, don’t you need some privacy? You’ll get tired of each other quickly. I’ve told you countless times to play hard to get in the beginning.”

Aiden dug into his sore spot. It would hurt less to simply fall off Alexander’s back right now. Karlyle listened to Aiden’s strangely credible words with a pale face. The part about playing hard to get was still difficult to understand, but Aiden was, after all, experienced.

As far as Karlyle knew, Aiden made an average of two lovers a year. His longest relationship was with a model-turned-actor, a celebrity constantly hounded by paparazzi. So, what he said must have some truth to it.

Ash is getting tired of him.

It was just one sentence, but Karlyle was confronted with an unbearable fear. A sense of urgency to pack his bags and find a new house immediately washed over him.

“I suppose… that’s right.”

“Of course it is. Then, when he’s a bit anxious, that’s when you should bring up living together. Well, or even getting married.”

Karlyle was now completely persuaded by Aiden. He usually ignored about half of Aiden’s advice, but when it came to romance, it was strangely highly credible.

Especially when he spoke about marriage, his credibility soared. Is that so? Do I have to use such methods for marriage? But how long do we have to live apart?

“How many months?”

“What? Months? You should think about it after living separately for at least a year.”

A year… His mood plummeted. He felt drained. Not seeing Ash for just one day made his heart ache; he didn’t have the confidence to live like that for a year.

Now he even wondered how his past self had managed to meet Ash only once a week. Just a short weekend business trip would plunge Karlyle into extreme sadness.

Thanks to that, Karlyle had learned how to use FaceTime with his lover, and even did some… peculiar things with it… but regardless, it was still sad.

“Does it really have to be that way?”

“Trust me, Karlyle.”

He didn’t want to believe him. Karlyle uncharacteristically tried to deny reality. But a few seconds later, he quickly conceded. It was unbefitting of an adult. Ash had accepted him so well that he had become too comfortable. Then a sense of alarm struck him. What if he developed bad habits and became the type of person Ash disliked?

Aiden’s words were perfectly valid. He had been too complacent. Ash was such a kind person that he kept accepting Karlyle, making Karlyle misunderstand. He needed time to distance himself a little and refine himself.

Karlyle didn’t understand the concept of ‘getting tired of someone’ at all, but since Aiden said so, it seemed to be true. Both Aiden and Ash were experienced people, after all.

As Karlyle fell silent with a somber expression, Aiden rolled his eyes. Before the words “it was a joke” could leave Aiden’s lips, Karlyle spoke to Aiden in a serious voice.

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”

“No, wait…”

Before Aiden could stop him, Karlyle turned Alexander’s reins. Following Karlyle’s will, Alexander began to gallop powerfully. Aiden rubbed his chin, watching Karlyle leave the wide forest.

“Well, he’ll figure it out.”

A carefree voice filled the space Karlyle had left.

Intermittent clicking sounds echoed in the quiet air. Karlyle was scrutinizing his laptop screen with a serious expression. He was choosing properties from the photos and conditions sent by his secretary.

Long fingers moved with controlled precision, pressing the touchpad. Karlyle, staring at the screen with an expressionless face, let out a small sigh. His other hand, which had been lightly supporting his chin, neatly rested on the desk.

He couldn’t find anything he liked.

To be fair, all the conditions were good. Karlyle had requested three things from his secretary: it had to be a flat in the Notting Hill area where Ash’s house was located, it had to be as close as possible to Ash’s house, and it had to have an interior design that would appeal to a designer. The price, of course, didn’t matter.

His capable secretary had compiled a list of properties that met those conditions in just one day. In any case, it wasn’t difficult when using the Frost name.

The mansions thus selected were all at least three stories high, and their internal structures varied widely. However, none had an interior design as sophisticated as Ash’s house. That was because Ash had originally renovated that space.

Additionally, there were no properties available within a five-minute walk. There was a way to buy at a premium, but Ash probably wouldn’t like that. But this was a very important condition. If Ash caught a cold or went into rut, Karlyle had an immediate obligation to visit him.

Because Karlyle Frost was Ash Jones’s lover…

Like a spell that brightened his mood, recalling this fact softened Karlyle’s lips. Biting his now soft lips, Karlyle stopped his fingers.

It had been over a month since Ash became his lover. He wanted to hold onto each day slowly, but time was passing so quickly it was frightening. Though he thought it childish, something a kid would do, Karlyle was keeping a mental record of the date they started dating. Today was exactly the 40th day.

During that time, Karlyle had created ten memorable anniversaries. One was the day Ash introduced him as his lover to a colleague, and another was the day he masturbated in front of Ash during a video call while on a business trip… Let’s skip that one, just thinking about it is embarrassing.

Anyway, besides that, Karlyle also marked the day Ash bought him a toothbrush and slippers, and the day Ash called him “honey,” bundling all these into anniversaries. Wasn’t a personal anniversary still an anniversary?

Karlyle, lost in thought as his mind wandered, turned his head at the sound of a door opening on the first floor. Holding his breath, he strained his ears to listen. He heard footsteps. It was Ash.

Recently, they had been coming home together, with one picking up the other if they finished work earlier. Today, however, Ash’s work had run long, so he asked Karlyle to go home and rest first.

Though he wanted to wait for hours, Karlyle always obeyed Ash’s words. After a few seconds of hesitation, he said he understood and came home first.

Having showered as soon as he arrived, Karlyle was wearing a grayscale bath robe. He got up from his seat and went down the stairs. His steps were leisurely yet a little fast. Ash stood at the entrance, smiling as he watched the stairs, as if knowing Karlyle would come down to see him.

“Welcome home.”

Karlyle met his eyes and said softly. He felt shy and embarrassed every time he said it. The corners of his lips twitched slightly.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Then Ash would reply to Karlyle’s words, like a married couple living together. Ash, who had taken off his coat and draped it over his arm, walked towards Karlyle. Naturally, his arm wrapped around Karlyle’s waist, pulling him into an embrace.

Ash’s embrace, tinged with a cool chill, smelled of wind. Karlyle buried his face in Ash’s oddly thrilling cool skin. He felt very good. He unconsciously rubbed his cheek a little. Then, Ash’s pheromones, which had been obscured by the cool air, gradually became noticeable. What he had felt was a little different lately was becoming more and more certain.

If Ash’s pheromones had previously been a refreshing woody scent, recently, a heavy sweetness had begun to mix into them. Karlyle didn’t want to miss any change, so he inhaled deeply. Unlike other alphas, Ash’s pheromones only made him yearn.

Then Karlyle suddenly thought that Ash’s pheromones were particularly strong today. But Karlyle’s thoughts were soon scattered by Ash. Ash’s hand gently scratched down the back of his neck. Karlyle slightly hunched his shoulders and hugged Ash back tightly.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“You should have eaten.”

Karlyle looked up. He knew Ash worried when he didn’t eat. Still, he had waited to eat with Ash. No, that wasn’t it. He realized he hadn’t even considered that Ash might have eaten first.