Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 86

It was the fourth Saturday of August.

This day marked the beginning of a long weekend, including a Bank Holiday. It was also the day the British government announced a new pension reform bill, and simultaneously, a meteor shower was predicted—the first in 100 years. Perhaps because of this, London was bustling in the morning.

Normally, Karlyle would have had a busy day starting early. Whenever there was a change in government policy, Jonathan and his management team would quickly analyze the future trends related to it. However, Karlyle had an important reason why he couldn’t attend this meeting.

“Are you really okay?”

A voice as warm as spring sunshine reached him. Ash’s hand touched Karlyle’s forehead as he sat on the bed. A large hand covered his smooth forehead. The lukewarm warmth spreading across his skin made his fingers, neatly placed on his thigh, twitch. His heart was trembling so much from the trivial contact.

Even though more than half a year had passed since January 1st, Karlyle still hadn’t developed any immunity to Ash’s actions. He knew his immature behavior was nothing to be proud of and tried to strictly admonish himself every day, but there was no sign of improvement. It was the same now. Ash had only touched him, but his heart, unable to grasp the situation, began to beat irregularly.

“I’m fine.”

Karlyle cleared his voice, which was about to crack slightly. He didn’t want it to sound like he was sick and make Ash worry. But at the same time, he found the concern and consideration Ash showed him uncontrollably pleasant. He knew it wasn’t good to make his beloved partner worry, yet through such actions, he deeply felt how much the other person cared for him. Karlyle only realized after meeting Ash that human emotions could be so diverse.

“Has your cough stopped now?”

“Yes. I feel perfectly fine.”

Karlyle had coughed a little since last night. Because of this, Ash was worried that Karlyle might have caught a cold.

It was perplexing even for him. Although he had recently developed symptoms like gastritis due to insufficient self-care, Karlyle was fundamentally a healthy person. This was likely also due to Luther, his personal physician, who meticulously managed his body.

From a young age, Karlyle had followed a strictly structured diet and taken nutritional supplements. Exercise, too, began more for maintenance than for training. It was his grandfather’s directive. His grandfather, Arthur, absolutely detested any flaw in his grandson. From a product management perspective, it was the right decision. For this reason, his memory of ever catching a cold was distant.

Ash, who initially thought Karlyle had choked—of course, he immediately stroked Karlyle’s back and held him in his arms, then brought him water and patiently waited for his cough to subside—took the situation seriously when Karlyle’s cough continued intermittently.

Ash then drove off somewhere for a short while. To Karlyle, who tried to go with him, he brewed warm honey tea and urged him to sit still. Karlyle was uneasy about Ash going out alone so late, but he reluctantly obeyed Ash’s words. Due to his inherently devoted nature to his loved one, Karlyle always tried to follow Ash’s words.

So, he sat obediently on the sofa Ash pointed to with his finger, drank every last drop of the honey tea Ash made for him, and then waited quietly, watching the door like a dog waiting for its owner.

Not long after, Ash returned. In Ash’s hands were various cough and cold medicines from Boots, a drugstore. Ash made Karlyle, who was genuinely flustered, drink Lemsip and then put him to bed. He didn’t forget to raise the indoor temperature higher than usual.

Their daily sex was, of course, omitted. Unaware of Karlyle’s lingering regret, Ash casually stripped off his clothes beside him. His finely sculpted muscles were revealed. I’m a little hot, so I’ll sleep naked. Karlyle, whose gaze lingered with heat on Ash’s thick forearms that often pressed down on him, watched Ash lie down with a sense of emptiness.

Sleep, naturally, did not come. Every time Ash’s naked body shifted beside him, Karlyle’s lower body ached, making it impossible to fall asleep.

After all this, Ash was now confirming with Karlyle whether the housewarming party scheduled for today could proceed as planned without issue. The question of “Are you okay?” was precisely about this. Yes, that was it.

They were now officially living together.

Although they had spent over six months together at Ash’s house, the feeling was different now. This was a space they had built together. The traces of their half-year-long interior construction and furniture selection were fully embedded here.

He didn’t want to cancel a party celebrating such a meaningful event. Moreover, it was a chance to meet Ash’s friends. Since there were things to do, he couldn’t let a minor cough ruin it. Karlyle had cleared his schedule for today two months in advance.

“Just in case, could you please not drink alcohol today? I’m worried.”

Despite Karlyle saying he was fine, Ash frowned, a concave furrow forming between his brows. Ash lowered the hand that had gently pressed his forehead and then lightly stroked Karlyle’s cheek with his finger.

The finger lightly stroking his cheek gradually moved to his ear. Karlyle flinched, his shoulders hunching as the index finger naturally rubbed his earlobe. It was ticklish. His disheveled ash-colored hair, still messy from just waking up, swayed. Ash, who had been quietly watching Karlyle, lowered his long eyelashes. His gaze fell on Karlyle’s twitching nape.

“Thanks to the medicine Ash gave me yesterday, I’m all better. I think it would be fine to drink…”

His breath hitched from the ticklish sensation, making it difficult to speak properly. A warmth slowly gathered in his lower abdomen. The heat, tingling through his veins, soon transformed into excitement. Karlyle bit his lip slightly. Ash, looking down at him, wasn’t doing anything in particular, yet a strange feeling kept rising. Because of that, Karlyle said something else instead of saying he could drink as usual. For some reason, he felt he had to listen to Ash.

“…I think it would be fine, but I’ll only drink a little.”

The movement of the finger rubbing his earlobe became more intimate. The index finger gently probed inside his ear, circling around. A prickly tickle ran up the back of his neck. Karlyle unconsciously curled his toes and slightly closed his eyes. Hmph. A moan escaped him, completely unintended.

“How much is ‘a little’?”

Ash seemed to want a promise. In Karlyle’s estimation, “a little” was half a bottle of whiskey. However, he felt Ash would scold him if he told the truth. He just had that feeling.

“Three glasses of wine…”

Karlyle compromised. It seemed to be the right answer, as Ash made an “hmm” sound.

“You promise?”

Ash raised his other hand, which wasn’t touching Karlyle, and extended his pinky finger. The straight finger was long and white. Ash seemed like a person without a single unattractive part. Even his fingernails were round and pink, shaped more delicately than a sculpture. At his lover’s cute appearance, Karlyle momentarily forgot to breathe. Ash was so adorable that his ribs ached, making it hard to compose his expression.

“I promise.”

He carefully linked his finger, pouring sincerity into the gesture. Karlyle wore a serious expression, like someone making the most solemn vow in the world. Ash, who squeezed their linked fingers, whispered.

“If you break your promise, we’ll have outdoor sex, which Lyle loves.”

His actions were so cute, yet…

Karlyle couldn’t adapt to the sudden change of topic. He looked at Ash with trembling eyes, and Ash smiled brightly.

“I regretted that we almost did it last time.”

“Ash, such behavior is impolite.”

Karlyle spoke slowly, as if fumbling for words. He was truly flustered. Ash was clearly a polite and courteous person, but sometimes when it came to sex, he showed unbelievably bold moves.

Karlyle had only just gotten used to kissing in public after eight months of dating. Even then, he wasn’t exactly daring. Even now, when their tongues touched, he would flinch significantly and look around nervously. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t get used to someone seeing their private and precious moments.

Moreover, having sex on an open beach in such a situation was beyond what his reason could handle. Even if the location was one of the Mediterranean islands owned by the Frost family, it was still unacceptable. Although they were the only people nearby, how could they have sex on a wide-open beach? Ash was clearly referring to what happened on the beach during their summer vacation.

“Is that so?”

Ash asked back in an innocent voice. Karlyle quickly nodded.

“Then you just shouldn’t drink too much.”

The conclusion was reached. Ash smiled refreshingly.

“I will definitely do that.”

Karlyle replied in a voice that sounded almost resolute. Ash chuckled, unlinked their fingers, and bent down. The hand that had been caressing his ear moved down his neck. The gentle stroke passed his shoulder and touched his arm, then firmly gripped his waist. The gap narrowed. Ash’s lips were right in front of his eyes.

Karlyle unconsciously held his breath and stared intently at the rosy lips before him. Perfectly shaped, they seemed as if they would taste sweet with just a slight lick. His eyes were glued as if with glue, unable to look away. Ash, who seemed about to passionately bite and cling to his lips at any moment, simply looked at Karlyle and then pulled back. Karlyle’s gaze followed him as if enchanted.

“Shall we go get ready now?”

Disappointment washed over him at the action, which was different from what he had expected. As he remained seated, unable to easily move, Ash also stopped abruptly. A look of utter adoration appeared on his face, and then Ash pulled Karlyle into his arms.

“Do you want to kiss?”

As the words whispered as if he knew everything, Karlyle hesitated but eventually nodded. Then his cheeks were cupped.

“I’ll give you one later. Natalie’s already here. If we kiss now, it won’t end there.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the intercom rang. Natalie, who had parked her car at the front gate, appeared on the intercom screen in the bedroom. In that case, there was nothing to be done. Karlyle nodded.

However, he was reluctant to let Ash go like this. Karlyle quietly kissed Ash’s nape, who was holding him. The moment he left a brief kiss on his firm neck, Ash froze.

“Understood.”

Karlyle said to Ash with a small laugh. Though he regretted it wasn’t his lips, touching Ash somehow felt fulfilling. Ash, who had been frozen, released Karlyle’s cheek and ran a hand through his own hair.

“This is cheating.”

Now that he understood what that meant, Karlyle smiled even more broadly. Ash, who smiled with one eye crinkled, gently touched Karlyle’s lips.

“Do you think I’d let you off the hook if you smile that prettily?”

“…I’m not pretty.”

Ash remained unyielding even as Karlyle stubbornly denied the adjective he heard dozens of times a day. He continued speaking nonchalantly.

“More than enough. What am I going to do with someone so pretty?”

The hand that had been touching his lips moved down with a hint of regret. The lingering gesture made Karlyle feel that Ash desired him. Confirming that calmed his mind. Then, suddenly, at the moment he felt calm, he realized he had been feeling quite burdened by today’s gathering. Perhaps that was why he had a slight fever.

Karlyle, realizing an unexpected truth, released Ash and watched his back as he went down the stairs. Should he tell him he was a little nervous? Although he had improved a lot, Karlyle rarely spoke about things that burdened him, so Ash consistently asked him to be honest about what was difficult. Ash’s face, saying he didn’t want him to endure things alone, filled his vision. Karlyle, who had swallowed his silence with neatly closed lips, soon made a judgment.

Wouldn’t it be rude to Ash to say he was nervous about meeting his friends, of all people? This was something that didn’t need to be said. Although they were different types of people, today’s gathering was ultimately a kind of social event. Karlyle believed he could handle matters related to hospitality well.

But the situation began to unfold in a direction that didn’t match any of his expectations.

Natalie arrived with a wooden box full of ingredients for cooking. Since they hadn’t had a chance to meet much after their first encounter, Karlyle stood before Natalie with a nervous heart. He wasn’t sure if she would remember him. The burden was distinctly different from when he hadn’t dared to hope he would become special to Ash. Unlike that day, today he was greeting Ash’s sister as his lover.

“Karlyle, it’s so good to see you again!”