Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 87

Contrary to Karlyle’s worries, Natalie greeted him with an almost cheer as soon as she entered the hallway. Karlyle, who had been nervous about being told he wasn’t good enough for Ash, secretly felt relieved as Natalie handed the box directly to Ash and hugged him, which he awkwardly returned. Beyond his expressionless face, no emotion was revealed.

“How have you been? It’s good to see you again.”

“Of course. I missed you too. I kept begging to meet, but Ashley only just gave me the chance now. You really need to cut it out!”

Natalie, who had been warmly greeting him, suddenly changed targets. After releasing Karlyle from her embrace, she hit Ash’s back quite hard. It was such an abrupt action that Karlyle didn’t have time to react properly. At the slapping sound, Karlyle’s eyes widened. The person who touched Ash’s body, which should be cherished, happened to be Natalie, so he couldn’t say anything. Karlyle was deeply dismayed. He worried that a red mark might be left on his fair skin.

But Ash didn’t seem to mind. He stood beside Karlyle as if protecting him, not moving, and looked down at Natalie. His affable smiling face showed a hint of bewilderment.

“What did I do?”

“What do you mean, you won’t even let me meet your sister? What harm would I do, eat her up?”

Ash replied with a straight face.

“Was that so?”

“Karlyle, do you know how overprotective he’s been these past few months? I must have asked to meet dozens of times, but how could he be so clingy…”

At the unexpected story, Karlyle looked at Ash. Their eyes met. Ash made a truly bewildered expression, then gave Karlyle the beautiful smile he loved so much. Ash replied to Natalie in a fresh voice.

“What can I do? I don’t want to show you to anyone else but me.”

At those words, Natalie looked at Karlyle. Then she took a cucumber from the box Ash was holding and offered it to him. Karlyle was flustered by this sudden action, following the previous one. It hadn’t even been five minutes since Natalie appeared, but the house felt like it was in a storm. He had felt it before, but she was truly a person full of energy.

“I’m sorry, Karlyle. You’re Karlyle’s lover, and I hit his back as soon as I saw him. If it’s okay, could Karlyle hit him once instead? Isn’t it exasperating to have a brother who treats his sister like a stranger? Since you’re a gentleman, I’ll give you this to hit him with a tool, not your hand.”

Karlyle’s expression stiffened. Natalie’s request was unbelievably difficult. Like a machine with conflicting logic circuits, Karlyle’s thoughts froze at the crossroads of whether to make a good impression on Ash’s family or side with his beloved Ash.

However, he couldn’t just stand there blankly and make Natalie feel awkward. That would be impolite. Karlyle extended his arm and took the cucumber. Ash, who was watching him, tilted his head slightly towards Karlyle. Ash, with his lips near Karlyle’s ear, whispered to him while looking at Natalie.

“What does she want you to do with this? Lyle likes other things more than cucumbers, right, Lyle?”

At those words, Karlyle gazed at the cucumber in his hand. The cucumber, firmly gripped beneath his pale white hand, looked fresh at a glance. Karlyle wasn’t particularly picky about food and even liked cucumbers. Ash, however, didn’t eat them much, saying they smelled fishy.

Thinking that far, Karlyle suddenly recalled the jokes Ash often made when he saw long vegetables or fruits. No way? His body stiffened.

“No. I like cucumbers too.”

To prevent any irreverent jokes from his lover in front of his family, Karlyle tried to subtly redirect the conversation. However, perhaps his intention wasn’t properly conveyed, as Ash said something clearly contrary to Karlyle’s intention.

“Lyle likes something bigger than that—”

The moment those words came out, Karlyle unconsciously dropped the cucumber. His hand lost strength. The cucumber fell vertically and broke into two on the floor. All three gazes focused on the shattered cucumber. Ash, watching it, let out a faint sigh.

Karlyle’s eyes widened, unable to believe the mistake he had made. Ash stopped him as he immediately bent down. Lips gently touched his cheek.

“Were you surprised, darling? I’m sorry. I’ll clean this up, so could Lyle help with dinner preparations?”

Natalie also quickly nodded. Natalie, with a sorry expression, gestured to Karlyle. Karlyle reluctantly tore his gaze from the cucumber he had dropped. Guilt and apology surged simultaneously. He couldn’t believe he had made such a mistake, of all people.

“I’ll stop too. It was all a joke, so don’t worry about it. Okay? Oh, by the way, Ash, what time are the kids coming?”

“In two hours.”

Karlyle had no choice but to follow the siblings. He clenched and unclenched his cold hands. Both Ash and Natalie were cheerful people, and he felt like he was the only one who couldn’t keep up with the atmosphere. In reality, that was probably true. If it had been anyone else, they would have surely countered the situation humorously. His carefully composed mind instantly began to waver due to his foolish action of not being able to grant Natalie’s request and even damaging the ingredients she brought.

Karlyle generally didn’t care what others thought of him as a person. While he composed himself when appearing before those he needed to impress in social circles, that ultimately didn’t lead to an evaluation of Karlyle’s essence. His value was only converted into conditions. How cheerful or gentle he was wasn’t a primary concern for those Karlyle dealt with.

But it would be different for people like Ash and Natalie. While they might be attracted to his background, to truly get along, he had to be an interesting person himself. Of course, it would be different if someone approached him with his background in mind.

Karlyle recalled others’ evaluations of himself with a serious expression. His parents and Kyle never made negative comments about his personality because they loved him, but most people found Karlyle difficult. Nicholas was an example. Despite his rarely intimidated personality, Nicholas always felt uncomfortable around Karlyle. It was natural, as his way of speaking was not smooth to begin with.

Suddenly, an uneasy conviction struck him. A conviction that Karlyle, the person, would not seem very good to Ash’s friends either.

Seeing Ash and Natalie beckoning to him, Karlyle subtly lifted the corners of his lips, hiding his gloomy feelings. A sense of something going awry slowly began to spread.

Guests began to arrive exactly two hours later. The people they had invited today were Ash’s friends. Kyle and Nick had visited their house on the first day they moved in, so they weren’t present today.

However, accepting Ash’s request that it would look awkward if only his acquaintances were present, Karlyle called Aiden. It was unavoidable, as Karlyle’s other acquaintances, excluding Aiden, did not participate in such unofficial social gatherings. To be precise, they didn’t come to gatherings that weren’t beneficial.

Because of this, Karlyle once again realized how narrow his social circle was. It wasn’t that he lacked connections. There were countless people who would grant his requests if he asked. But Karlyle had only a few people he could truly get along with or rely on.

Since meeting Ash, he had tried not to think such thoughts, but as he stood in a burdensome situation, Karlyle began to recall negative things. Perhaps sensing his uneasiness, Ash took Karlyle up to their room just before people arrived.

Karlyle and Ash’s residence was a spacious three-story mansion located in Hampstead Heath. The location was chosen based on Ash’s opinion that it would be good to be near a park and close to where Karlyle used to live. Karlyle agreed with Ash’s wishes, liking his considerate heart. Karlyle, to begin with, didn’t know how to refuse Ash’s words.

The mansion, which included an outdoor swimming pool and a garden, had a glass-enclosed lounge on the first floor, like an annex, and its interior was made of wooden flooring and cozy ivory tiles. The entire south wall of the mansion was made of glass windows, providing excellent natural light. Excluding Ash’s studio, Karlyle’s office, the kitchen, their bedroom, and a private space for watching movies, it was a quite sizable mansion with six guest rooms.

Among them, Ash had paid special attention to the bedroom. The bed was chosen to be the largest and strongest available. After Karlyle’s rut a month ago, when the previous bed broke, Ash spent several days asking for Karlyle’s opinion while searching for a new one. And now, Karlyle was sitting on that bed with Ash.

“How are you feeling?”

Ash took the hand Karlyle had placed on his thigh. Their fingers intertwined. The feeling of fingers digging into the gaps and lacing together felt just like he was being held tight when he was anxious. Feeling like he could breathe, Karlyle let out a shallow sigh.

“Similar to this morning. I’m not sick, so you don’t need to worry.”

“If you get tired at any point, tell me and go rest. Okay?”

He couldn’t help but love Ash, who cared for him so much even though it was just a persistent cough. He knew his mother and father loved him and tried to take good care of him, but apart from that, Karlyle had never in his life received attention for such small things. He himself thought he didn’t need it, but having someone worry about him was more comforting than he had imagined.

“But… I don’t want to appear rude to Ash’s friends.”

Karlyle hesitated, then carefully voiced his opinion. Ash tilted his head slightly. His eyes softened at the corners.

“Was that so?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Then I’ll take care of it. Lyle, don’t worry about anything and just have fun.”