Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 28

Josh froze in surprise.

The acrid smell of cigarette smoke reached him belatedly. He must have come outside for a smoke. Isaac and Henry must be somewhere nearby. Thinking that, he quickly looked around, but only Chase was visible.

Are they hiding somewhere out of sight?

Chase would certainly get annoyed and tell them not to follow him. So, of course, they would be hiding and guarding him.

In any case, it was an awkward situation to step forward. If he went around behind him, he might be caught, and if he cut across in front, he remembered Henry getting hit in the head with a cell phone in a similar situation.

The only option left was to retreat. In this case, he had no choice but to go around the other way. Josh made his decision and subtly backed away. But luck was not on his side.

Suddenly, Chase turned his head and their eyes met directly. Josh instantly froze.

He had successfully avoided him until now, but encountering him in this situation left him no escape. Josh felt a sense of frustration inwardly as he looked at him.

The silence of the quiet garden felt particularly strong. The noise from the mansion where the party was in full swing, and the faint cheers echoing from outside, felt distant. The rustling of leaves, disturbed by the wind passing between Josh and Chase, sounded even louder.

Ah.

Suddenly, a sweet scent mingled at the tip of his nose. It was Chase’s pheromone scent. Upon realizing this, his heart suddenly pounded, yet strangely, his mind felt peaceful.

Chase was surprisingly silent. He didn’t throw anything, didn’t get annoyed, didn’t even curse. Josh suddenly felt that he seemed very tired.

Could it be that he ran away from the crowd?

His pale face, illuminated by the streetlights in the garden, was simply forlorn. The moment he saw that face, his heart pounded madly. Why did the wind have to blow at this very moment, disheveling Chase’s hair, and why did his lowered eyelashes cast such long shadows?

His face suddenly flushed. Josh instinctively covered his mouth with one hand. As he barely swallowed his ragged breath, Chase turned his head as if he had heard the sound.

Their gazes met immediately. Chase’s eyes narrowed, and Josh held his breath.

Chase put the cigarette to his lips. As he inhaled deeply, a red spark flared. Slowly exhaling the smoke, he used the long fingers holding the cigarette to brush back his disheveled hair. Suddenly, he noticed those fingers trembling slightly.

“Ah,” Josh sighed. He should have just backed away and pretended not to notice. He regretted it belatedly, but having seen that face, he couldn’t turn away now.

He knew this man was a complete scoundrel, he knew he would throw punches at the slightest provocation, and he also knew that the moment he opened his mouth, all sorts of curses would spill out and ruin his mood.

Nevertheless, Josh couldn’t leave.

Suddenly, Chase smiled faintly. At the same time, Josh’s heart began to pound madly. His lips parted, and a voice that tickled his ears flowed out like a whisper.

“Why aren’t you fucking gone yet, you bastard?”

At the same time, Josh quickly suppressed the excitement in his heart, which was replaced by a surge of anger. There was probably no one in the world who didn’t get treated like shit by this man. Josh answered coldly.

“It’s my job to protect you.”

As he recited the words he had used to rationalize himself, Chase unexpectedly chuckled.

“Sounds like a dog.”

He muttered it to himself, but Josh knew it was meant for him to hear. Josh opened his mouth without much thought.

“You don’t like dogs, so how about a cat?”

Chase immediately frowned and glared at him. Josh quickly smiled.

“Just kidding.”

“…”

Of course, it didn’t work. Josh pretended not to notice the cold gaze and turned his head away.

“…”

“…”

A faint murmur could be heard. The noise of the party and the distant cheers of people mingled, but they were far too weak to break the silence between them.

Hmph.

Chase took another drag of smoke and dropped the finished cigarette on the ground. Josh silently watched him extinguish the ember with his shoe. Chase took out a cigarette case from his pocket and skillfully picked one out, putting it to his lips. Josh shook his head, refusing the case he readily offered.

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

Chase withdrew his hand again, then took out a lighter and lit it.

“Why? You used to smoke.”

Chase asked, exhaling smoke and creating a spark. Josh answered carelessly.

“Yes, I did, but I quit now…”

He suddenly stopped speaking in surprise. Chase’s face came into his wide-open view. With a strange smile, his narrowed eyes looked down at him.

“…”

“…”

Josh was speechless for a moment, staring at Chase’s face. It was the first time his mind had been so blank.

He remembered? This man, me?

Josh didn’t know how to process this unbelievable fact. He slowly brought the cigarette to his mouth. Even as he exhaled a long stream of smoke, Chase’s gaze remained fixed on Josh.

“…Since when, how?”

“Who knows.”

Josh stammered the question, but Chase merely looked at him with a faint, amused smile. Seeing Josh’s obvious confusion, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Had he ever felt such exhilaration? Chase leisurely retorted,

“Does that matter?”

“…”

Josh closed his mouth. He was right. When it started, or how he knew, didn’t matter at all. He was just curious.

Why did this man remember him?

As he recalled Chase violently thrusting his hips above him, an unfamiliar scent mixed with the cigarette smoke stopped his thoughts. Chase’s familiar pheromone scent was mixed with another omega’s pheromone scent. A corner of his heart suddenly turned cold.

Did he fool around with someone at the party?

Considering the messy private lives of extreme alphas, it was entirely plausible.

There’s no way Chase Miller would be an exception. I saw him go to the party with my own eyes.

Josh thought he had made a logical inference. Nevertheless, the reason he frowned was simply because Chase was pathetic, truly.

Josh tried to ignore him and leave. But unfortunately, luck was not on his side. Chase’s gaze, which had been fixed on Josh, blurred. He seemed to grimace, then let out a groan. Josh blinked in surprise.

“Mr. Miller?”

He called out urgently, but he didn’t answer. However, the sight of him clutching his head with both hands and crouching, bent in half, was clearly not normal. He stomped his foot on the ground several times, as if angry about something, then soon quieted down. But he remained in the crouched position, holding his head.

Is he unwell somewhere?

The cigarette he had been smoking lay on the ground, still lit. Chase had clearly dropped it. Josh quickly approached him.

“Mr. Miller, are you alright?”

Haa, haa.

Chase’s ragged breathing broke the silence of the quiet garden, echoing particularly loudly. The noise from the mansion where the party was in full swing, and the faint cheers echoing from outside, felt distant.

Only an unfathomable stillness filled the space between them. The rustling of leaves, disturbed by the wind passing through the empty space, sounded unusually loud.

His pale face, illuminated by the streetlights in the garden, was both similar to and different from the forlorn expression he had worn that night, bathed in moonlight, when he clung to him, crying. Today’s Chase didn’t seem as defenseless as he had that day. He just looked tired. As if all the strength had drained from his body.

His heart continued to pound. Dyed black hair fell across his pale face, casting shadows. But he didn’t try to brush it away. Josh, who had instinctively raised his hand, suddenly came to his senses.

I need to get out of here. Isaac and Henry are probably watching from somewhere nearby. How strange and ridiculous must I look, staring blankly like this, in their eyes?

But before Josh could think of an excuse, Chase turned his body first. As he suddenly left, a sense of relief mixed with emptiness washed over him. But he had no time for such meaningless emotions.

“…Huh?”

Chase stumbled for a moment. Fortunately, he quickly regained his balance, but it was strange. Josh, surprised, approached him and asked,

“Mr. Miller, are you alright?”

Oops, he thought, but it was already too late. Josh quickly looked around. There was no sign of anyone. Surely Isaac and Henry hadn’t both left their posts.

“Mr. Miller.”

He called his name again with a foreboding feeling, but he couldn’t answer. Josh’s face instantly paled at his rough breathing.

“Mr. Miller.”

Haa, haa.