Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 65

At the stiff tone, Grayson blinked, then smiled. Unexpectedly, he complimented Josh.

“You’re smart.”

“Thank you.”

Josh retorted sarcastically. Grayson stroked his chin and looked down at him for a moment. He was still a man with an uncomfortable gaze. Josh wished this man would leave, but he showed no signs of moving.

“…What are you doing?”

It was Chase who snatched Grayson’s suddenly outstretched hand. With a still pale face, he glared at Grayson and asked in a low voice. Josh looked at the hand that had stopped in front of his eyes, then shifted his gaze to Chase, and then back to Grayson. Grayson remained still, his gaze fixed on Josh.

“You don’t look like a Beta at all, are you really a Beta?”

“Yes.”

At Chase’s stiff reply, Grayson finally turned his gaze to him.

“What makes you so sure?”

At the amused nuance, Chase, still with a rigid face, spat out.

“You can tell by the scent, there’s none at all. And he didn’t react to my pheromones either.”

“Oh…”

Grayson let out a slow exclamation. Chase and Josh simultaneously thought, Ah, shoot, but a strange smile had already appeared on his face.

“You smelled him and even used pheromones? Why?”

“Go.”

“What are you curious about?”

“Go!”

“Mr. Miller.”

Josh quickly stepped between them. Chase and Grayson’s gazes simultaneously turned to him. He spoke calmly. Mr. Miller, he was about to say, but then realized they both had the same surname. He had no choice but to omit the title.

“Your brother just woke up and is tired. Please go home for today and come back another time.”

Josh added to Grayson, who was looking down at him with narrowed eyes.

“Make an appointment beforehand.”

He wondered what he would do if this man didn’t back down easily. Of course, he intended to use force to kick him out if necessary. He added the rational reason that it was his job, but in truth, he would do anything to protect Chase.

For a moment, Grayson showed no reaction. Josh frowned at the gaze that simply watched him.

What is that expression?

It was hard to read his emotions. Whether he was flustered, bewildered, angry, or disappointed, this was the first time he had seen someone make such an expression. Josh had no idea what this man was thinking.

“Well.”

When Grayson spoke, Josh glared at him warily. He was ready to attack if necessary, but unexpectedly, Grayson smiled brightly and looked at Chase.

“Then I’ll have to go, no choice.”

He couldn’t believe Grayson was giving up so easily. Was he serious? To Josh, who looked at him suspiciously, Grayson continued with a smile.

“Instead, would you see me off to the entrance? My brother probably won’t, and it’s lonely going back alone.”

He was a man who only said things that didn’t suit him every time he opened his mouth. Josh, dumbfounded, nodded silently.

“Then Chase, work hard.”

“Shut up.”

Despite Chase’s curse, Grayson shook his head, even sighed, then turned around. Josh was momentarily tense, wondering if he would hit him over the head with a chair from behind, but thankfully Chase only let out a short curse and didn’t attack him. To send him away before things escalated, Josh hurriedly followed Grayson.

“Ah.”

Just as they were almost at the entrance, Grayson suddenly stopped. What now? Josh frowned irritably. Grayson glanced back, then turned his gaze to Chase and smiled sweetly.

“If you want him, just make him an Omega, Chase.”

“Right?” Grayson added, smiling at Josh. What kind of talk was this in front of the person concerned? Josh wasn’t the only one dumbfounded. This time, Chase tried to grab him by the collar, but Grayson quickly dodged away as if fleeing.

“See you next time, Doctor Flame.”

He added mockingly, not forgetting to chuckle.

“Mr. Miller, this way.”

Josh had to quickly drag Grayson away before Chase committed murder.

“Hoo.”

Finally, stepping out of the trailer into the wide-open outdoors, the suffocating feeling in his chest eased somewhat. Josh took a deep breath, then his eyes met Grayson’s. Immediately, his expression hardened. Grayson then said with a bitter smile.

“Don’t be so wary, it’s truly ridiculous. It’s so hard to meet my brother.”

“You know the reason better than anyone.”

At Josh’s words, Grayson looked surprised. Josh frowned. Why did all this man’s expressions seem so artificial?

“I have no idea, do you? What’s your name, by the way?”

Josh pretended not to notice the probing intention and said.

“No one likes being forced.”

“Forced? Me? What?”

Josh couldn’t tell if this man was trying to joke with him unnecessarily or if he genuinely didn’t know. He watched silently as Grayson seriously stroked his chin, then tilted his head.

“Are you perhaps talking about that?”

Just as Josh thought they were finally getting somewhere, Grayson continued.

“The time Chase was always the bait when we played hide-and-seek? Putting him in the closet to get used to the dark? Dropping him down the chimney to tell him Santa wasn’t real? Pushing him in front of the school bus because he didn’t want to go to school? Locking him in the audio room for three days and playing movies all day to study acting when he debuted? Or…”

“Wait, wait a minute. My God, what are you talking about? You did all that to Chase, Mr. Miller? And there’s still more?”

Josh, exasperated by the endless stream of past events, stopped him. Grayson’s mouth hung open, and he blinked.

“Yes, why?”

Josh looked at him, speechless. Grayson frowned, then eventually sighed.

“No, I really don’t understand.”

Grayson continued.

“Why on earth is he like that? We truly did our best. Using Chase as bait was just saving us the trouble because he always got caught and became the tagger anyway. The chimney too, he kept insisting Santa was real when he isn’t. So I just pushed him in to test if a person could really go up and down a chimney. His arm broke, but his neck didn’t, so isn’t that good enough? And also… Oh, right. If you don’t want to go to school, you need a reason, right? Do you know how much trouble I went through to ditch the driver on purpose, wait at the school bus stop, drag him out while he struggled, and push him at the right time? It’s a good thing Stacy helped, or I almost failed. Thanks to that, he legitimately skipped school for six months. But that bastard isn’t grateful, no, he’s never even said thank you to me!”

Seeing Grayson suddenly get angry, Josh genuinely wondered. Where on earth should he be grateful? He suddenly felt like he understood why Chase had become such a messed-up person. Anyone would be twisted if they were tormented like that.

But Grayson still looked uncomprehending. Watching him frown, arms crossed, lost in thought, Josh felt a headache coming on.

“Isn’t that abuse?”

“Why? I was helping him, wasn’t I?”

Grayson reacted as if he genuinely had no idea. Josh pointed out with patience.

“If the person is suffering, it’s abuse, especially if it causes them hardship even as an adult.”

He added inadvertently.

“You know Mr. Miller is still struggling because of the dog, don’t you?”

This time, he expected Grayson to understand. But it was only Josh’s wish.

“What’s wrong with doing it with a dog?”

To his exasperation, Grayson asked with an incredibly innocent expression.

“It’s no different from having sex with a hole or a penis that I like.”

Josh had nothing more to say. Only then did he reluctantly accept the truth he had wanted to deny.