Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 116

“You don’t have to answer right away.”

Ashley spoke first, seeing Koi’s face clearly etched with confusion.

“Just think about it for now. Of course, if you have another path in mind, I’ll respect that. But I hope you’ll also consider the direction I mentioned.”

He added with more seriousness than ever before.

“Because I want to live with you after graduation.”

Koi hesitated, then nodded, saying, “Okay.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Alright.”

Ashley smiled brightly and changed the subject.

“We’ll be late for class, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Koi, giving the same answer this time, hurried to match his stride, almost running. But his mind was still a tangled mess.

The East, he thought.

Even lying in bed trying to sleep, Koi kept thinking the same thing.

He had never imagined he would leave the place he had lived his entire life. Even after falling for Ashley, he had vaguely only imagined a long-distance relationship, and following him was something he had never even considered.

Since when had Ash been thinking about this?

He had only thought of cohabitation, but Ashley had even mentioned marriage, so perhaps it had been from the very beginning.

Koi turned over to the other side again, blinking with a serious expression.

Was that the only way to be with Ash…?

Thinking about leaving this place somehow made him feel numb. It wasn’t because he particularly liked his old, cramped motorhome. It was just that leaving the place he had lived his whole life and going to an unfamiliar one felt frightening and he lacked the courage.

<I’ll take responsibility.>

Ashley’s face flickered before his eyes, and he unconsciously sighed. Ashley was born and raised in the East, so he was just returning to a familiar place. Perhaps he would find Koi’s fear difficult to understand.

Did Ash think the same way when he first came here?

Suddenly, Koi recalled. Ashley must have been much younger when he first came here than he was now, so what must it have felt like to come and stay alone in an unfamiliar place?

…Was there something so serious that he had to do that?

Just as he thought that, he heard the rattling sound of the motorhome door. Koi startled, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep. Soon after, the door opened, and a presence followed. Koi curled up tightly, his ears perked up.

His father had been drinking less lately. Instead, he spent more time sitting in his chair with the light on late into the night, lost in thought.

Today, too, Koi was inwardly tense as his father turned on the dim light, sat in the shabby dining chair, and let out a long sigh. It had been a long time since he had seen his father’s face, but it didn’t matter. Whether he drank or not, he would get upset upon seeing Koi, and the outcome would surely not be good.

So it’s okay.

Koi squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep. A night as long as his father’s sigh was passing.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Koi ran to Ashley, who was waiting in the usual spot, and looked up to greet him.

Ashley hugged and kissed him, then returned the greeting. As they drove to school, they talked about everyday things. The proposal Ashley had made the day before seemed to be ignored by both, as if it had never happened, but in truth, they were both thinking the same thing.

When would Koi answer?

When should he answer?

Ashley knew that leaving the place he had lived his entire life was not an easy decision. He had his reasons, and the conditions were right for him. But Koi would have to abandon everything familiar and leave, trusting only Ashley. It would not be an easy decision.

Still, Ashley believed that Koi would eventually accept his proposal. It was the only way they wouldn’t break up, and he was confident that Koi felt the same way. So he decided to wait for Koi’s answer without rushing him.

“Hey, Ash! Koi!”

As they got out of the car, a guy from the ice hockey team, who had spotted them first, greeted them. The person who greeted Ashley first then greeted Koi, and they walked side by side. In the meantime, Bill joined them, and another guy chimed in, forming their usual group.

Even as they walked, Ashley had his arm around Koi’s shoulder. The guys noticed it, but no one said anything. Koi, unaware, blended in among them.

The morning passed quickly as usual, and as soon as they gathered in the cafeteria for lunch, one of the guys started.

“Did any college pamphlets come?”

Another guy answered his question.

“A few came. More will probably come.”

“Didn’t you have enough points? My consultant told me it’d be good to get more volunteer hours.”

“You should’ve done that ages ago.”

“I thought I had plenty.”

Listening to the back-and-forth, Koi felt a strange sensation. College consulting was something he couldn’t even dream of. As someone who had to research schools on his own and personally apply to each one, he had to move earlier and faster than the other kids.

“I should have applied early.”

“The situation wasn’t right. And it’s better to be careful.”

“Ash, why didn’t you? You met all the conditions for early application, didn’t you? Didn’t your consultant tell you? Did you get consulting?”

Koi was curious too. Since he had looked at colleges in the East, hadn’t he done something in that regard? He had said he would go to the same college as his father, so his path must be decided, and had he already applied there?

While silently waiting for an answer, Bill, who was sitting next to Koi, let out a small groan.

He turned his head and saw a wilted lettuce leaf stuck to a hamburger patty. Seeing the large boy struggling to somehow peel off the small leaf stuck in the middle of the meat, Koi couldn’t help but let out a “Pfft” of laughter.

At the sound of his laughter, Ashley turned his head. Bill also looked at him curiously, and Koi, embarrassed by the gazes from both sides, blushed and opened his mouth.

“No, it’s just, something was on it.”

“On my face?”

At Bill’s question, Koi nodded and pointed to the corner of his own mouth. Seeing this, Bill held his hamburger in one hand and wiped the corner of his mouth with the other.

But that was a big mistake. The burger sauce that had remained on his hand from trying to remove the lettuce earlier now smeared even more around his mouth. Seeing this, the rest of the guys burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Idiot, you fool!”

Ashley, who had been laughing along with the guys, clapping his hands, was about to open his mouth to change the subject. But at that moment, Koi’s face, brightly smiling and looking at Bill, came into his view.

For a very brief, fleeting moment, Ashley felt an ominous premonition. And it proved true. Koi raised his hand and wiped the corner of Bill’s mouth with his thumb.

“There, it’s done.”

Koi said, smiling again. Bill also smiled back at him and said,

“Thanks, Koi. You really are an angel.”

After that, Bill continued to say something like, “Those gorilla guys are really no help at all…,” but Ashley couldn’t hear it.

“Ash?”

Koi looked at him, called his name curiously. But Ashley didn’t react. Seeing Ashley frozen and silent, Koi was momentarily flustered.

“Ash, what’s wrong?”

As he called his name with an inward unease, Ashley suddenly looked at him. The moment their eyes met, Koi flinched, startled by the unexpected situation, and hunched his shoulders. Ashley was glaring at him with terrifying eyes.

“Um…”

He hesitated, about to speak, when Ashley suddenly stood up. Koi wasn’t the only one flustered.

The other guys also stared at him with wide eyes. They couldn’t understand what was going on, when Ashley grabbed Koi’s arm.

“Come here for a moment.”

“Uh, huh?”

Koi, bewildered, got up and followed him. The remaining guys just stared blankly at Koi being dragged away by Ashley.

“…Hey, what happened?”

To a question from one of the guys, Bill answered with an equally blank face.

“I don’t know either.”

He muttered, bewildered.

“I just wiped something off his face…”

“Ash likes Koi.”

“Even so, he’s getting that angry over just that?”

“Ash is cool, he’s not that kind of guy.”

Everyone looked at each other, perplexed. They couldn’t understand what had happened at all.