Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 137

From the moment he stepped foot in the airport, Koi felt half-crazed. The East Coast’s air was different from the West Coast where he had lived until now. The scorching sunlight, and the contrasting cool yet gentle breeze, were nowhere to be felt here. There were no leisurely smiles from people, as bright as the sunlight.

He walked with hunched shoulders, startled by the momentum of people rushing past him with expressionless faces. Seeing the gray sky instead of the familiar clear blue made him feel strange. Koi pulled his luggage diligently, moving his feet to avoid people who raced forward like racehorses.

He finally arrived at the motel he had booked in advance and unpacked. The first thing he did was look for a place to stay long-term. Traveling by subway and seeing people walk past without any reaction even after bumping into him felt completely foreign. He spent several hours feeling as if he had come to another dimension.

“Koi, welcome!”

Upon opening the door and seeing him, his former classmate greeted him with a warm hug, and Koi finally relaxed, hugging her back.

“Long time no see, Al. How have you been?”

“Of course, come on in.”

Al stepped aside, letting him into the house. Koi handed her the bouquet he had brought from the entrance, then paused at the sight of a man he had never seen before greeting him inside. The man smiled and extended a hand.

“Hello, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Garrett White. Al’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Connor Niles, Al’s classmate. Please call me Koi.”

After watching them shake hands lightly, Ariel interjected.

“Are you hungry? It’s almost ready. Do you want some wine first? I’ve prepared some.”

Ariel led Koi to the living room and soon returned with wine poured into glasses. While they finished the preparations, Koi drank his wine and watched them.

According to what Ariel had told him beforehand, Garrett was a reporter who worked at the same news agency as her. They had been living together for about six months and seemed to be getting along well without major issues so far. Watching them set the table together, exchanging light jokes, and working in sync without needing to speak, they seemed very comfortable with each other.

After finishing preparations, Koi moved to the dining table and his eyes widened at the abundance of food. Seeing his reaction, Ariel sat down in a chair and asked,

“Was the journey tough? Did you find a place to stay?”

Koi took the salad she served him onto his plate and replied,

“I’m still looking. I saw about two places today, but I’ll start looking seriously tomorrow.”

“The rent won’t be easy.”

Garrett said with a worried expression. Koi could only offer an awkward smile, as he had braced himself for it. In fact, one of the reasons Ariel and Garrett lived together was precisely that. It was common to find roommates to afford the exorbitant monthly rent. Koi vaguely thought he might have to find a place that way too.

“Isn’t the West Coast better? The weather’s nice too.”

Ariel cut off Garrett’s question.

“It’s good to live in a different state at least once. I came all the way here too.”

Ariel had moved to the East Coast shortly after graduating. She had been working as a reporter there ever since, building up a considerable career and becoming quite well-known. Her help was significant in Koi’s decision to come here.

When he announced he would move to the East Coast not long after his father passed away, everyone who knew him reacted with surprise. Of course, it was a perfectly natural reaction, so Koi wasn’t flustered at all.

Why suddenly?

Everyone’s question was the same. Indeed, for Koi, who had lived in the same neighborhood his entire life, to go to the East Coast, a completely opposite place with no connections, it was understandable why anyone would be curious. But Koi only replied, “Because I just wanted to go.” Only Ariel and Bill knew his true intentions.

It took several years to save enough money for the plane ticket and to sustain himself until he found a job on the East Coast. But eventually, Koi did it, and he came all the way here.

“I still can’t believe it. That you’re here.”

After finishing their meal, Ariel said, sitting in the living room and drinking together. It seemed she truly hadn’t believed Koi would come to the East Coast. She might have thought he would give up. When she heard that Koi and Ashley had dated and broken up, Ariel had a similar reaction. In fact, Bill wouldn’t have believed Koi’s words if he hadn’t witnessed the situation firsthand.

Koi still vividly remembered the day the three of them sat on the greenbelt and talked about what had happened. At first, Ariel didn’t believe Koi’s confession and frowned. But when Bill solemnly vouched for everything being true, she finally fell silent.

However, that didn’t mean she approved of Koi’s decision. To go to the East Coast just to meet Ashley? It was an absurd idea. In fact, Bill and Ariel thought Koi would eventually get tired and give up. Wasn’t it perfectly natural? To stake one’s life on someone unreachable, a relationship that had already ended.

But Koi was finally here. Ariel remembered the day she received his call. That day, and even now, sitting across from him, it still didn’t feel real. Koi had actually done it.

Almost ten years had passed since that day. During that time, Koi worked day and night, saving money, and finally came all the way here. Ariel suddenly wore a look of deep emotion. Several years had already passed since she left the West Coast. Soon, they began to chatter about old times.

“How’s Whitney doing well?”

Ariel happily asked about her high school classmate and sister. Koi readily answered what he knew. One of the sisters who got married right after high school had already given birth to her third child, someone else had started a small business that was doing quite well, and someone else had moved to another state and was completely out of touch.

“Bill’s changing teams this time.”

At Koi’s words, Ariel casually said, “Oh, really?” and sipped her wine. Bill had become a professional ice hockey player. He was probably among the top five most successful classmates.

As they happily reminisced about past events, Garrett, who had been laughing and occasionally interjecting, chimed in.

“But Koi, why did you come here? It must have been hard to leave your hometown. All your friends are there, aren’t they?”

A somewhat tipsy Ariel shot Garrett a fierce look. It was a warning to him for asking a useless question, but Koi stopped her.

“It’s okay, Al. You’re right, Garrett. I came here for something I want.”

“…What?”

This time, Al sighed and said to Garrett, who cautiously asked after glancing at Ariel,

“He has someone he wants to meet. Is that enough?”

“Ah, I see. …Then, do you really need to stay here? A trip would be enough.”

Ariel put down her legs, which had been comfortably resting on Garrett’s thigh, and apologized to Koi.

“I’m sorry, Koi. He’s a reporter too, so he talks a lot. Prying is also part of his daily life.”

“Al, I just wanted to get to know him…”

Seeing Garrett protest, Koi gave a wry smile and shook his head.

“It’s okay, Al. It’s okay, Garrett. Well, how should I put it… I do have someone I want to meet, but it’s not easy to meet them… so I’m trying to find an opportunity… so, if there’s an opportunity, I want to meet them…”

As he rambled on, struggling to find the right words to express himself, Garrett’s eyes sparkled, and he suggested,

“You’re looking for someone? Who? It’s fine, I’m an expert at this, so tell me. I’ll find them and arrange a meeting tomorrow, no, within a week…”

“Garrett White.”

Finally, Ariel frowned and called him by his full name. Garrett flinched, and Ariel looked at him sternly and said,

“I know where he is. He’s not hard to find. So you don’t need to help.”

“…Alright.”

“Thank you.”

Ariel, her face stiff, concluded and turned her attention back to Koi.

“There’s no guarantee he’ll meet you, you know that, right?”

Koi gave an awkward smile to Ariel, whose expression had softened compared to when she was dealing with Garrett.

“It’s okay. I…”

He hesitated, lowering his gaze.

“I just… want to see him one more time.”

That was the reason he had come here, prepared to live indefinitely. Ashley might never meet him. But if they lived in the same city, wouldn’t they eventually cross paths on the street? That was all Koi wished for. Ariel looked at Koi and spoke.

“He’s very different from before. If you think he’s still the same, you’ll be greatly disappointed.”