Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 193

“Koi!”

“Al!”

As soon as they saw each other, they hugged tightly and shared their joy, then hugged once more with force before letting go. Koi looked down at Ariel with a bright face and spoke.

“How have you been? I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you.”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry for calling you for something like this.”

Ariel, who apologized with furrowed brows, let Koi into her apartment. She sighed and continued speaking to Koi, who stopped and waited in the living room.

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t solve it. You’re the only one I can ask.”

“It’s okay, it’s even better if I can help.”

Koi said cheerfully with a smile. Ariel smiled back apologetically and headed to the kitchen first. Koi looked at the sink she pointed to, turned on the water to check the drainage, and then spoke.

“It’s not severely clogged. I think I can clear it by disassembling the bottom… it’ll get a bit messy. Do you have any old towels or clothes? Can you give me some?”

“Oh, just a moment.”

She hurried inside and came out with an armful of cloth bundles. Ariel sat on a dining chair, watching Koi lay towels around the sink and begin his work. Seeing Koi move his hands quietly and skillfully, she suddenly thought he looked cool.

Get a grip, she’s my sister.

Ariel inwardly chastised herself and unconsciously gave a wry smile. She was always attracted to men who were professional in their work. The thought that Garrett was the same made her feel bitter.

“It’s a shame Garrett isn’t here; he used to do all this.”

“Where did he go?”

Ariel answered calmly to Koi, who asked casually, wondering if he had gone on a reporting trip.

“We broke up.”

Koi stopped what he was doing, surprised, and looked at her. Ariel continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“When you live together, there are things that don’t match, you know. He took all his remaining belongings last week, so it’s completely over.”

“Oh, I see.”

Koi didn’t know what to say and only managed that much. Ariel smiled as if to reassure him and replied.

“It’s nothing. You meet people, you break up, and you meet new people. I’ll meet a good person again.”

Of course, she would. Ariel always had boyfriends, and if she became single, there would be plenty of men in the world who would welcome it. As Koi nodded in agreement, Ariel sighed and said.

“The problem is the rent. It was manageable when Garrett and I split it, but I can’t afford the rent here by myself.”

At her words, Koi unconsciously looked around the apartment. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment was quite large and had good transportation, making it very expensive. Living alone in such a place would require an enormous amount of money. To Koi, whose worried expression naturally showed, Ariel added nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry, there are many ways, like house-sharing. More importantly, how are you? You seem to be getting along very well with that guy, don’t you?”

At the sudden change of topic, Koi flinched and his eyes widened. His face quickly flushed, and he frantically averted his gaze, flustered. Seeing this, Ariel said indifferently.

“I knew it as soon as I saw you, so don’t be so surprised. His pheromone scent is practically overflowing from you, it’s sickening.”

“R-really?”

Koi hurriedly looked around his body, but he had no way of knowing. Ariel looked at Koi and continued mischievously.

“How much do you have to stick together for a Beta to smell like an Extreme Alpha? If it weren’t for your eye color, people would think you’re an Extreme Alpha. Was it okay when you came? I think Omegas would have reacted.”

“Uh…”

Koi hesitated before answering.

“It was fine. The front desk prepared a taxi for me, so I took that…”

So they’re living together quite naturally.

Ariel frowned, recalling Ashley’s arrogant face. Whatever tricks that fox-like guy used, it was clear that Koi had fallen for its hook, line, and sinker, and things had just progressed haphazardly. She couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking.

It’s a relief that Koi seems to be doing well, but…

Meanwhile, Koi had finished his work. He reconnected the pipes, ran water to check, and nodded with satisfaction. Ariel also smiled and clasped his hand tightly.

“Thank you, Koi. It really finished quickly.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

Seeing Koi’s bashful expression, Ariel smiled and continued.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, want to stay longer? I’ll prepare some tea and snacks.”

Then, after glancing at Koi, she added.

“Want to wash up? Your clothes got dirty. Garrett left some shirts. He said I could throw them away, so I’ll give you one.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

Ariel led Koi to the bathroom, handed him a shirt, and then returned to the kitchen. Left alone, Koi took off his clothes and unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. If Ariel had seen his naked body, she would have been horrified. He looked around his body, which was clearly marked with bite and suck marks everywhere, then quickly washed himself and changed into the shirt.

When he came out, Ariel had finished preparing. She was pouring tea water and smiled at Koi, asking.

“This is the tea I’m really into these days. Want to try it? Or should I give you something else?”

“It’s okay, I’ll have this too.”

At Koi’s reply, she readily placed a teacup down and set the table. Sitting across from him with snacks, Ariel finally brought up the main topic.

“Now tell me, how are you doing with that guy?”

“Huh? Uh…”

Koi’s face quickly flushed red. It was common for friends to ask how they were doing with their partners. Ariel had casually talked about breaking up with Garrett, so she might be curious about Koi. However, it was an unfamiliar situation for him, making it incredibly awkward.

“I-I’m doing… very well.”

Koi’s gaze lingered on his teacup as he answered softly. His face grew hotter and hotter, and he finally confessed, feeling his heart pound as if it would explode.

“We… we liked each other.”

Ariel’s hand, which was bringing the teacup to her lips, stopped in mid-air. Koi, still unable to lift his head, continued.

“I, um… accidentally told him I liked him. And then Ash…”

Seeing him hang his head, too embarrassed to say more, Ariel slowly put down her teacup. She waited, secretly anxious about how that cunning bastard had twisted his tongue, when Koi finally managed to speak.

“He said he’d loved me his whole life, and that there would only ever be me. He said he’d always loved only me.”

Wow, that con artist bastard.

Ariel’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Seeing Koi sitting across the table, flustered with embarrassment, made her even more dumbfounded. To have sweet-talked innocent Koi and devoured him so easily. She was so flabbergasted that she couldn’t speak.

Perhaps it was an inevitable outcome. Ariel was most responsible for telling Ashley when Koi wasn’t getting paid.

It’s like trying to avoid a fox and running into a tiger.

Ariel was at a loss as to how to resolve this situation. Many thoughts swirled in her mind, but she couldn’t voice them. Koi was smiling shyly, his face flushed, looking so incredibly happy.

Ariel knew how difficult Koi’s life had been. Her friend, who had always seemed so pitiful, was finally happy. Was it right to shatter that?

Ash had a woman he was going to marry and went to pheromone parties every week.

Ariel struggled to keep what she knew from escaping her lips. If Koi found out about this, how hurt would he be?

Perhaps he might think it was in the past and be okay with it. But human reason always operates separately from emotion. Koi would definitely be bothered, and his happiness would surely not be the same as before.

He said he genuinely liked Koi.

Ariel tried to convince herself. Whatever Ashley’s intentions, that much was true. Could even that be a lie? For a moment, she felt uneasy, but then she denied it. Ashley had no reason to go that far with Koi. Why would he go to such trouble for something that offered no apparent benefit?

But if his feelings haven’t changed…

She couldn’t ignore the ominous words Ashley had spoken. As Ariel wavered, Koi continued.

“Um, so… Ash said he’d introduce me to a job, but I don’t know when that’ll be, so I’m thinking of getting a part-time job separately.”

“Huh? A part-time job?”

She quickly collected herself and asked. Koi replied shyly.

“To buy a ring.”

“A ring?”

To Ariel, who had again repeated his words, Koi, still looking embarrassed but resolute, declared.

“I’m going to propose to Ash.”

At his words, Ariel’s jaw dropped.