Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 37

“What are you doing?”

Ashley asked, having just spotted Koi about to move his steak to Ashley’s plate. Koi paused and looked up at him.

“Uh, well, it’s a bit much for me.”

“You’re only eating that much?”

Ashley’s gaze shifted to Koi’s plate. Koi, who also looked down at the significantly reduced amount of meat, forced a smile.

“Yeah, I don’t usually eat a lot.”

“…Really?”

While Ashley reacted lukewarmly, Koi quickly moved the meat he was holding. After successfully completing his mission, he even felt a sense of pride. He smiled contentedly when he heard Ashley’s murmur.

“No wonder you’re as small as a bean if you eat so little.”

If anyone else had said that, Koi would have shouted, “Have you ever seen such a big bean? Aren’t you just foolishly too big? If all humanity ate like you, the Earth would have been destroyed long ago! You eat so many greens and so much meat, what would even be left?” and much more.

But the fact that it was Ashley crushed all his fighting spirit. Instead, Koi even nodded as if to say, If Ash says so, then it must be so, when Ashley asked him,

“What do you want to drink?”

“Oh? Oh, cola.”

He answered without thinking, and Ashley, who was standing with the refrigerator door open, asked again.

“Mango, apple, lime, zero, original, which one?”

“Ma, mango!”

Hearing that, Ashley took out two mango colas and two glass cups, then placed one in front of Koi.

“Thank you.”

He thanked him again, but Ashley turned around without much reaction and pressed the ice maker button on the refrigerator to fill the cups with ice. Koi blinked at the sight of Ashley, who demonstratively sat down, poured cola into his cup full of ice, and gulped it down.

“Um…”

“You don’t eat ice, do you?”

Koi, who was about to speak, was once again silenced by Ashley’s question, which came first.

“Uh, uh-huh.”

He mumbled evasively and silently drank his cola. He had said that was all the food they had, but as he ate, it turned out to be quite a lot. Koi filled his stomach with mashed potatoes and salad instead of the insufficient meat.

Having eaten a fair amount, Koi put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. Just then, Ashley also seemed to have finished eating and was wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Is the amount okay? Not too little?”

To Koi’s question, Ashley replied nonchalantly.

“I don’t always eat that much. This much is enough for now.”

He got up first and began clearing the plates. Already? Koi was surprised but quickly followed suit, clearing his plate. Ashley, who had tidied up the area in an instant, spoke first.

“Alright, shall we go practice now?”

The food he had just eaten, which had made him full, suddenly felt like it was stuck in his stomach. Koi felt a tightness in a corner of his chest and nodded.

“Yeah.”

The ice rink Ashley mentioned was on the second basement floor. To Koi’s question about what was on the first basement floor, Ashley simply replied, “Wine.”

…It’s cold.

Reaching the second basement floor, as soon as he opened the closed door, a blast of cold air rushed in. Koi huddled his body tightly and gasped for breath. Ashley, who had gone inside first, turned to him and said,

“Are you okay? Should I give you a jacket?”

“C-can I?”

Seeing Koi, who was immediately shivering, Ashley readily opened one of the several lockers placed to the side. Inside were some clothes and ice skates. Ashley took out a thin jumper from among them and offered it to Koi, saying,

“I’m giving this to you because you’re not used to it yet, but it’s good to adapt to this temperature. You have no choice if you want to join the cheerleading team.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Koi nodded obediently, but for now, escaping the cold was the priority. The jumper he received from Ashley wasn’t thick enough to block this chill, but it was better than nothing. Ashley watched him hastily put his arms through the sleeves and asked,

“What’s your shoe size?”

“Oh? Oh, 7.5.”

“What?”

He stopped looking for skates and turned his head. Koi was embarrassed but answered louder.

“I said 7.5. 7.5!”

“Huh…”

Ashley let out an unidentifiable exclamation and turned back. He only mumbled to himself, but in the silence of the empty ice rink, Koi could hear his voice all too clearly.

“Wow, I was an 8 when I was in 4th grade…“

Koi wanted to hide somewhere out of embarrassment.

The ice skates were very well preserved. Ashley said that his body grew so fast that there were many shoes and clothes he had never worn and just put away. Of course, for Koi, that was absolutely impossible.

“Is this side better? Or this side?”

Koi pondered for a moment at Ashley’s question. By foot size, the right one fit well, but the left one felt more secure. When he told him honestly, Ashley made the decision for him.

“Then let’s go with the left. It’s better for ice skates to have no gaps.”

He added that it was easy to get injured if they were loose. Koi obeyed him without a word.

“Sit down, I’ll tie them for you.”

Ashley made Koi sit on the bench, then, without hesitation, knelt on one knee and bent down in front of him. A flustered Koi hastily reached out his hand.

“It’s okay, I’ll do it.”

“Next time.”

Ashley said, skillfully moving his hands.

“I’ll do it for you this time.”

Ashley was excessively kind. While Koi’s heart warmed at his kindness, he also chastised himself not to fall into complacency.

Ash is a good person, so he’s just kind to everyone.

It would be a huge misconception to think that he was special just because they happened to become close. Ashley had many friends, and even more people liked him. Everyone was looking for an opportunity to get closer to him. So, a situation like Koi’s could happen to anyone.

Just be grateful.

Koi soothed himself and lowered his gaze. Soon, he saw the crown of Ashley’s head. It was the first time he had seen the crown of his head. It was strange and fascinating. He had never imagined that he would ever look down at him like this.

And Ash is kneeling in front of me.

Koi held his breath and watched him. His long, slender fingers, skillfully twisting thin laces into knots, captivated his gaze. His fingers, with their long joints and elegant shape, and even his square fingernails, were beautiful.

Koi, who had been staring blankly at them, unconsciously asked,

“Ash, do you play any instruments?”

“Hmm… Flute?”

He had asked without much thought, but the answer that came back was unexpected. Koi blinked and asked,

“Flute? Really?”

“Yeah.”

Ashley, who had finished tying one lace, straightened up and took Koi’s other leg. He gently grasped his calf and pulled it towards himself, then bent his upper body again and wrapped the loosely untied lace around his fingers.

“I even took my instrument exam with it.”

“Really? With what?”

“Sentimental.”

“Sentimental?”

Ashley replied to Koi, who was repeating his words.

“Yeah, Claude Bolling’s.”

Koi had never heard the name before. In fact, he didn’t know much about music. Instead, he diligently memorized it in his head. He planned to look up that music when he was alone. But as if he had read Koi’s mind, Ashley stopped tying the laces, took out his cell phone from his pocket, and quickly typed something.

“Here, this.”

“Ah.”

He placed his cell phone on the bench next to where Koi was sitting and went back to what he was doing. Koi was about to thank him when music began to flow.

Quiet jazz music gently filled the air. Koi was momentarily speechless at the beautiful melody he heard for the first time.

Ash played this song…

Listening intently to the flute performance, he imagined how Ash would have played this song. Would he have traced each note with those long fingers tying the laces? With his eyes cast down like now, his long eyelashes occasionally flutter.

He must have inhaled every time a note ended. Opening his lips, drawing in breath, slowly exhaling with each note.

Ah.

Koi thought.

How beautiful that sight must have been.

It was then, when a faint sadness suddenly settled in his chest. Ashley, who had finished tying all the laces, looked up. Koi, who had been looking at Ashley until then, suddenly met his eyes. Ashley’s eyes curved, and his lips formed a soft line.