Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 41

As they walked towards Ashley’s parked car, Koi somehow felt like he was being dragged against his will. It was only natural. Ashley held his hand, fingers intertwined, and walked ahead, while Koi reluctantly shuffled behind him.

His heart felt uneasy with the large hand gripping his, and he subtly tried to pull his hand away. Noticing his movement, Ashley tightened his grip, holding him fast. Startled, Koi looked up, and Ashley, still looking straight ahead, said,

“I told you I wouldn’t let you go.”

The words, I won’t run away anymore, rose to the tip of his tongue, but they simply wouldn’t come out. Realistically, he was a caught fugitive from just moments ago. Koi, feeling that his own words wouldn’t be trustworthy, had no choice but to lower his head again.

This atmosphere was awkward and uncomfortable, yet it was strange that he felt a sense of relief from the warmth of Ashley’s hand, which held his and wouldn’t let go. Is this what friendship is like? Do emotions always fluctuate like this, with several feelings swirling around at once? Koi didn’t know. Ashley was his first friend.

Maybe I’m going through a late puberty.

Koi thought. He was past that age, but he had learned that such changes could happen at any age. Puberty brought not only physical changes but also intense emotional turmoil. Perhaps what he was experiencing now was exactly that.

Maybe manifestation and puberty are similar.

It was a rather plausible idea. After all, both involve significant changes. Most people experience them before puberty, but sometimes they appear in adulthood. If so, isn’t puberty, in a sense, like a manifestation that Betas experience? It would be interesting to write a paper or an essay about this.

Unexpectedly, finding a topic for an essay was good. But his escape from reality ended there.

Koi cautiously glanced at Ashley. He still hadn’t turned his head, so Koi couldn’t see his expression. Ashley hadn’t looked back once while pulling Koi along.

He must be very angry.

Koi was suddenly scared. Of course. He had run away with all his might the moment he saw Ashley, so anyone would be dumbfounded and angry. Moreover, Ashley had stayed at school waiting for Koi’s results, even though he had no training today. For Koi to act like that was nothing short of stabbing him in the back.

Maybe he wasn’t waiting for me.

Suddenly, another thought came to mind. No, he said he was waiting for me. He quickly shook his head to dispel the negative thought, but once a doubt arose, it didn’t easily disappear.

What if he was waiting for me, but also waiting for Ariel?

Wouldn’t that make sense? Koi grew anxious again. He could hear about the pass or fail result from Ariel. If he failed, there would be no need to continue practicing, and that would be the end of it. If he passed, Ashley would have taken him home as usual.

Maybe he wanted to reconcile with Al on this occasion.

Ah, that’s it, Koi’s eyes widened. It made sense. It was excessive kindness for Ashley, who must already be tired from daily training, to even teach Koi how to skate. Since Ashley was Koi’s first friend, he didn’t know the limits of friendship, but if he put himself in Ashley’s shoes, he would have done the same. If Koi was absolutely necessary for Ashley, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

Yes, that’s what it was.

Doubt turned into conviction. Helping a friend and reconciling with his girlfriend—what a great idea. It was good for Koi too. He received Ashley’s help, and in turn, he was helpful to Ashley.

It’s really a good thing.

Koi glumly lowered his gaze. But why did he feel this way?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find the answer this time.

“Alright, get in.”

Ashley, who had reached the car, finally let go of Koi’s hand and instead opened the passenger door. As expected, he heard I passed, Koi thought. As he hesitated, unable to move, Ashley asked,

“I said, get in.”

“No, um…”

Many words came to mind, but the most useless one came out of Koi’s mouth.

“I need to get my bike…”

“Get in.”

Ashley cut him off.

“I’ll get it.”

With Ashley’s impatient urging, Koi could no longer resist. He eventually folded himself into the passenger seat, and Ashley closed the door. Soon after, there was a click, and the car door locked.

“Huh? Huh?”

Koi, who had been looking around in confusion, looked up to see Ashley conspicuously holding up his smart key before turning and walking away quickly. Koi watched his retreating figure blankly, his eyes wide.

No way.

A flustered Koi grabbed the door handle. But the door only clicked and didn’t open.

What’s going on?

He couldn’t understand. Is it possible for the door not to open from the inside? Does this car even have such a device? No, it’s possible to install one, but why would it be here?

Koi frantically looked around, trying to open the door several times, but failed. Finally, he had no choice but to accept reality.

Ash has imprisoned me.

It didn’t take long for Ashley to return to the car. Just as he had walked away with Koi’s bicycle slung over his shoulder, Ashley returned with long strides, opened the trunk, loaded the bicycle, and then returned to the driver’s seat.

“Alright, Koi. Talk.”

Ashley, who had locked the car door again, turned his body towards Koi. The interior of the Cayenne, which had felt infinitely spacious until now, suddenly felt suffocatingly narrow. He unknowingly leaned back, retreating as far as possible, and seeing this, Ashley frowned. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

“…Koi.”

After a moment, Ashley spoke. Koi was inwardly tense, but the emotion in Ashley’s subsequent voice was not anger, but something else.

“Koi, did I scare you?”

“Huh? Huh?”

At the unexpected question, Koi stammered without realizing it. Ashley spoke to Koi, who was blinking rapidly.

“Why did you suddenly run away? Even on the way here, you tried to escape again, didn’t you? Why did you do that? Did I do something wrong?”

“Uh…”

As a series of unimaginable words followed, Koi was so flustered that his mind went blank. He felt like he had thought a lot on the way here, but this was completely unexpected. Ashley furrowed his brow, watching Koi, who was only blinking.

“Could it be such a big mistake that it’s hard to talk about?”

“What… No, absolutely not!”

Belatedly, Koi shouted, shaking his head wildly. He finally stopped only after feeling dizzy, then gasped for breath and denied it again.

“It’s not like that, Ash. It’s not because of that.”

“Then?”

Ashley’s face grew even more serious. He had misunderstood him because of his unnecessary actions. Regret washed over Koi, but now it was more urgent to clear up Ashley’s misunderstanding than to blame himself.

“Um, so, that is…”

Koi fumbled for words, but it wasn’t easy. How could he explain this emotion that he couldn’t even understand himself?

Thankfully, Ashley patiently waited for him, who was at a loss and couldn’t find his words. How can Ash have so much patience? Realizing his respect for Ashley and his own patheticness at the same time, Koi took a deep breath.

“Um.”

“Yes.”

Koi, who had opened his mouth, soon met Ashley’s eyes. Ashley was listening to his words with utmost seriousness.

It’s okay.

Koi’s anxious heart gradually calmed down. I can tell Ash. he thought. No matter what he said, Ashley wouldn’t laugh at him. He took one more breath and finally confessed.

“I think I’m going through puberty.”

After finishing his sentence, Koi closed his mouth. Ashley was still looking at his face. For a few seconds, he showed no reaction.

“…What?”

After a long pause, Ashley’s only reaction was a distorted face. He couldn’t help it. He simply couldn’t understand what he had just heard. Puberty? They were in 11th grade. It was more absurd than Ariel’s idea of dressing a man in women’s clothes to ward off bad luck.

But Koi seemed to have some conviction in his own hypothesis. “Listen,” he said with more enthusiasm, and began to list the reasons why he thought so.

“They say it can come late, like manifestation. Of course, they say it’s an anomaly if it’s after 20, but anyway, I think I’m like that too.”

“You manifested?”

“No, I said puberty.”

Koi said with emphasis.

“It’s like the manifestation of Beta’s experience.”

“Haa…”

Ashley tried his best to listen seriously, but he simply couldn’t understand what Koi was talking about. Ashley sighed deeply, then pondered for a moment before looking back at Koi.

Until then, Koi had been inwardly tense, waiting for Ashley’s reaction. Seeing that expression, Ashley couldn’t just dismiss it as nonsense. He decided to try his best to understand Koi.

“Then what makes you think you’re going through puberty?”

Ashley asked as seriously as Koi. Koi opened his mouth to say “Uh.” Just as he was about to answer, Ashley’s face suddenly filled his vision, looking at him.

At that moment, Koi’s face turned bright red.