Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 48

“Huh?”

At the unexpected voice, Koi sniffed and raised his head. Suddenly, another person’s shadow appeared in the empty schoolyard. He quickly blinked his eyes to focus, and saw someone running towards him from afar.

“Ash?”

The surprised Koi unconsciously called out. Ashley didn’t seem to run that fast, but in just a few steps, he was already right in front of Koi. Ashley smiled at Koi, who was looking up with wide eyes.

“Thank goodness. You were still here.”

What am I seeing right now? Still feeling unreal, he just watched, when Ashley suddenly frowned.

“What’s wrong? Did you cry?”

“Huh? Uh, uh? Ah, no. Just, some dust got in.”

Koi conspicuously rubbed his eyes with his arm and looked up at him again.

“What about you? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?”

Ashley repeated Koi’s words and then smiled playfully.

“We have skate practice, didn’t you forget?”

“Huh? Uh, uh?”

Ashley let out a pleasant laugh, seeing Koi stammering in surprise again. Ashley playfully poked Koi’s nose with his finger and said with a face full of smiles,

“I thought you were waiting for me until now, was I wrong? Is it another friend?”

“Ah, no, it’s you. It’s you, but…”

Koi was still bewildered.

“My, my friends?”

“Ah, I just said I forgot something and came. I just left.”

At those words, Koi thought his sad imagination had come true.

As expected, Ashley didn’t want to be caught alone with me…

“I want to be alone with you, but if those guys knew, they’d try to join in.”

“Huh?”

At the unexpected words, Koi let out another dumbfounded sound. If someone spoke so directly, most people would understand, but unfortunately, Koi was not one of them. Ashley already knew this would happen, so he didn’t expect it in the first place. He readily took the bicycle from Koi, who was just blinking his eyes, completely failing to understand what he had just heard, and as always, slung it over one shoulder.

Koi startled and reached out his hand. He was about to say he could pull it himself, but Ashley suddenly grabbed his hand.

This time, he couldn’t even make a dumbfounded sound; he just gasped. Ashley intertwined his fingers with Koi’s hand and walked along, swinging it back and forth like a swing.

As he walked side by side with Ashley, holding his hand in a daze, Koi’s mind was bursting with questions. What did Ash just say to me? Did I hear that right? Maybe my ears are wrong? My head might be wrong. This is all just a delusion. What should I do, I don’t even have insurance. Wait, the one walking with me right now is Ash. And he’s holding my hand. Then what happened earlier can’t be a dream. Then did Ash really say that to me? That he wants to be alone with me? Why? Why on earth?

“Koi.”

Ashley’s voice broke through Koi’s mind, which was in the midst of a war. Looking down at Koi’s hollow eyes, which were overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts, Ashley asked,

“What time do you finish your part-time job tomorrow? Is it 6 o’clock?”

“Huh? Oh.”

As Koi nodded in a daze, Ashley smiled.

“Then I can go at 6:10. Is that enough time?”

“Huh? What, what?”

Koi looked up at him, bewildered, suddenly unsure what he was talking about. Ashley continued with a smiling face.

“Tomorrow, after your part-time job, let’s go somewhere together.”

“Huh?”

Koi couldn’t help but react the same way again. He had no idea what Ashley was talking about.

“You said you’re having a party tomorrow…”

Just as a corner of his heart ached, remembering he wasn’t invited, Ashley said as if it were nothing,

“That’s for the kids to play amongst themselves. We’ll just play by ourselves.”

What does that mean?

Koi’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Perhaps finding his reaction amusing, Ashley narrowed his eyes and asked, feigning suspicion,

“Or, do you want to go to the party? More than hanging out alone with me?”

“No, no! How could that be! Absolutely not!”

Koi frantically shook his head and denied it. Then he mumbled with a flushed face,

“I like hanging out alone with Ash…”

“Good.”

Ashley smiled broadly, seeing Koi’s ears, which had been still until then, began to flap busily.

“Then it’s settled. 6:10, okay? Can I pick you up then?”

“Yeah, that’s enough.”

Koi nodded hurriedly, then belatedly tilted his head.

“But where are we going tomorrow?”

“Didn’t I tell you to ask before you agree?”

Ashley warned with a playful expression.

“If you answer so readily, you might get caught by a bad person.”

Only then did Koi let out a laugh, “Hahaha.” As always, he said with a flushed face and a wide smile directed at Ashley,

“I only do this for Ash.”

He seemed to have no idea that Ashley was precisely that “bad person.” Ashley suppressed the urge to completely shatter Koi’s boundless trust and instead offered a gentle smile. Koi, unaware, laughed along, his ears twitching continuously.

Ashley was grateful at this moment that he had joined a sports team and endured quite rigorous training. Otherwise, his patience might have completely run out by now.

He deliberately acted nonchalant, let go of Koi’s hand, took out keys from his pocket, and opened the car’s trunk.

“Go sit down.”

As always, Ashley alone moved Koi’s bicycle and loaded it into the trunk. Meanwhile, Koi, feeling grateful and sorry, quickly headed to the passenger seat to avoid being in the way. Ashley, sitting in the driver’s seat, started the engine after checking that Koi was quietly seated with his seatbelt on.

“Where we’re going is a secret. I’ll tell you when we meet tomorrow.”

Ashley added with a smile.

“You’ll be surprised.”

“Really? Truly?”

What could it be? Koi asked with a pounding heart. He felt his ears moving and quickly held them, but it was already too late; Ashley had seen everything. Ignoring Koi, who was flustered with embarrassment, Ashley drove the car out of the school.

“Uh, um, Ash.”

After the car entered the road, Koi cautiously called him. To Ashley, who glanced at him, Koi carefully asked,

“Um… perhaps, the reason you didn’t invite just me to the party tomorrow was… because of that?”

To hang out just the two of us?

Just the thought made his heart flutter, and his fingertips tingled. He had been so sad earlier, but now it was the complete opposite. Ashley leaving the party to spend time alone with him, abandoning his other friends, was something he had never imagined. Seeing Koi’s expectant face, Ashley said mischievously,

“No, to kidnap you.”

“Hahaha.”

Koi immediately burst into laughter. Seeing his flushed cheeks and flapping ears, Ashley also smiled.

Poor Koi. To burst into tears over something so small.

In fact, Ashley had noticed that Koi had cried as soon as he saw him earlier. No, anyone with eyes would have known. But he deliberately didn’t acknowledge it because he had anticipated that Koi might get hurt.

Though I didn’t expect him to cry.

To cry over being told not to come to the party, Ashley was secretly flustered, but it was okay. Koi was now completely oblivious to it and immersed in joy. His ears, which had been twitching continuously since earlier, were proof.

In truth, when he saw Koi with Bill and his friends, Ashley felt an unpleasantness he had never experienced before, and his mood was ruined. Until now, Koi had fit in well with their group. He talked and laughed with them.

But that was only when Ashley was also present. Seeing Koi intimately talking with the other guys in a place where he wasn’t, Ashley felt a surge of anger. So he had only played a small trick.

Recalling Koi’s reddened eyes, he felt a different emotion. But he had no intention of apologizing. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Koi, when we get there, should we eat dinner first?”

“Yeah.”

To Koi, who answered immediately, Ashley asked again,

“What do you want to eat? We can order anything, just tell me.”

“Anything’s fine.”

Koi answered without hesitation again.

“Anything’s fine as long as I’m with Ash.”

Koi’s ears flapped continuously as he smiled brightly again. To hell with the party.

Ashley thought so and smiled back at Koi.

This cute and lovely Koi should only be known by Ashley Miller.