Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 54

“Do you know what that means?”

Ashley’s words followed. Koi opened his closed eyes and stared blankly at one spot. Ashley’s words kept replaying in his ears.

“Think carefully. What I did for you today and why I did it.”

He said it was in return for the homecoming party ticket. But even if Koi was oblivious, he knew well that repaying it to this extent was absurd. It definitely had a meaning. What could it be?

“If you think about it carefully, you’ll know too. You already know the answer.”

Memories came back to him one by one, fresh in his mind. Ashley was different than usual; hadn’t he been especially kinder?

Because he’s rich.

Koi suddenly thought. Ash is rich, unlike me, so maybe it’s natural for him to give that much in return. Ash said it himself, didn’t he? Rich people pay a lot of taxes, and their best is different from poor kids like me. Maybe Ash was repaying me at his level.

No.

Immediately, a dissenting voice came from within him. You know Ashley isn’t like that. He’s never shown off his money or been overly generous to his friends.

He bought me clothes, took me to a fancy restaurant, and the clothes and car he wore were different from usual.

Doesn’t it feel like… a date?

“The answer is already within you.”

“Agh!”

Koi, who had startled and shot up, then slumped back onto the bed, frantically racking his brain.

No. What am I thinking? There’s no way. Absolutely not.

He immediately denied it, but no matter how he thought about it, it was strange. Even Koi, who had never dated anyone, knew what a date was like. The thought that just popped into his head was too preposterous.

But even if it’s a thank-you, what he did today was too much.

Then, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.

“I think of those guys as friends, but I’ve never felt my heart pound or felt embarrassed like that.”

“…Huh?”

“Rather, it feels bad, the thought of me doing that with those big, black gorilla-like guys.”

Uh-oh?

Koi blinked rapidly in confusion. His mind kept conjuring dangerous fantasies. What did those words even mean? Why is that suddenly coming to mind now?

Ash is a good guy, but he doesn’t show excessive kindness to just anyone. Not even to close friends.

That means.

That… means…

His brain slowly seemed to shut down, and then his heart began to race wildly. Koi, still sitting, jumped up and then fell off the bed.

“Ack!”

He screamed and tumbled, then stumbled and crawled back onto the bed. He was so disoriented he didn’t even feel the pain. Only one thought came to mind.

S-surely, surely not, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no way, but…

What if, just what if…?

But Ashley has someone he likes. He clearly told me that. That he broke up with Al because he liked someone else.

…Then.

Then, that means…

“That’s like that person, Koi.”

Ash likes… me…?

He couldn’t even finish the thought in his head and quickly pulled the sheets over himself. He thought it was impossible, but then everything made sense. It was strange that he suddenly asked to go to the homecoming party together.

If that’s the case, it makes sense.

“It must be true! Aaaah!”

His heart pounded terrifyingly, and his face felt like it would explode with heat. He couldn’t collect himself at all. He felt insanely anxious, yet excited, then embarrassed, then overwhelmingly proud, and restless. If his father hadn’t returned just then, Koi might have screamed.

He vaguely heard his father, who had returned as usual, completely drunk, taking out more alcohol and drinking, but even that wasn’t important to him. His own heartbeat was several times louder than that. And so, curled up, he stayed awake all night.

After the weekend, when he went to school, the kids were all chattering about the party at Ashley’s house. Koi walked past the noisy voices, parked his bicycle in its usual spot, and headed for his locker.

“Oh, Koi!”

Bill, who spotted Koi first, waved his arm in greeting. The other guys gathered behind him turned their heads, and among them, Ashley’s eyes met his.

Koi, who was about to return Bill’s greeting, felt his heart suddenly drop. The delusion he had stayed up all night thinking about resurfaced all at once. Immediately, his mind went blank, and his face flushed hot.

He wanted to pretend not to see them and run away, but the ice hockey team guys were all looking at him. Koi had no choice but to walk towards them, trying his best to avoid Ashley’s gaze. Bill, who had first greeted him, briefly looked Koi up and down, then let out a short whistle.

“You look a lot different today, don’t you? Hey, don’t you think? Don’t you look a bit cooler?”

“Oh, he really does.”

The other guys nodded in agreement. Today, Koi had made up his mind and worn the shirt and pants Ashley had bought him. Even his shoes were new.

Koi, embarrassed, averted his gaze and vaguely replied, “Uh, uh.” Then he subtly raised his eyes and met Ashley’s gaze again. He unconsciously held his breath, and Ashley smiled gently. To Koi, who was momentarily stunned, he said in a kind voice, “It suits you well.”

“Uh… u-uh-huh.”

Koi could only manage those words. His heart was pounding, and he was so embarrassed that it was impossible to stand there. In the end, he mumbled some excuse and ran away.

The group, seeing his hasty retreating figure, soon lost interest and went back to their conversation. Among them, Ashley was still watching Koi’s figure as he scurried away. A faint smile played on his lips.

Koi, wearing the clothes he had bought him today, was so cute. So much so that the moment he saw him, he wanted to hug him and shower him with kisses. The only reason he could maintain his composure was that five giant gorillas stood as obstacles between Koi and Ashley, blocking his way.

I should have bought him everything after all.

Koi had been hesitant, so he had only bought a few of the fitted clothes, but now he regretted it. It’s okay, Ashley reassured himself. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Imagining Koi, dressed in the clothes he had bought, lying on the bed and slowly taking off each layer, Ashley naturally joined his friends’ conversation.

“Haa, haa.”

Koi, who had run until he was breathless, finally stopped running only after hiding behind a building wall. His heart felt like it would burst, but not just from running. His heart had already been racing wildly since he saw Ashley.

The thought of Ashley’s gently smiling face made it unbearable. Koi even let out a painful groan, forcing himself to squeeze his head.

Could Ash really like me?

The worries he had stayed up all night with returned to square one. No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one answer. Moreover, Ashley had clearly said it: the answer was within Koi, and he already knew it.

I only have this answer, Ash.

Koi thought, forcing himself to calm his trembling breaths. He wanted to discuss this situation with someone, but there was no one he could talk to. Leaving another post on the bulletin board after causing such a huge incident was something only a fool would do. He had gotten lucky this time, but it wouldn’t be resolved so easily next time. Koi vowed never to post online again in his life.

Instead of beating around the bush, I’ll just ask directly.

Koi made a difficult decision. There was no other way. No matter how much he worried alone, no answer would come, and only Ashley knew if it was the correct answer or not.

Koi took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

At lunchtime, Koi headed to the cafeteria as usual. Today, Ashley was already in line with the other guys.

“Koi!”

Seeing Ashley raise his hand in greeting, Koi’s face flushed hot again. Other times, he would have waved back and happily run towards him, but not today.

Pretending not to see him, Koi subtly walked and hid behind Bill, then finally let out a sigh of relief. But Ashley wasn’t someone who would just leave him alone.

“Agh!”

Koi involuntarily screamed as his arm was suddenly grabbed and he was pulled forward. Ashley, who had naturally embraced him, laughed above his head.

“What are you doing there?”

“Uh, uh-oh, ju-just…”

Koi felt his head spinning and hastily made an excuse. “It-it’s cool in the shade.”

“Oh?”

“Really?”

“Hey, Bill. Did you gain weight?”

“No, I didn’t! You bastards, really.”

The usual crude jokes and banter went back and forth, but not a single word reached Koi’s ears. All he could hear was the pounding of his own pulse echoing in his head.

Ashley.

Koi asked in his heart, Do you really like me?

His heart felt like it would burst.