Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 57

“Hey, hey.”

“You bear it. And you, stop watching so many dramas. Ugh.”

The remaining guys quickly intervened between the grinning guy and the one trying to throw a punch. In the end, the one who couldn’t have his way still clenched his fist, his face red with anger, huffing and puffing.

“Idiot, it’s because he likes her. That’s jealousy. Like, ‘only I know the good qualities of the person I like’…”

“Are you saying Ash likes Koi then?”

At the sudden outburst, surprised screams erupted from all sides.

“What?!”

“What are you talking about?!”

“No, they’re both betas and guys.”

“Right, and Ash was dating Elle, the school queen, until recently!”

There was no surer refutation than that. Everyone agreed with that statement.

“Yeah, no matter what, that’s not it. Koi is cute, but not enough to date after breaking up with Elle, and he’s a guy too.”

“Then what on earth is it?”

They looked at each other’s faces, but no answer came. An answer to the question had been given, but unable to agree with it, they immediately offered a counter-argument, and when the same answer came again to the question that had returned to square one, they didn’t give up and raised an objection, and when the same answer was given again to the question that had gone back again, this time they strongly denied it. After repeating this several times, they finally gave up, exhausted.

“Let’s just get dinner. I’m really going to die.”

Someone’s words were echoed by the rest.

“Who cares if Ash likes Koi or not.”

“No, but still…”

“Let’s just eat first.”

“Right. Let them figure it out themselves. I want a cheeseburger.”

“Hey, go decide. See you at Green Bell.”

They finally agreed to go to Green Bell and headed to their respective cars. It was a conclusion completely unrelated to the initial topic.

On the way to the parking lot, the events of just a moment ago had already completely vanished from Ashley’s mind. All that remained was Koi.

Did Koi understand the meaning of what I said yesterday?

He had agonized over it all night, but in a way, it was no different from thinking about Ashley all night. The thought of Koi staying up all night worrying about him filled his mouth with a sweet taste of affection.

Koi, Koi, Koi.

Ashley leaned against his car, waiting for Koi to arrive, and checked his wrist-watch. It seemed like it was already past time for him to arrive. Perhaps the test is taking a long time?

It didn’t matter. He could wait as long as it took. Ashley looked in one direction. It was the direction of the auditorium where the cheerleading team practiced.

Soon, Koi will come running from over there, his face flushed.

His imagination continued.

He’ll tell me first that he passed the test. I’ll congratulate him and hug him. How small and adorable will Koi be, fitting snugly in my arms.

A smile naturally appeared on his lips, and his chest began to flutter.

Then I should tell him to get in the car. And I shouldn’t forget to lock the car door, just in case. Of course, Koi won’t notice. All the way home, Koi will chatter excitedly about the test. How nervous he was, what mistakes he made, but also how he made up for them, like a little sparrow. Then I’ll occasionally be surprised and occasionally impressed, agreeing with him. All the while, in my mind, I’ll only be thinking about devouring you.

Just thinking about Koi kept the smile on his face. He spontaneously revised his plan to confess at the homecoming party. He simply couldn’t wait that long. Ashley continued his imagination with a constant smile.

By the time you finish talking, my patience will run out. By then, the car will probably have arrived home. Then I’ll take you to the gazebo. I’ll reassure you that we’ll have dinner together, take out the food I prepared, and when night falls, the garden streetlights will turn on. Then, under the streetlight, I’ll ask you. If you’ve thought about the answer to my question.

Your face will turn bright red. You might avoid my gaze, unsure of what to do. But even then, your ears will be busy wiggling. You won’t even try to hide them. I’ll give you plenty of time. No, I might not be able to resist taking your hand. And I’ll say,

I like you.

It’s the same feeling as liking someone of the opposite sex, not just as a friend, and I’m completely smitten with you. I can’t think of anything but you all day long.

How flustered you’ll be then.

But this time, he wouldn’t back down. Ashley would whisper that he liked him until he got an answer, and then Koi would eventually have no choice but to confess.

I like you too.

“Haa.”

A trembling sigh naturally burst from deep within his chest. Ashley closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. But his heart showed no signs of settling down, and he finally gave up.

Come quickly, Koi.

It was when he turned his gaze back to the direction he had been looking before. Suddenly, his phone’s notification sound rang. Ashley checked the message with a smiling face, then froze.

[Ash, sorry. I can’t practice today.]

He straightened his body from leaning against the car and slowly read the message again, word by word. The content hadn’t changed.

[You go first, sorry. – Koi.]

Ashley, who had been engrossed in sweet fantasies, felt as if he had been doused with cold water. It was the same no matter how many times he re-read it. Gradually, the smile disappeared from his face, replaced by bewilderment.

“What is this…?”

After sending the message, Koi stared at the words he had written for a moment. But no matter how hard he tried to read them, his vision blurred from constantly falling tears, making it impossible to read properly. Helplessly, he turned off his phone without even re-reading the message he had written as simply as possible. He didn’t know if Ashley would call again or what. His mind was already too full of other things to think about that.

So it was because I was pitiful.

Tears welled up again, and Koi hugged his knees, burying his face in them, and sobbled, “Ugh, ugh.” He had frantically ridden his bike out of school but made a mistake and veered onto a side road. He braked hard, but the bike still rolled down the slope and crashed into the ground. Koi, who had fallen with his bike, managed to get up, his body aching, and checked the bike’s condition. But tears burst forth as he looked around, and he ended up sitting on the ground and crying.

<Think carefully. What I did for you today and why I did it.>

Ashley’s words echoed in his mind.

<Do you understand what that means?>

Koi sobbed, chewing on those words.

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

Yes, that’s what it was.

“Ugh,” another sob rose, and he bit his lip, barely suppressing the rough sound.

It was a pity.

Now he understood clearly. That he had made an enormous mistake. Ashley couldn’t possibly like him, how could he have dared to make such a mistake?

<The answer is already within you.>

Yes, I know. I know it all.

That was the correct answer, so why had he imagined such nonsense?

“I like you…”

Koi murmured blankly. His own voice faintly scattered in his ears. Only then did he finally managed to accept the truth he had been avoiding.

I like him. Ashley Miller. Someone like Connor Niles.

How could someone like me?

Ash only dealt with me because he felt sorry for me.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”

The tears didn’t stop, they continued to pour. How can I have so many tears inside me? It’s amazing. No matter how much he cried, the tears wouldn’t stop. Eventually, his breath hitched and convulsed with violent sobs. Koi gasped for air, barely catching his breath, and tilted his head back.

It’s a good thing I didn’t say anything.

He was grateful that he had overheard the group’s conversation. He had almost made an irreversible mistake, hadn’t he?

Do you, by any chance, like me?

If I had said that, how dumbfounded would Ashley have been?

Tears came again, and Koi covered his eyes with both hands, but tears streamed uncontrollably from his pressed eyelids.

He just pitied me, and I dared to be so presumptuous.

Ashley’s face, full of contempt for him, was easily pictured in Koi’s mind. Wouldn’t he have asked what on earth I was talking about? He would have looked down on me, thinking, ‘This is why you shouldn’t bother with kids like you.’

“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”

Tears welled up again, and he cried and cried aloud once more.

At that moment, Ashley, frustrated by Koi’s turned-off phone, was driving down the road, searching for his trace. He had already confirmed that the spot where Koi always parked his bike was empty. Judging that Koi couldn’t have gone far, no matter how hard he rode that old bike, he quickly drove his Cayenne onto the road, but he couldn’t even find a back view resembling Koi. Swearing in frustration, he scoured the surroundings, searching for Koi.

As Koi sobbed, Ashley, in his car, passed by without noticing the bottom of the slope where Koi was huddled. And Ashley quickly drove away, so by the time Koi stumbled up, looking a mess and dragging his bike, he was long gone.