Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 74

Suddenly, silence fell. Koi was breathing heavily, looking at Ashley. Seeing the tip of his nose turn red, Ashley regained some of his reason.

“Al is a friend.”

“Whitney is my friend too!”

Ashley’s momentum, which had been confidently cornering Koi, completely died down. He turned his head to look straight ahead, then looked down, then looked back, stroked his chin and mouth, then turned his gaze back to Koi and asked in a much calmer voice,

“…What exactly did she drop?”

“Chanel!”

Koi shouted as if he had been waiting, and Ashley flinched. Frowning, he repeated what Koi had said.

“Chanel?”

Koi shouted again in indignation.

“Yes, Chanel! Chanel, I said! CHA! NEL!”

Finally, Koi burst into tears. This was the first time he had felt such injustice. He had been okay even when he experienced all sorts of unfair things at his part-time job, but why did this feel so unfair?

It’s because it’s Ash.

Koi thought, wiping away his tears. He couldn’t stand Ashley misunderstanding him and badgering him, especially not Ashley.

Because I like him.

Koi realized. Because he’s the person I like, I hate it when he misunderstands me.

For a moment, only Koi’s sniffles echoed in the quiet car. Ashley looked at him, unable to do anything, and finally turned off the hazard lights and started the car.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Ashley glanced at him nervously, but Koi quietly hung his head, sniffling. The tears seemed to have stopped, but his nose was still bright red. Sniff, Koi sniffed again, then suddenly wiped his tears with the back of his hand. Ashley, flustered by the sight, asked urgently,

“Are you crying again?”

Koi replied with a voice full of sadness,

“I didn’t even get to finish my cola.”

He was hungry, and it felt like a waste to leave the remaining cola. He wished he hadn’t come. He just followed along for nothing, wasted money, and fought with Ash.

Ashley, who had been silent for a moment as Koi continued to wipe his tears, finally spoke.

“Dinner? Did you eat?”

Koi hung his head, sniffled, and shook his head slightly. Haa, Ashley sighed and made a U-turn on the empty road. Koi’s body swayed again, but not as roughly as before.

As they changed roads and drove down a new path, neither of them spoke. After a long silence, Koi, still sniffling, asked,

“…What is Chanel?”

Ashley replied, still looking straight ahead.

“A person’s name.”

“Huh?”

He was even more confused. Koi looked at him, bewildered, then asked cautiously,

“You’re… you’re making fun of me, right?”

He often did at other times, but now he was in no mood for it. Ashley replied curtly,

“Seriously. You can look it up.”

“…Oh, okay.”

Koi hesitantly took out his phone and started searching. S…

“C.”

Ashley immediately spelled out the letter. Koi hastily deleted the ‘S’ and typed the letters as Ashley called them out, one by one. Soon, a screen appeared, and Koi began to diligently read the information that popped up.

“He’s a really old person?”

“Not really.”

Koi tilted his head. Why would he suddenly look up a dead person…? Ashley seems to have misunderstood something.

Or maybe Whitney is into some kind of cult?

Just as he felt a sudden fear, a 24-hour fast-food restaurant appeared in the distance. At this late hour, places like this were the only ones open for food. Ashley headed for the empty drive-thru and asked Koi before ordering,

“What do you want to eat?”

Koi, still sniffling, slowly lifted his head. The menu was full of expensive hamburgers he couldn’t normally imagine. He was flustered, not knowing what to choose, when Ashley glanced at him and said,

“I’m ordering a bacon cheeseburger with a double patty. Want to try it?”

“Oh…”

Just imagining it made his mouth water. It was already an expensive place, and a double patty on top of that. Ashley smiled for the first time at Koi’s expression. Seeing his face, Koi also relaxed. Ashley asked in a much softer voice,

“Side dish?”

“I’m fine, uh.”

When Koi replied, Ashley then suggested a drink.

“There’s no mango cola.”

“Um…”

Koi asked cautiously,

“Can I have a milkshake…?”

The only taste he could truly appreciate, being insensitive to flavors, was sweetness. Combined with the creaminess of milk, a milkshake was a drink Koi loved very much. Though he rarely bought it because it was expensive.

Ashley nodded, then asked again,

“Anything else you need? Not adding any toppings to your burger?”

That’s when Koi noticed the small print at the top of the menu that read, “All toppings free.” His face brightened immediately, and he replied,

“I will, tomato and onion. Cheese too.”

“Okay.”

Ashley readily agreed and pressed the button to start ordering. The list of menu items he recited made his mouth water just listening. While the food was being prepared, Ashley moved the car. Forgetting their earlier argument, Koi was in high spirits. At least Ashley’s misunderstanding seemed to be cleared up. Now he must know that a girl kissing Corner Niles was impossible.

…Right.

Just as he suddenly felt dejected, the hamburgers and drinks arrived. Ashley took the plastic bag with the food, handed it to Koi, finished paying, and then pulled the car into the parking lot.

“Here.”

Ashley took the bag Koi was holding carefully and pulled out the burger he had ordered, and Koi’s eyes sparkled.

“Thank you.”

To Koi, who spoke with sincerity, Ashley quietly took out the milkshake for him. Koi, full of anticipation, peeled back the paper wrapping the hamburger, layer by layer.

As the unprecedentedly thick hamburger came into view, Koi was momentarily mesmerized by its magnificent appearance. He carefully opened his mouth, and after barely managing to bite into the hamburger, which was too big to fit entirely, splitting it into two halves, his eyes widened at the unexpectedly soft and crispy texture.

How wonderful it would be if I could smell it.

For the first time at that moment, Koi felt a pang of regret. Then I’d taste it even more, wouldn’t I?

As he chewed the hamburger, which was surely many times more delicious than what he was experiencing now, Koi felt deeply regretful that he couldn’t fully appreciate this pleasure.

“How does it taste? Is it good?”

Ashley asked before eating his own hamburger. Koi, his mouth full of hamburger, nodded. He wanted to answer, but he couldn’t open his mouth, so he gave a thumbs-up instead. Ashley quietly chuckled, then began to eat his hamburger.

For a while, they ate in silence. After finishing the hamburger, and then the onion rings, french fries, and even a cheese stick, Koi felt absolutely stuffed. He even thought he wouldn’t need to eat anything for the next three days.

Then I can save on lunch money.

He brightened up instantly. Ashley looked at Koi and thought,

Can he really not smell?

There was almost no one who would tell such a low-quality lie. Unless they were as wicked as his father. Of course, Koi was definitely not such trash.

How did that happen?

It could be congenital or acquired. If acquired, was it an accident? What kind of accident?

He had many questions, but asking them wasn’t easy. Ashley realized anew how ambiguous their relationship was.

I can’t just keep waiting for Koi forever.

He had to reach a conclusion soon. Either make Koi admit his feelings, or kidnap and confine him.

After they finished eating, Ashley gathered the trash into the bag that had held their food and placed it on the floor of the back seat.

“Buckle up.”

Following Ashley’s words, Koi quickly buckled his seatbelt. Ashley didn’t say a word on the way to Koi’s house either. The car was filled with the scent of pheromones, but Koi had no idea how on edge Ashley was right now.

“Thanks for the ride.”

Koi, who always got off at the same spot, greeted him, and Ashley, standing opposite him, tilted his head to the side.

“I really enjoyed the hamburger too. It was delicious.”

“Okay.”

Ashley, who repeated the short reply this time, lowered his head. Koi waited, puzzled, as Ashley scratched above his eyebrow with his thumb, seemingly searching for something to say.

“Koi.”

“Yes.”

When he answered quickly, Ashley straightened up and asked,

“Earlier, you were jealous of me and Al, weren’t you?”

At the sudden question, Koi couldn’t even give a proper answer; his mind went completely blank.

“N-n-no, no, no, no.”

He just shook his head frantically, unable to speak, and his face flushed red again like a ripe tomato, but Ashley didn’t smile. Instead, he confessed with utmost seriousness,

“I was.”

Koi, who had been busy denying, stopped moving and looked up at him. Ashley still quietly added,

“I was furious, thinking Whitney kissed your cheek.”

“She didn’t kiss…”

“Yes, I must have seen it wrong.”

Ashley interrupted Koi, who was hastily correcting him, and said. Koi, having nothing more to say, fell silent, and Ashley sighed briefly.

“Koi.”

“…Yes.”

This time, he paused a little before answering. He was nervous, wondering what he would say next, when Ashley, who had been quietly looking down at him, finally spoke.

“I know you like me.”