Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 84

At the sudden, shocking words, Ashley was speechless for the first time. He truly hadn’t imagined such words would come out. His mind was in a complete mess.

“…Who told you that?”

No way.

Ashley barely managed to recall one thing.

So that’s why Koi has been rejecting me all this time.

Ashley’s face twisted in utter despair.

It was true.

Koi felt his heart plummet. The emotion on Ashley’s face was clear. Seeing that expression, Koi completely abandoned the hope he had briefly harbored. He was a fool to have expected even a little bit that it wasn’t true. Koi concluded that Ariel’s guess was also wrong.

“A-and you, you have someone you like.”

A sob rose, automatically breaking his words.

“You have someone you like, so why are you doing this to me…?”

To Koi, whose eyes were filled with tears, Ashley said urgently,

“It’s you.”

Koi looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. Ashley confessed more seriously, with a desperate heart.

“It’s you. The one I like is you, Connor Niles.”

Koi’s face was full of disbelief. It was all his own doing. Ashley suppressed the urge to kick his past self and spoke.

“…It’s true that I pitied you at first.”

How should he explain this? Ashley felt disheartened. It was the first time he felt his vocabulary was so poor. Phew, he sighed, then looked down at Koi again. Koi was still looking up at him, but his expression was full of confusion. Looking down at him, Ashley spoke.

“Koi, do you know the difference between pitying someone and liking someone?”

Koi silently shook his head. Ashley said,

“I do.”

Then he gave a bitter smile.

“If this uniform wasn’t so ridiculously thick, you’d know how fast my heart is beating right now.”

A sigh escaped him automatically due to his frustration. Ashley rubbed his forehead and was lost in thought for a while. What should he do? What should he do to make Koi believe his sincerity?

Is the only way to just drag him away and lock him up?

Koi stared blankly at a distressed Ashley. It was the first time he had seen Ashley like this. He looked anxious, bewildered, and a complex mix of guilt and other emotions seemed to be intertwined.

You seem to want to find evidence that Ash doesn’t like you, but what do you gain from that?

Suddenly, Ariel’s words came to mind.

You just need to be true to your own feelings. Don’t deny other people’s feelings; that’s disrespectful to them.

Ariel continued to whisper.

So, what are your feelings?

I am.

My feelings are.

Koi quietly raised his head. His disfigured face was there.

My heart is.

“I know.”

Koi finally spoke after a long time. Ashley removed his hand from his forehead and looked down at him. Koi silently looked at him, then took his hand and carefully placed it on his own chest. And Ashley could feel it. His small heart, beating wildly through the thin fabric of the cheerleading uniform.

Ashley’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at him. The surroundings were still silent. But their ears were incredibly noisy. Their hearts pounded madly, as if competing, making their temples throb. Koi opened his mouth. A trembling voice flowed out.

“I like you, Ash.”

For some reason, tears came. Koi sniffled and finally confessed.

“I like you, Ash.”

He repeated it, but it still wasn’t enough. The emotions he had suppressed burst forth all at once, constantly overflowing from his mouth. Ariel was right. The important thing was that Koi liked Ashley. It was an undeniable fact. No one could deny it.

Ash’s feelings must be the same.

“Koi.”

Ashley tilted his head. He whispered at a distance close enough for his breath to touch him.

“I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Ashley sincerely apologized. It didn’t matter how Koi knew. He shouldn’t have said such things in the first place. To hang out with him out of pity, and even proudly blab about it in front of other kids.

How arrogant was I?

He had extended pity from a condescending viewpoint, called him pathetic, and acted that way. Even though he had seen with his own eyes how hard Koi lived. While he himself freely enjoyed the wealth of his father’s money, the very man he despised.

“I was wrong.”

Ashley apologized again. Koi just blinked and looked at him. Suddenly, he realized that Ashley’s eyes, visible in front of him, were different from usual. So dark and so deep…

Purple eyes.

How could there be such a clear purple when it was so dark? Koi was momentarily lost in thought at the incredibly mysterious eyes. If he became an astronaut and went into space, would the light he saw then be this color? Countless stars twinkled within them, and if he were left alone in the middle of an endlessly distant and deep universe, would he…

Would I feel this way then too?

“I like you, Koi.”

Ashley confessed.

“Only you.”

Unlike his passionate whisper, the breath touching his lips was cool. For some reason, a shiver ran down Koi’s spine, and he gently closed his eyes. When his slowly descending eyelids finally closed, soft lips touched his.

Ah…

Koi held his breath and hunched his shoulders. He gripped the fence tightly and strained his neck, and Ashley pulled his lips away, then immediately pressed them back again. Koi trembled all over as their lips met in reverse. Only their lips touched, but his whole body trembled, and his pulse raced, making it impossible to collect himself.

It was then. Ashley stopped kissing him and licked Koi’s tightly closed lips with his tongue. Koi almost fainted at the sensation of wet saliva subtly moistening his lips.

Ashley let out a short laugh. If he hadn’t then removed the hand that had been holding the fence and pulled Koi’s waist into a hug, Koi would have collapsed right there.

“M-mm, m-mm…”

A sound escaped his lips involuntarily. Koi was so embarrassed he wanted to stop it somehow, but he couldn’t. With his whole body entrusted to Ashley’s arm around his waist, he placed his hands on Ashley’s chest and diligently tried to respond to the kiss. Though all he did was slightly protrude his lips.

Should I teach him how to kiss today?

Ashley thought, lightly licking Koi’s lips. At the same time, the body in his arms trembled. Ashley smiled subtly, confirming that his ears also twitched briefly. His reaction was immediate with just a slight touch. He felt immense pleasure knowing that only he knew such a sensitive body.

How much fun would it be to teach him one by one?

He had to take several deep breaths to suppress the urge to immediately devour him, bones and all. Not now. He admonished himself. He would surely regret it. Delicious things should be savored slowly.

Just thinking about teaching him how to use his tongue, and where on his body to touch to excite him, made his brain tingle. Koi had an abundance of qualities to be an excellent student, so the process would be immensely satisfying.

One by one, one by one.

He decided to save the pleasure and instead gently bit Koi’s lower lip. A startled reaction was clearly transmitted from within his arms. Suddenly, Ashley regretted that Koi had acknowledged his feelings.

I could have locked him up.

Ashley subtly raised his head and looked down at Koi’s face, who still had his eyes tightly closed. He didn’t even know when the kiss ended. If he started kissing again, Koi would think it was happening again.

The moment he couldn’t resist and was about to kiss Koi’s lips again, he subtly opened his eyes. Imagining that he had been calculating the timing in his head for a long time, a laugh escaped him automatically. Koi suddenly stared blankly at Ashley’s brightly smiling face.

Did my boyfriend fall for me again?

Koi asked Ashley, who had happily thought to himself,

“Didn’t you wear contacts today?”

At the unexpected question, Ashley paused and looked down at him. Koi was still staring intently at his eyes. He had seen them when they first kissed, but he had doubted it. This time, however, he was certain. Was it okay? Would it be a problem if his manifestation was discovered?

“Ah…”

Ashley replied with a bitter smile.

“No, I didn’t. No one would care anyway.”

With a helmet on, his eyes were even less visible. Moreover, since it was a sport where brawls easily broke out during games, it was better not to wear contacts. In fact, no one had noticed that his eye color had changed today.

“You’re the only one who noticed.”

At Ashley’s words, Koi blinked blankly, then suddenly blushed. As his face flushed hot, Ashley looked confused, and Koi lowered his gaze, mumbling softly,

“That’s because… I only kissed you.”

This time, Ashley couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Koi’s body in his arms flinched in surprise. Ashley couldn’t resist his loveliness and hugged him tightly.

“That’s right, Koi.”

Ashley whispered into Koi’s ear.

“My boyfriend.”

Koi’s heart began to pound as if it would burst.

Boyfriend.

His pulse throbbed dully in his ears, and his fingertips tingled. The whole world sparkled as if stars had appeared before his eyes, and fireworks exploded in his mind.

“M-my boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

Ashley answered readily at Koi’s stammering words.

“I’m your boyfriend, and—”

Koi stared blankly at his smiling face. The same word kept swirling in his mind. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend.

“…Right.”

Koi finally spoke after a long time.

“You’re mine.”

The moment he uttered the words, his whole body felt like it was bursting.

“Yes.”

Ashley, holding Koi’s body tightly, whispered,

“And you’re mine.”

Their lips met again. This time, Koi also closed his eyes at the right moment. And with this kiss, Koi learned how to put his arms around Ashley’s neck when they kissed.