L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 111

After calming down somewhat, the two sat side by side on the sofa.

Ashley wrapped an arm around Koi’s waist, pulling him close, and continuously fiddled with Koi’s hand, which rested loosely on his own thigh.

Koi, completely leaning into Ashley, merely stared down at Ashley’s hand.

Neither of them opened their mouths. This silence was the first of its kind. How could being with Ashley feel this anxious and restless? Trying not to let his own tension be noticed, Koi wracked his brain desperately. Finally, he found a neutral topic and opened his mouth.

“...What happened at school? You missed too many classes.”

Last semester, Ashley attended barely a third of his classes. Did the principal know what was going on?

Though he broke the silence, Koi felt disappointed. He gloomily lowered his head, but Ashley kissed the top of it and replied,

“They tend to be lenient for the first year or two after an Alpha or Omega manifests. Pheromones can be pretty unstable.”

“Oh....”

Only then did Koi understand. So, was Ashley unable to return because of pheromone issues?

“Was it really tough?”

Ashley did not answer the careful question. Instead, he ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) gently grasped Koi's hand tighter. Feeling the seriousness of the atmosphere, Koi fell silent again. After a while, Ashley loosened his grip and sighed deeply.

“Pheromones were partly the reason.”

So there was something else.

Koi felt uneasy again. Ashley had clearly said he still loved him. He’d said he wouldn’t break up, that if Koi ever left him, he would die.

Then why wouldn’t he tell him?

Koi felt empty again.

Ashley himself had said couples should be honest.

Koi could have brought up Ashley’s own words to confront him, but he chose not to. Everyone had secrets they didn’t want to share. That wasn’t the same as deceiving someone. Even Koi hadn’t shown Ashley his home yet out of embarrassment.

It wasn’t only that. Koi realized just how much he himself was hiding.

If he confessed everything now...

Though the impulse was strong, he clenched his teeth and resisted it. He’d held onto these secrets so stubbornly; revealing them now just to find out Ashley’s secrets seemed cowardly.

He should share these things because he wanted to, independently of Ashley, when he felt ready. And now wasn’t the time.

Koi took a shaky breath and slowly exhaled. Anyway, Ashley was here with him now. How many times had he desperately wished for that when he couldn’t even reach Ashley? He’d thought that nothing else mattered, that he wanted nothing but for Ashley to return to him.

That alone was enough.

Koi tightly closed his eyes and then slowly reopened them. Ashley still held his hand. Gently, Koi brought the hand to his own cheek. Intertwining his fingers with Ashley’s long ones, Koi pressed his cheek against the back of Ashley’s hand.

“...I missed you.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even he could clearly hear his voice trembling. But this was the best Koi could manage. Until now, Ashley had endlessly touched and hugged him, yet he hadn’t tried to kiss him. Perhaps he couldn’t find the timing.

It had always been Koi, not Ashley, who struggled to find the right moment to kiss. Remembering how Ashley used to laugh and randomly kiss his face filled him with the urge to cry again.

“Ash.”

Koi opened his mouth, voice choked with emotion.

“Didn’t you... miss me?”

“Of course I did.”

Ashley immediately denied it. Seeing Koi’s tear-filled eyes looking up at him made Ashley feel as if his heart were tearing apart. Unable to hold back any longer, Ashley tilted his head down. Noticing Ashley was about to kiss him, Koi eagerly reached out first and wrapped his arms around Ashley’s neck.

He was desperate to touch Ashley. He’d never desired anything so intensely before.

Kiss me, Ash. Hurry.

Ashley tightly embraced Koi, who had closed his eyes and lifted his head. Ashley's body, unusually stiff with tension, drew closer. Just as his trembling breath touched Koi’s lips—

〈There’s nothing more foolish than believing teenage love will last forever.〉

Suddenly, the secretary’s voice echoed in Ashley’s ears. In that instant, Ashley froze. Her cold, mocking tone continued to ring out.

〈Do you really think a Beta can handle an Alpha or Omega? Wouldn’t it be better to give up for both your sakes?〉

Feeling something was wrong, Koi slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Ashley’s expression, Koi blinked, startled.

“Ash... What’s wrong?”

Koi asked cautiously, but Ashley didn’t reply. He just stared down blankly at Koi.

〈If he had pheromones that strong, he would’ve manifested or mutated by now. Yet, there’s no change in that boy at all, is there?〉

Even now, the room around Ashley was filled with his pheromones.

Despite being overwhelmed by the intense scent, Koi still showed no reaction.

〈Perhaps he’s subconsciously rejecting it strongly.〉

No way... Koi?

Ashley immediately dismissed the sudden suspicion. Yet when Ashley frantically shook his head and pushed Koi away by his shoulders, Koi was left stunned.

Ashley extended his long arms to keep Koi as far away as possible, lowering his head and panting heavily. His ragged breathing echoed eerily in the quiet room. After watching him for a while, Koi finally spoke again.

“What’s wrong, Ash?”

Koi’s voice finally broke into tears.

“I’m scared... why are you like this? What on earth happened there?”

Sniffling, Koi started to sob quietly. Ashley remained motionless, trying desperately to catch his breath as Koi continued crying softly.

“...I’m sorry.”

After a long pause, Ashley finally spoke. Koi desperately suppressed his tears, waiting for him to continue. Ashley spoke in a choked voice.

“If I tell you the truth, you might despise me.”

“That’ll never happen.”

Koi denied it immediately. But Ashley only responded with a cynical laugh. Seeing his empty, almost hollow expression made Koi anxious again.

While Koi silently watched him, Ashley tilted his head back toward the ceiling and exhaled a short sigh.

“You asked what I did on the East Coast, didn’t you?”

Koi instinctively tensed his shoulders—so visibly that even Ashley, who still held them, could feel it. After staring at the ceiling a bit longer, Ashley dropped his gaze back down.

“I was dragged to a party.”

“What?”

Taken aback by the unexpected words, Koi looked at Ashley in confusion.

Ashley gave a bitter smile. Koi had never seen him smile so bleakly before. For Ashley to smile in such a devastated way shocked him once again. Ashley spoke to the stunned Koi.

“You don’t even know what a party really is, do you?”

Koi instantly retorted. No matter how much of a loner or loser he considered himself, accusing him of not knowing about parties was too much.

“I know.”

Despite Koi’s reply, Ashley’s expression didn’t change. Still pale-faced and weakly smiling, he replied,

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

“You don’t know.”

Haha. Ashley laughed quietly. His bitter laugh, as though he were internally tormented, left Koi speechless. He’d never imagined Ashley could respond like this. This wasn’t the Ashley Miller he knew. The image of Ashley smiling brightly in the sunshine was still vivid—how did it become like this?

“Koi.”

Unable to speak, Koi merely stared until Ashley finally stopped laughing and called his name.

“Ah, yes?”

Koi hastily nodded, and Ashley spoke again.

“If... I...”

What was he trying to say? Koi couldn't even begin to guess. At last, Ashley asked, voice trembling,

“What would you do if I said I slept with someone else?”