L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 65

Every time Ashley dropped Koi off, he would always stop the car and walk around to meet him face-to-face. This time was no different. Koi had just gotten out of the car and turned to face him.

“Thanks for the ride, Ash.”

Koi looked up at him as he spoke. Ashley looked down at Koi in silence, but his eyes weren’t meeting his face. Noticing his gaze, Koi looked down too, then raised his head quickly with a soft “Ah.”

“Thanks again... for buying me new clothes. You could’ve just let me borrow yours.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Ashley shut him down firmly. Koi blinked at him in surprise, but Ashley meant it with all his heart. Koi had no idea what he looked like earlier—but to Ashley, it had been a serious emergency.

After showering, Koi had come out wearing his old, worn-out jeans and a new t-shirt Ashley had lent him. The shirt didn’t fit properly—it was way too loose, hanging off his shoulders. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) From above, his pale skin was completely visible. All the marks Ashley had left—every bite, every kiss—were still clearly there. Seeing it, Ashley had felt a wild surge of both rage and desire.

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He had immediately shoved Koi into the car and driven to the mall. He bought three shirts that fit Koi properly and made him change into one before he could relax. Of course, Koi hadn’t understood a thing. He just thought, Ashley must not like people wearing his clothes.

The two of them were still standing there, facing each other. On the surface, nothing seemed different than usual, but Koi could sense something was off today.

Well... how could it not be?

He admitted it to himself with a bitter sigh. He had created this situation. But there had been no other choice.

Ashley’s just confused.

Koi knew his own situation well. Ashley only brought him in because he felt sorry for him. Koi was grateful for that—but the more thankful he was, the more he couldn’t afford to let Ashley misunderstand. He’d only recently manifested, after all. Of course he was disoriented. Once time passed, he would regret it.

He’ll be glad later that I didn’t say yes too quickly.

“Thanks for everything, Ash.”

Koi forced a smile. Even if it was just confusion, thanks for saying you liked me. He added silently. You’re a good person.

“Koi.”

“Yeah?”

Ashley called his name. Koi responded quickly. Ashley stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke.

“What I said about liking you... I meant it.”

“That was—”

“It wasn’t a mistake. And it wasn’t the manifestation talking. I like you.”

Ashley cut him off before he could make excuses. As Koi hesitated, trying to find the words, Ashley continued.

“I don’t know why you keep denying what I said so strongly, but I know how I feel better than you do. I like you. That’s the truth.”

“...”

“I like you. Why won’t you believe me?”

Ashley gave a strained smile. The setting sun painted everything around them in deep orange light. Koi stared in a daze at Ashley’s platinum hair as it shimmered and fluttered slightly in the wind. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Finally, after a long silence, he whispered,

“Someone like me... there’s no way you’d like someone like me.”

Ashley frowned. His irritation was written all over his face. Koi quickly glanced around, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Koi.”

“...Yeah?”

Koi answered in a rush, but Ashley’s voice was firm and serious—stricter than ever before.

“Don’t ever say ‘someone like me’ again. If you do, then that makes me someone who likes ‘someone like you.’”

“...”

Koi was speechless. He could only stare at Ashley’s face. Ashley kept going.

“Don’t devalue yourself—don’t insult the person I care about. I don’t care who it is. If someone looks down on Connor Niles, I’m going to be pissed. Even if that someone is you.”

The sharp tone left Koi without a single word to say. Ashley looked at him and asked again.

“Got it, Koi?”

“...”

“Connor Niles.”

Ashley used his full name. Koi hurriedly nodded.

“Yeah.”

His voice trembled, and he added quickly,

“I won’t do it again. I promise.”

Only then did Ashley’s expression soften. His usual gentle smile returned.

“Good.”

Seeing that smile brought Koi a bit of relief, but it was still hard to believe this was really happening. Am I dreaming?

Maybe I’m still lying next to Ash in bed right now.

Maybe I just dozed off while waiting for his manifestation to end. That would make more sense... because there’s no way Ashley would be saying this to me otherwise.

Right at that moment, Ashley’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“You’re doing it again—putting yourself down, aren’t you?”

“What? No—no, I’m not.”

Koi panicked at Ashley’s suspicious look and quickly shook his head.

“It’s just... I can’t believe it.”

“You mean you can’t believe that I like you?”

Koi couldn’t even answer. But Ashley was no longer surprised or flustered by that kind of reaction.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe me.”

Ashley said calmly.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I’m going to keep liking you. And I’m going to keep telling you I like you, over and over, until you believe it. So it doesn’t matter. Whether you give in out of exhaustion or accept it for real—I’m not going to give up on you. Ever.”

“That’s...”

Koi couldn’t finish his sentence. He lowered his head, unsure of what to say or how to react. While he fidgeted and struggled to process everything, Ashley reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

...Huh?

Koi’s eyes widened when he saw what Ashley was holding. He looked up at him, startled. Ashley smiled and spoke.

“That’s the homecoming ticket you gave me.”

“Why are you...”

Koi’s voice faltered. Ashley said,

“I wanted to go with you.”

Koi already knew that. Had Ashley changed his mind? That would make sense... but then why was he handing the ticket back? Koi’s heart felt heavy. The ticket in Ashley’s hand looked like a voucher for something he was about to lose. But then Ashley said something unexpected.

“Give it to me again—when you want to go with me.”

“W-What?”

Koi stammered, confused. Ashley continued in a soft voice.

“Just tell me you want to go to the party with me. That’s all. Then I’ll know.”

A faint smile curved Ashley’s lips.

“That you love me too.”

Koi’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t say anything. It felt like there was a war going on inside his brain. Ashley, seeing right through his panic, didn’t press him any further. He leaned in, took Koi’s hand, and gently placed the ticket into his palm. Then he curled Koi’s fingers over it and squeezed.

“I’ll wait for you, Koi.”

Then Ashley leaned down and kissed his cheek. Smooch—a soft, damp sensation lingered.

“Bye, Koi. See you tomorrow.”

Ashley smiled, waved, and casually climbed back into the car. Koi stood there, still stunned, as Ashley drove away in his Cayenne.

Koi disappeared from the rearview mirror in an instant. Ashley didn’t head straight home. Instead, he changed lanes and began driving aimlessly down the road.

He didn’t want to go home yet. He’d just been with Koi, and now... he was alone again.

Honestly, it wasn’t much different from when he lived in the East. That mansion had always been full of staff, bustling around—but even so, it was silent. That’s why he’d run away. This place was just as quiet, but at least here, there were no people. Silence made sense when no one was around.

But after Koi had shown up, even that silence became unbearable. Ashley hated falling asleep alone now. But it wasn’t like anyone would do—he only wanted one person.

His hands on the steering wheel caught his eye. A bandage was wrapped around his arm, visible beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt. Koi had wrapped it while he slept.

With one hand on the wheel, Ashley raised the bandaged arm. He stared at it for a moment, then gently pressed his lips to it.

The warmth there reminded him of Koi’s. Unconsciously, he let out a sigh.