Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties-Chapter 144: Kelvin Returns

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Liam’s eyes opened slowly, the kind of slow that came with having absolutely no reason to be awake.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, blinking at the light bleeding through the curtains, then turned his head toward the door like it had personally offended him.

He wasn’t supposed to be up right now.

That was the whole point. No alarm, no plans, nothing. Just the bed, the quiet, and however many hours of sleep he could pile on top of each other before the day forced its way in.

The knocking started again.

Liam grabbed his phone off the nightstand. 11:07 AM.

He dropped it back down and lay there for another second, staring at nothing.

’Who the hell is that?’

He sat up slowly, swinging his legs off the bed and planting his feet on the floor. His ribs gave a dull protest, nothing sharp, just enough to remind him they were still healing. He ignored it.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, elbows on his knees, eyes still carrying that particular heaviness that came from sleep that hadn’t quite finished with you yet.

He rubbed his face with both hands, dragged them down slowly, then scratched the back of his head.

The knocking came again. Faster this time. Deliberate.

"I’m coming," he muttered, not loud enough for anyone to actually hear, just something to say to himself as he stood and crossed the room.

He walked barefoot across the floor, his steps heavy and uneven. When he reached the door, he leaned into it slightly and looked through the peephole.

He blinked.

Looked again.

Straightened up.

"Are you serious right now?" he said quietly, then unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Kelvin was standing in the hallway looking like he had somewhere very important to be.

Dark blazer, ironed white shirt underneath, dark trousers that actually fit.

A backpack hung off one shoulder, and he had this expression on his face like showing up unannounced at eleven in the morning was a completely normal and reasonable thing to do.

"You look terrible," Kelvin said.

"Good morning to you too," Liam said, stepping aside. "Get in."

Kelvin walked past him without hesitation, already moving toward the couch like he’d mapped the apartment out in his head on the way over. Liam closed the door, turned the lock, and followed him back into the living room.

Kelvin had already dropped his backpack by the coffee table and was shrugging off his blazer by the time Liam lowered himself onto the other end of the couch, still squinting like the room was too bright.

Liam watched him fold the blazer over the armrest with the kind of precision that felt completely unnecessary. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked. "Actually, never mind, I already know. The so called stuff I’m guessing. Business related with your dad?"

"Was supposed to be, yeah." Kelvin loosened the top button of his shirt and sat back into the couch cushions. "Not going."

"You bailed?"

"I didn’t bail, I reassessed." He said it like there was a real difference. "The business trip was already enough. Days of sitting in meetings I don’t understand, listening to people talk about profit margins and market projections like any of it matters to me. I did my part. I’m not adding a whole extra leg to that just to stare out of a window somewhere else."

Liam nodded slowly. That tracked.

"Your dad wasn’t mad?"

"He was definitely mad," Kelvin said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a folded grey shirt. "But he’ll get over it. He always does."

Kelvin glanced around the apartment, his eyes scanning the unmade bed, the shopping bags still sitting by the couch, the breakfast plates still on the coffee table. "Where’s Tasha?"

"Not here."

Kelvin waited like that wasn’t a sufficient answer.

Liam leaned back into the couch, his hand going briefly to his ribs before he caught himself. "She went to see her dad. He woke up."

Kelvin paused, holding the shirt in his hands. "Wait, what? Her dad woke up? When did that happen?"

"Yesterday. She got a call from her stepmom."

Kelvin set the shirt down on his lap and leaned forward slightly, his elbows on his knees. "Shit. That’s good though, right?"

"Yeah. It is."

"And he just woke up yesterday?"

"That’s what she said."

Kelvin nodded a couple times, processing it. "So why didn’t you go with her?"

Liam looked at him.

"I mean it’s a fair question," Kelvin said. "Her dad just woke up, that’s a big deal. You didn’t want to be there for that?"

"Her stepmom didn’t want anyone else there."

"Why not?"

"Security. They know someone attacked him. That’s why he was in the coma in the first place. Wasn’t an accident. So her stepmom moved him to a new location and she’s keeping it quiet. Just Tasha."

Kelvin nodded slowly. "Makes sense." He paused, then looked at Liam directly. "So what’s next?"

Liam shook his head. "I don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

"This isn’t my battle anymore."

Kelvin studied him for a moment, like he was deciding whether to push on that or not.

He didn’t. Just nodded once and let it sit.

A beat passed.

Kelvin pulled the grey shirt over his head, working his arms through the sleeves. "And you’re fine?" he asked, his voice muffled by the fabric before his head popped through.

"I’m not not fine," Liam said carefully. "I’m just waiting. She’ll text when she texts. I just hope she’s safe."

Kelvin didn’t say anything. He just buttoned the grey shirt from the bottom up with the focused quiet of someone who had a thought and was deciding whether to say it.

He didn’t say it.

Instead, he stood up suddenly, walked around the back of the couch, and before Liam could process what was happening, Kelvin’s arm was around his neck.

Not tight. Not choking. Just locked in place. A headlock.

"What the hell are you doing?" Liam said, his voice flat, his hands coming up instinctively to grab Kelvin’s forearm.

"We haven’t seen each other in days," Kelvin said, his tone completely casual like this was a normal way to have a conversation. "The thing I was worried about with you got solved. Her dad’s awake. She’s fine. And you’re sitting here moping about not being able to see her instead of coming out with me."

"I’m not moping."

"You absolutely are."

"Let me go."

"Not until you agree to leave this apartment."

Liam’s grip tightened on Kelvin’s arm. "If you don’t let me out of this right now, I’m going to beat your ass."

Kelvin laughed. "I’d like to see you try."

"Alright." Liam’s voice went calm. "Let me go first and see."

Kelvin paused, clearly weighing whether Liam was serious or not.

He decided he probably was.

But he didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned in slightly, his arm still locked. "The only way I’m letting you go is if you agree to come with me."

"Where exactly are we going?"

"When have I ever been the type of person who tells you where I’m taking you?"

Liam went quiet for a moment, his hands still gripping Kelvin’s forearm but not pulling anymore. Just holding.

Kelvin was right. He’d never been that type. Expecting him to change now was impossible.

"Fine," Liam said. "I’ll go."

Kelvin let go immediately.

Liam leaned forward, his hand going to the back of his neck, rubbing it slowly. He turned his head to look at Kelvin, who had already moved to stand in front of the couch, grinning down at him like he’d just won something.

"So now you’re getting physical with me?" Liam said, his tone flat but with just enough edge to make it clear he was teasing.

"Hey," Kelvin said, matching his energy without missing a beat. "You’re making it sound kinky."

Liam stared at him.

Kelvin stared back, completely unbothered.

Then both of them let out a soft laugh at the same time, the kind that broke whatever tension had been sitting in the room and replaced it with something lighter.

Kelvin reached down and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. "You got a spare set of clothes? Like something comfortable you can move in?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"

Kelvin grinned wider. "You’ll see."

’Weirdly enough, I missed this,’ Liam thought, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He stood up slowly, stretching his arms overhead, feeling his ribs pull slightly but not enough to make him stop. Then he walked over to the small closet near the bathroom and pulled it open.

Inside was a black duffel bag on the bottom shelf. He crouched down, unzipped it, and pulled out a blue t-shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts. He grabbed a pair of socks from the shelf above and tossed the duffel back into the closet.

When he turned around, Kelvin was already pulling a pair of black joggers out of his backpack, setting them on the couch beside a pair of clean white sneakers.

"You brought a whole outfit with you?" Liam asked.

"I came prepared," Kelvin said, kicking off his dress shoes and stepping into the joggers. "Unlike you, who was still in bed at eleven in the morning."

"I was sleeping."

"Exactly."

Liam shook his head and walked back to the couch. He sat down and started pulling off his shirt, tossing it onto the cushion beside him. Then he grabbed the blue t-shirt and pulled it over his head.

Kelvin finished tying his sneakers and stood up, stretching his arms out like he was loosening up for something. "You ready?"

"I don’t even know what I’m getting ready for."

"Don’t you trust me."

"Do I have a choice?"

Kelvin grinned. "No, you do not."

Liam stood, pulling on his socks and then his own sneakers. He tied them quickly, then straightened up and looked at Kelvin. "Alright. Let’s go."

Kelvin’s grin didn’t fade. If anything, it got wider. "That’s what I like to hear."

He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, then walked toward the door. Liam followed, grabbing his phone off the coffee table and shoving it into his pocket.

At the door, Kelvin paused and looked back at him. "This is going to be fun."

"I don’t doubt that."

"Awwwwnn"

"Shut up!"