L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 32

“Alright. You can come in now.”

Ashley’s voice carried a hint of tension, something unusual for him.

Koi felt a quiet unease settle in his chest as he cautiously stepped forward. He swallowed dryly, his throat clicking, and finally rounded the wall to face Ashley.

...Oh.

Koi stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening.

Ashley, standing a few steps away, didn’t look all that different from usual. He was dressed comfortably in a t-shirt and jeans, barefoot in sandals. His hair was messy, just as it always was when he was at home. So far, everything was as expected.

What wasn’t expected was his face.

Ashley’s face was swollen, but not in the way Koi had imagined. Instead of his entire face puffing up from crying, one side of his cheek was distinctly red, with a clear handprint standing out against his skin. There were also scratch marks on his neck.

...A cat?

That was Koi’s first thought.

He had never owned a cat, but he had fed strays before. It always took a long time for them to warm up to him, and until then, they’d swipe at his hands with their claws whenever he got too close. After a while, they started hitting him with their paws instead of scratching, but even that still hurt.

Ashley’s face looked just like that—like he had been clawed at by a particularly hostile stray cat trying to keep him away.

If it weren’t for that handprint, Koi might have actually believed that.

The marks were unmistakably left by a person.

Koi stared silently at Ashley’s face before carefully opening his mouth.

“Uh, Ash...”

“Yeah?”

Ashley replied casually, but his lips looked a little busted.

Koi hesitated before asking,

“Um... is that...”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, but Ashley answered anyway.

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“Yeah, Elle hit me.”

“Hiiik.”

Koi sucked in a sharp breath before he could stop himself.

Ashley, seeing his reaction, scratched the back of his head roughly.

“See? It’s not as bad as you were worrying about.”

“R-Right...”

Koi stammered. He wanted to say something—anything—but his mind was blank.

After an awkward pause, he carefully said,

“Uh, she must’ve been really mad.”

“She must have been.”

Ashley’s tone was indifferent, as if it was someone else’s problem entirely.

There was no trace of anger or bitterness in his voice.

Koi hesitated before asking,

“Are you... okay?”

“What do you mean?”

Koi fidgeted before answering honestly.

“You got dumped by Elle.”

“...What?”

Ashley’s reaction was identical to when they were on the phone earlier, but this time, he looked genuinely surprised. His brows furrowed, and his face twisted slightly as he asked again,

“Ariel dumped me?”

His shock seemed so real that Koi’s eyes widened as well.

“...Was I wrong?”

Wait, did they not actually break up?

Koi wondered, but after blinking twice, Ashley returned to his usual uninterested expression and scratched his head.

“No, you’re right.”

His tone was completely detached, like he didn’t care at all.

Is he just in shock?

Koi thought to ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ himself.

“Don’t feel too bad, Ash.”

He tried to comfort him sincerely.

“I don’t know what happened, but forget about it. Elle must’ve made a mistake.”

Repeating what he had memorized from his online search, Koi was caught off guard when Ashley’s expression turned serious.

“Elle’s a good person. I was the one at fault.”

“...Huh?”

That wasn’t in the guide.

Koi looked up at him in confusion. Seeing his expression, Ashley let out a small laugh.

Just like that, the tension in the air eased, and Koi’s own nervousness melted away.

Ashley turned around first and said,

“Come in. You’re staying for dinner, right?”

“Oh? Oh... yeah.”

Koi hurried after him.

Ashley opened the front door and stepped inside, moving aside to let Koi in.

“Welcome.”

With a grin, he extended one arm in a mock bow.

Koi couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

He made a point to respond politely as he stepped inside.

Behind him, Ashley shut the door.

Thud.

A low, echoing sound rang through the space.

...Huh?

Something felt off.

Koi turned around, only to find Ashley leaning against the door, watching him.

“You’re not leaving, Koi.”

Ashley’s voice was quieter than before, but the weight behind it made Koi’s breath hitch.

The cool expression on Ashley’s face reflected in Koi’s wide eyes.

“You’re mine.”

...What?

Koi froze in place, completely bewildered.

What the hell was going on?

Ashley just locked me in?

Why?

What for?

Still in shock, Koi could only stand there blankly as Ashley stepped away from the door.

One step.

Then another.

Ashley was getting closer.

His gaze never wavered from Koi.

And Koi couldn’t look away either.

A strange tension filled the air, thick and suffocating.

He knew he should react, but his body refused to move.

All he could do was stand there, watching as Ashley drew nearer.

He had never seen Ashley like this before.

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The chilling pressure in the atmosphere made Koi’s shoulders instinctively hunch.

Step.

Ashley stopped moving, his steps slowing to a halt.

Now, there was only a single step of distance left between them.

"Koi."

Ashley called his name in a low voice.

Koi, as if hypnotized, watched as he lowered his head.

In his widened vision, Ashley’s face came closer and closer. Just as Koi was thinking that his perfectly sculpted features looked as cold as a glass statue, he felt his breath ghost against his ear.

The moment Koi instinctively squeezed his eyes shut—

"Whoa!"

Ashley suddenly let out a short exclamation.

"Ahhh!"

Koi shrieked, flinching in shock.

Ashley immediately burst into laughter.

Realizing belatedly that Ashley had played a mischievous prank on him, Koi let out a relieved sigh, clutching at his chest.

"What the hell, you scared me."

Giving a light scolding, Koi frowned. But Ashley, still grinning, simply turned and started walking.

"Where do you want to eat? In the garden like last time?"

"Uh, uh, anywhere is fine for me."

Koi quickly followed, and Ashley hummed a little tune as he walked.

His heart was still pounding from what had just happened, but at least Ashley didn’t seem too down.

But why did he feel just a little disappointed?

*

They decided to eat in the gazebo, just like last time.

Koi took charge of handling the drinks, carefully preparing and carrying everything over.

Ashley brought out two kinds of salad, hamburgers, and sandwiches.

"That looks so good."

Seeing the hamburger, with several thin skewers holding it together, Koi let out an impressed murmur.

Ashley sat down across from him and picked up his drink.

"Did you still have some mango cola left?"

Koi answered,

"That was the last one. I wasn’t sure what else to bring."

Ashley didn’t say much in response. He simply dropped in some ice and poured his drink.

They ate in silence, without much conversation.

After finishing their meal, Ashley made an unexpected suggestion.

"Want to stay over?"

"Huh?"

Koi blinked, caught off guard.

Two conflicting thoughts instantly popped into his mind.

Should I stay? Should I go?

His father would never allow it. Of course, he’d be angry. The only upside was that his father was at least tolerable when he wasn’t drunk. As long as he didn’t drink tonight, things wouldn’t escalate.

Still, it was safer to just go home.

That was obviously the wiser choice.

He knew that.

And yet—

“...Yeah.”

Koi nodded.

"I’ll stay."

*

[Tonight, I’m staying over at a friend’s house because of an assignment. I’ll be home tomorrow, so don’t worry. – Koi]

“...Tomorrow, I promise...”

Reading his own message out loud, Koi nodded to himself before pressing send.

Then, he immediately turned off his phone.

If his father got drunk and started calling, it would be a disaster.

Hoo...

He let out a shaky breath, running a hand over his chest, but the trembling wouldn’t stop.

I’ll deal with tomorrow when it comes.

He repeated the thought over and over, but it didn’t bring him any peace.

Calm down. You already sent the message. There’s no point in regretting it now.

"Hoo..."

This time, he exhaled deeply, making sure it was audible, before heading outside.

After dinner, Koi and Ashley had come back inside the mansion.

While Ashley loaded the used dishes into the dishwasher, Koi had gone to an empty room to send the message to his father.

At first, he had considered calling, but his voice was shaking too much. There was no way he could get the words out.

If you’re this scared, you should’ve just gone home.

He scolded himself, but the temptation was stronger than he had expected.

Ashley had told him to stay over. There was no way he could refuse.

Resolving himself, Koi clenched his fists.

But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to make the call.

Instead, he had sent the message and ended the situation on his own terms.

Then, he stepped back into the hallway.