L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 51

Ashley whispered in a low voice, like he was sharing a very private secret.

“You have to wear your seatbelt properly.”

Koi was still blinking blankly, dazed.

“W-What?”

Ashley smiled gently.

“It’d be bad if we got into an accident.”

“Oh...”

Koi stared as Ashley straightened up and turned back toward the wheel. Without missing a beat, Ashley started the car and pulled out. As the car moved smoothly forward, Koi slowly returned to himself. And then his whole face turned bright red.

What the hell was I thinking!?

Startled by the realization, he smacked both cheeks in quick succession.

“Koi? What’s wrong?”

Alarmed, Ashley took one hand off the steering wheel and grabbed Koi’s hand.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“U-Uh...”

Koi stammered, feeling the sting on his cheeks.

“It’s nothing, just... nothing.”

He barely managed to mumble it out, his voice trailing off. Even so, Ashley kept holding his hand, glancing at him and clearly checking to see if he was really okay.

I have to change the subject—fast.

Koi’s brain scrambled to think of something, anything—and then, miraculously, the store customer popped into his head. That’s it!

“Hey, um... what’s this car called?”

He waited, praying Ashley would go along with it. Luckily, Ashley didn’t hesitate.

“Aston Martin.”

Still watching the road, he added casually,

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“Kind of a waste to take the van on a day like this.”

Thank god.

Koi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, now feeling a bit more relaxed.

“Did your dad come back?”

“No, it was just in the garage.”

Ashley’s response was nonchalant, and Koi thought of the huge garage at his house, the one that was always closed. It made sense. And if there was this one, there had to be others.

“Do you guys have a lot of cars?”

He was curious now. Ashley smiled faintly at the question.

“I’ll show you next time. If there’s one you like, we’ll take it for a drive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Ashley changed lanes and asked,

“Do you have a favorite?”

The sudden question caught Koi off guard.

“Uh... Jaguar?”

That was the only luxury car brand he could think of. If it hadn’t been named after an animal, he probably wouldn’t have remembered it at all. Heart pounding, he waited, and Ashley, still watching the road, simply said,

“Got it.”

Relieved, Koi let out a tiny sigh—but then Ashley followed up with another question.

“Which model?”

“Uh...”

This time, he was speechless. He didn’t know a single thing about cars, so he had no idea what to say. He squeezed out the most vague answer he could manage.

“Just... a classic car...”

Ashley nodded like it was no big deal.

“Alright, I’ll bring that one next time.”

“Okay,” Koi said, nodding in relief. But then his eyes went wide.

“You guys have a Jaguar too?”

“Can you grab that water bottle from the glove box?” Ashley asked suddenly, pointing in front of Koi.

Startled, Koi followed his hand and opened the compartment, pulling out a bottle of water. Just as he was about to hand it over, he paused and asked,

“Want me to open it for you?”

“Thanks.”

Ashley smiled, and Koi, pleased, twisted the cap off and passed it over. Ashley held the wheel with one hand and drank straight from the bottle. After taking a few gulps, he set it down in the cupholder, all while keeping his eyes on the road. Koi was watching him when he suddenly noticed—they were merging onto the freeway.

“We’re going far?”

He’d assumed they were going somewhere nearby, so this caught him off guard. Ashley nodded.

“An hour? Hour and a half?”

“Seriously?”

If it was that far, they were headed into the city. But where exactly? Koi felt a flicker of anxiety, but he tried to reassure himself.

Ashley would never do anything bad to me.

Still, the curiosity was impossible to suppress. Koi took out his phone to check their location, then tilted his head. He’d never gone this way before. He had no idea what lay ahead.

He frowned, trying to figure it out. Ashley, glancing at his expression, had to physically force himself to keep a straight face.

Koi, you’re too cute.

If I could just hold you all day and roll around on the bed with you... bite you all over, lick every inch of you...

Ashley exhaled sharply, gripping the wheel tighter. He turned on the music to distract himself.

["Put your XX in my XX and lick my soaking wet XX."]

Of all songs—it had to be that one, infamous for its vulgar lyrics listing every possible sex act. Ashley immediately hit the button to turn it off.

Silence filled the car. Neither of them said a word.

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Ashley glanced at Koi—and saw him wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. Ashley quickly cleared his throat.

“Koi, you hungry?”

“H-Huh? Uh...”

Koi flinched and turned to him. Ashley kept his tone calm.

“Just a little longer. We’ll stop by somewhere first, then grab a proper meal. You can get a snack here if you want.”

“Okay...”

Koi nodded, but inside, his heart was hammering. That awful song had knocked loose memories he’d just managed to suppress.

Why the hell did I even imagine that?

Just thinking about it again made his face burn.

I thought Ashley was going to kiss me...

Unbelievable. How could he even imagine something like that?

If Ashley ever found out, he’d probably be so stunned he’d actually get mad.

Even as sweat trickled down his back, Koi tried to act normal, fidgeting with his phone to keep his hands busy. Please, don’t let Ashley hear how fast my heart’s beating.

*

Wow...

As they exited the freeway and turned onto regular streets, Koi’s eyes widened in awe. He’d never seen a place like this before. The streets were clean and vibrant, full of attractive people walking to and fro. Every store lining the road had a sleek, stylish design. Even the pavement, stepped on by countless people, gleamed like it had just been polished.

Ashley parked in front of one of the shops. Koi noticed the awning was down, unlike the other storefronts, and tilted his head in curiosity. Then Ashley got out, walked around, and opened the passenger door for him.

That was when Koi realized—he’d been totally zoned out. He scrambled out of the car.

“Th-Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ashley smiled gently, then slid an arm around Koi’s back and pulled him close.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh, yeah...”

Koi nodded without thinking. A large security guard was standing at the entrance, and when he saw them, he stepped aside and opened the door. Not only that—he even smiled at them.

Koi, clueless but obedient, followed Ashley inside. At the time, he just assumed Ashley had something to buy.

“Welcome, Mr. Miller. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

Mr. Miller?

Koi ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ was stunned as a poised woman greeted them with a bright smile. She’d just called a high schooler “Mr.” But even more shocking was Ashley’s response. He replied without hesitation, like this was perfectly normal.

“Hello. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

He shook her hand briefly, then turned and gestured.

“This is my friend, Connor Niles. Koi, come here.”

Still blinking in surprise, Koi stepped closer. The woman turned her gaze to him and smiled warmly.

“Hello, Mr. Niles. I’m Joanna Mondavi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Koi had only ever heard students get called “Mr.” by the old-fashioned history teacher everyone made fun of. Of course, Koi had always found that teacher to be a gentleman, and he kind of liked being called “Mr. Niles”—but hearing it here, out in public, was something else entirely.

Still frozen in place, he watched as Joanna led them further inside.

“Right this way. We prepared everything in advance since you called ahead. I understand you have dinner plans afterward? That restaurant is quite famous—you have excellent taste. Please, take a seat. May I bring you some refreshments while you browse?”

Koi was once again floored by her smooth, polished way of speaking. But that wasn’t all. Everything in sight sparkled with luxury. Even the staff standing at intervals around the shop were all stunning and stylish.

As he looked around in awe, Joanna gestured toward a nearby sofa, and Koi hesitated.