L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 146

Even someone as emotionally blunt as Koi sensed the sudden shift in atmosphere. Ashley was looking down at him with a strangely stiff expression, and Koi blinked in confusion. What’s with him all of a sudden? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why, so he just stayed quiet and watched him carefully.

“Um...”

“You.”

He’d cautiously tried to speak, but the chance was snatched away again. Ashley, still looking down at him with a cold gaze, asked,

“You haven’t manifested, have you?”

“Uh... I’m a beta. Still.”

It was already past the usual period, so his traits were practically settled. Koi realized how ridiculous the word “still” sounded and flushed with embarrassment, but Ashley didn’t laugh at him. Just as Koi began to worry about why he was being looked at with that kind of expression, Ashley suddenly turned away.

“Come on. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I’ll take you home.”

Startled by the unexpected offer, Koi stared at him in shock before hurrying to follow.

“N-no, it’s fine. I’ll go alone.”

“How? You planning to catch a taxi? Or walk?”

Truthfully, he hadn’t thought about it. Caught off guard, Koi had no reply, and Ashley gave a short, knowing snort before turning back again. After a moment of hesitation, Koi ended up getting into the car. Once he fastened his seatbelt, Ashley finally started the engine.

“When’s the date?”

“Huh?”

Not long after leaving the parking lot, Ashley asked. The question was so sudden that Koi reflexively repeated it back, then gave an awkward laugh as it hit him.

“It’s not a date... we’re just having a meal and watching a movie.”

“Koi.”

“Yeah.”

Ashley glanced at him, and a faint sneer tugged at the corner of his lips.

“That’s what people call a date, Koi.”

Koi didn’t respond immediately and closed his mouth. He hadn’t really thought about it that way, but now that Ashley said it, maybe it really was. Would Julie think of it that way too? Lost in thought, Koi hesitated, then cautiously asked,

“Then... would it be better not to see her?”

He hadn’t considered it that way at all, so if Julie had any expectations, it would be better to make things clear. At the careful question, Ashley replied indifferently.

“Who you see has nothing to do with me.”

Reflexively, Koi looked up. Ashley’s side profile, illuminated by the moonlight, was cold and sharp, and Koi’s heart dropped. As if mocking him, Ashley spoke again.

“Hope it’s a fun date, Koi.”

Once again, Koi couldn’t reply and just dropped his head. And the two of them rode the rest of the way in silence, without another word.

*

Ashley slowed down as the car entered a dark alley without even streetlights. It looked like the perfect place for an armed robber to jump out, shoot at the car, and steal the stereo. As they drove slowly through the gloomy area, Koi started to get nervous.

He’d woken up to the sound of gunshots plenty of times before, so this wasn’t just paranoia. Driving around in an expensive car in a place like this, if they were attacked by some thug, he couldn’t even imagine what would happen. Even if someone was a super-alpha with better physical abilities than most, they were still human. A bullet would still kill. Koi grew increasingly restless at the thought that Ashley had come all the way here and put himself in danger because of him.

“H-hey, this is far enough. I can go the rest of the way alone.”

He reached for the door to get out, trying to signal that he wanted to be dropped off, but the door was locked. Caught off guard, Koi was suddenly struck by an old memory. Was this one of those cars with special locks that couldn’t be opened from the inside?

Unable to decide what to do, he hesitated. In contrast, Ashley remained completely calm as he asked,

“Where do you live? Do I need to go farther?”

“Um...”

Koi hesitated for a second, then pointed and answered honestly.

“Over there. The one on the corner.”

Without reacting, Ashley drove in the direction Koi had indicated. Once they reached the nearby building, Ashley brought the car to a stop, and the passenger-side door where Koi was sitting clicked open as if it had been waiting.

“...Thanks for the ride.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After thanking him, Koi lingered for a moment, then asked,

“Um... would you like to come in for some tea or something?”

As soon as he said it, the thought hit him—parking a fancy car like this in a place like this was just asking for it to get stolen. But it was too late to take the words back, and Koi floundered, flustered. Ashley finally opened his mouth.

“It’s fine. Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

Relieved, Koi let out a breath without realizing it. Ashley watched him quietly. It was hard to read his expression in the dark, with the streetlight at his back.

Koi knew this was the moment to get out of the car, but he couldn’t move right away. He needed to make plans to see him again. If he let him go now, he might never get another chance. At the very least, ask for his number. Hurry. Right now.

“I’ve been wondering.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Koi jumped at Ashley’s sudden voice and quickly nodded. Still wearing that unreadable expression, Ashley looked at him and asked,

“You said you came to see me, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah.” 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Koi nodded again, and Ashley’s voice dropped lower as he continued.

“Then what exactly did you want to do after seeing me?”

Koi couldn’t answer right away. Too many emotions surged all at once, overwhelming him. How could he possibly express all of that in just a few words? Even now, his heavy heart ached with the weight of it.

“I just...”

Koi finally managed to speak. He coughed awkwardly to cover the tremble in his voice, trying to collect himself as he continued.

“I just wanted to see you.”

Despite the countless feelings he had, that was all he could say. In the darkness, he could barely make out Ashley furrowing his brows.

“That’s it?”

Ashley’s tone was incredulous, and Koi flushed red. Of course that sounded ridiculous. After over ten years, to show up and say something like that?

But the truth was, that was all there was. That was really all. If someone worked themselves to death for over a decade just to see Ashley Miller’s face, anyone would react the same way. But to Koi, Ashley Miller wasn’t someone ordinary people could even imagine. The emotional cost was nothing compared to what Ashley meant to him. Of course, Ashley couldn’t possibly understand that, and Koi had no intention of forcing it on him either.

I know that what we had ended a long time ago.

Koi thought to himself. The fact that Ashley still wasn’t married, still had no one special—that was a miracle to him. Not that he was arrogant enough to think it was because of him. Ashley was probably just busy, or not interested, or had his own reasons. Koi was simply grateful for the chance to be brave like this. If Ashley had been married or had someone close, he would never have dared to even ask to see his face.

“I went to your law firm.”

Koi pressed on with a bit more courage.

“Did you hear about it? They told me to leave a message, so I gave them my number and everything.”

That had been over a month ago. If Ashley had gotten the message, he would’ve said something by now. Thinking about how Ashley had asked when he came to the East, Koi made a guess. He must not have gotten the message.

“I know.”

“Uh...”

The flat reply left Koi blinking in shock. Ashley’s blank expression as he looked down at him made Koi’s heart flutter with dread.

“So... you didn’t have time to call, right? That’s why?”

“No.”

Ashley cut him off firmly, crushing the hopeful question with a single word.

“I had no intention of meeting you.”

Koi froze. He had clearly heard the words, but he couldn’t understand them. What... did I just hear? What did Ashley just say? Staring at him in a daze, Koi suddenly remembered—

〈It’s better if you stay out of my sight.〉

〈Did you think I’d be happy to see you?〉

Too late, Koi finally froze up completely.