L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 157

Koi had arrived a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) full twenty minutes early for their meeting, and when he saw the Bentayga approaching from a distance, his face lit up instantly. He waited for the car to stop and hurriedly climbed into the passenger seat, greeting first.

“Hey, Ash. You’re early.”

Only then did he notice the car’s clock—it was still ten minutes before their scheduled time. As Koi cheerfully struck up conversation, Ashley didn’t reply. Instead, he slowly scanned Koi from head to toe. It was the first time Ashley had looked at him like that, and Koi froze instinctively. Ashley finally spoke.

“What’s with that outfit? Didn’t I buy you new clothes?”

Oh. Koi felt relieved and answered.

“I’m saving those for dates.”

I’m doing exactly what you told me to.

Koi looked at Ashley with sincerity.

“We’re friends, so this isn’t a date. Right?”

Ashley didn’t respond. He simply stared at Koi. Feeling a little unsure, Koi tried to reassure him.

“Don’t worry. I know better than to cross the line.”

His eyes were filled with genuine friendship as he looked at Ashley, but Ashley said nothing, kept his eyes forward, and started the car.

*

The lavish French restaurant was brightly lit and bustling with diners. Koi took a sip of wine and glanced at Ashley, seated across from him. Just like the last time they came here, Ashley was dressed in an impeccably tailored, expensive-looking suit. His platinum blond hair was neatly slicked back, and everything about him screamed “successful man.”

And just like last time, Koi’s appearance hadn't changed at all. The difference between them was clear—he was wearing the exact same outfit.

Not like I had much choice. This is still the best I’ve got.

The rest of his clothes were over ten years old and didn’t fit properly anymore. The only decent new outfit he owned was the one Ashley had bought for him—and that was reserved strictly for dates.

Ashley made it very clear—we’re just friends.

So Koi had no choice. He’d gotten nervous when Ashley commented on his clothes, but thankfully, Ashley didn’t press the issue. From the beginning, Ashley had always treated him kindly, no matter what he wore, and this time was no different. That reaffirmed Koi’s trust.

Ashley hasn’t changed.

When their meal shifted to the fish course, Koi naturally started the conversation.

“Thanks for calling me first. I wasn’t sure if you’d be busy, so I held off on calling.”

“That’s why I called.”

Ashley’s tone was flat, but it landed differently in Koi’s ears. That he would care enough to think that far—it moved him. Then Ashley added:

“I was worried about you.”

“Worried? About me?”

Koi looked at him in surprise. Ashley spoke again, still calm.

“You hadn’t contacted me in a while. I wondered if something happened.”

It was a perfectly normal concern between friends. Both Koi and Ashley thought so. Ashley continued.

“You might’ve gotten hurt at work, for all I knew.”

“No way!”

“I tried calling a few times because I was really starting to think something might’ve happened.”

Again, a perfectly reasonable thing for a friend to do. That Ashley had worried so much about him—it warmed Koi’s heart.

“Sorry to make you worry. Nothing happened.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“It’s fine. I was the one interrupting a date by calling, anyway. I didn’t ruin anything, did I?”

Ashley smiled as he asked. Koi thought for a moment—Did he?—but then quickly answered.

“No, I hung up right away. And the call I returned, I made while I was in the bathroom, so it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Bathroom.” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Ashley repeated the word. Koi nodded.

“Yeah, went to take care of things.”

Ashley said nothing and took another sip of wine. The meal continued quietly. When there was a lull between courses, Ashley spoke again.

“How have you been? Been going on a lot of dates?”

He hadn’t been on anything that really qualified as a “date.” Maybe—maybe—his meeting with Sara could barely count as one. But Koi couldn’t tell the truth. Ariel’s request popped into his head immediately.

“Koi, if Ashley ever asks how your dating life is going, just say it's going really well.”

So Koi repeated what Ariel had told him to say.

“I’ve been seeing a few people. There are a few I really click with, so I’ve been making plans every weekend. I was lucky you called when you did—I happened to have this weekend free.”

He didn’t like lying, but he understood why Ariel had told him to.

“Ashley’s been wishing for your happiness. Don’t you think he’d be upset if things weren’t going well?”

Even if she complained, Ariel clearly cared about Ashley, too.

Grateful to her, Koi added the final part of the script.

“There really are a lot of amazing people out there. I want to keep meeting more of them.”

“...That’s good to hear.”

Just as Ashley responded, the next course was brought out. Once the server left and they were alone again, Ashley continued.

“The person you were with when I called last time—how was that?”

“Oh, Sara?”

Koi’s eyes lit up as he launched into an excited retelling of their conversation. From random trivia to space-related topics, to astronauts and spacecraft, the story grew longer and longer.

Eventually, he noticed Ashley had fallen silent. Koi stopped, startled, and a brief pause followed before Ashley finally spoke.

“Sounds like you really found someone you click with.”

“Yeah, totally.”

Koi added with enthusiasm,

“Time just flew by when we were together. When you called, we’d already been talking for four hours at the café. Your call made us move locations, and even during dinner—and right up until we said goodbye—we just couldn’t stop talking.”

“Must’ve been hard to say goodbye.”

“Yeah.”

Ashley’s curt response was met with an eager nod from Koi.

“We’re meeting again tomorrow. If I hadn’t already made plans with you, I probably would’ve met up again today. I mean, how amazing is it to get real-time updates on space news? She even invited me to a party next time—said she’d introduce me to people who work at NASA. Apparently, there are a lot of great guys there too.”

Ashley froze mid-cutting and looked directly at him.

“Guys?”

“Yeah.”

Koi beamed and kept going.

“I’m sure they’re all super charming. Just like Sara. Just imagining meeting a bunch of people like her—guys or girls—makes my heart race.”

What Koi meant was that he was excited to make new friends who shared his interests. But to Ashley, it sounded different. Ashley stared at him in silence before speaking.

“You seem happy.”

That, too, was part of the script Ariel had given him. Koi answered on cue.

“Yeah, really. Thanks, Ash. It’s all thanks to you.”

He even remembered to leave a one- or two-second pause, then added,

“Coming to the East was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

With a bright smile on his face, Koi didn’t notice Ashley silently setting down his knife and fork, leaving half his steak untouched. Koi noticed and looked surprised.

“Why? Aren’t you going to eat the rest?”

“I’ve had enough. Don’t worry about me—just keep eating.”

Ashley poured himself more wine and soon called a server to order another bottle. Without saying much more, he ended up drinking three more bottles of wine.

*

They finished their meal without much further conversation. After finishing his last glass, Ashley called the server over to pay. Koi, anxiously watching, quickly reached for his wallet.

“Ah—I’ll pay for my half.”

They were friends, after all. It wasn’t a date. There was no reason one of them should pay for the other. Thankfully, the place wasn’t too expensive—Koi could afford his share without too much stress.

Ashley silently placed his card on the tray along with the cash Koi had put down. When the server took the tray and walked away, Koi whispered:

“All of that’s going for the tip?”

He couldn’t help but ask—it seemed like too much. But Ashley gave no response. After the server returned his card, Ashley stood up immediately. Koi scrambled to follow him out of the restaurant. They both got in the car, and silence fell once more as they drove.

“Ash.”

Koi finally broke the silence once Ashley parked the car—the same spot where he’d picked Koi up. Ashley had just turned off the engine when he glanced over. Koi spoke carefully.

“I’m pretty oblivious sometimes, but... I can still tell. Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

A heavy silence filled the air. Koi, tense and uneasy, asked again.

“Did I... do something wrong?”