By Zephyria “You don’t have to answer right away.”
Seeing the obvious confusion on Koi’s face, Ashley spoke first.
“Think about it. Of course, I’ll respect any other path you’re considering. But I hope you’ll consider what I’ve said, too.”
He added more earnestly than ever, “Because I want to live with you after graduation.”
Koi hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.”
Ashley smiled faintly and changed the subject. “We’ll be late for class. Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Koi gave the same answer again and hurried to match Ash’s pace, almost running. But his head was still a mess.
*
The East Coast…
Even lying in bed, trying to sleep, Koi kept thinking the same thing.
He’d never imagined leaving the place he’d lived his whole life. Even after falling for Ashley, he’d only vaguely imagined a long-distance relationship; following him had never crossed his mind.
When had Ash started thinking about this?
Koi had only been thinking about living together, but Ashley had mentioned marriage, so maybe it had been from the start.
Koi turned over again, his expression serious as he blinked.
Was that the only way to be with Ash…?
The thought of leaving this place made him feel strangely numb. It wasn’t because he loved their old, cramped Motorhome. He was simply scared and lacked the courage to leave the place he’d lived his whole life and go to a strange new place.
〈I’ll take responsibility.〉
Ashley’s face flickered in his mind, and he sighed unconsciously. Ashley was born and raised on the East Coast, so he was just going back to a familiar place. He probably wouldn’t understand Koi’s fear.
Did Ash feel like this when he first came here?
Koi suddenly remembered. Ashley was much younger when he first came here. What must it have felt like to come and stay alone in a strange place?
…Had something that serious happened to him?
As he thought that, he heard the Motorhome door rattle. Koi startled, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep. Soon after, the door opened, and he heard footsteps. Koi curled up tightly, straining his ears.
Father had been drinking less lately. Instead, he often stayed up late with the light on, sitting in his chair, deep in thought.
Tonight, too, he turned on the dim light and sat in the shabby dining table chair, letting out a long sigh, making Koi inwardly tense up. It had been a while since he’d seen Father’s face, but it didn’t matter. Whether he was drinking or not, he’d be in a bad mood when he saw Koi, and the result would definitely be unpleasant.
So, it’s okay.
Koi squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep. A night as long as Father’s sigh was passing.
*
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
Koi ran to Ashley, who was waiting in the same spot as always, and greeted him, looking up.
Ashley hugged him, kissed him, and then greeted him back. As they drove to school, they talked about everyday things. They acted as if Ashley’s proposal from the day before hadn’t happened, but they were both thinking about the same thing.
When would Koi answer?
When should he answer?
Ashley knew that leaving the place he’d lived his whole life wasn’t an easy decision. He had his reasons, and the conditions were right. But Koi had to abandon everything familiar and leave, trusting only Ashley. It wouldn’t be an easy decision.
Still, Ashley believed that Koi would eventually accept his proposal. It was the only way for them not to break up, and he was confident that Koi felt the same way. So, he decided not to rush and wait for Koi’s answer.
“Hey, Ash! Koi!”
As they got out of the car, one of the ice hockey team guys spotted them and called out. He greeted Ashley first, then greeted Koi and walked alongside them. Bill joined them, and then another guy joined in, and soon the usual group was formed.
As they walked, Ashley kept his arm around Koi’s shoulders. The guys noticed, but no one said anything. Koi, too, was unaware as he mingled among them.
The morning passed quickly as usual, and as soon as they gathered in the cafeteria for lunch, one of the guys started the conversation.
“Did you guys get any college pamphlets?”
Another guy answered his question. “I got a few. More will probably come.”
“Did you guys have any score deficiencies? My consultant said I should get more volunteer hours.”
“You should have done that sooner.”
“I thought I had enough.”
Listening to their back-and-forth, Koi felt a strange sense of alienation. College consulting was something he couldn’t even dream of. He had to find schools on his own and apply by visiting them in person, so he had to move faster and earlier than the other kids.
“I should have applied early.”
“The situation wasn’t right. It’s better to be careful.”
“Ash, why didn’t you? You had all the qualifications to apply early, didn’t you? Didn’t your consultant say anything? You got consulting, right?”
Koi was curious, too. He’d looked at colleges on the East Coast, so he must have done something in that area. He was going to the same college as Father, so his path was decided, and had he already applied there?
As he waited silently for an answer, Bill, who was sitting next to Koi, groaned softly.
Koi turned to see a wilted piece of lettuce stuck to the hamburger patty. Watching the giant of a boy struggle to remove the small leaf stuck to the middle of the meat, Koi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Ashley turned his head at the sound of laughter. Bill also looked over, puzzled, and Koi, embarrassed by the gazes on him from both sides, blushed and opened his mouth.
“No, there’s something on your face.”
“On my face?”
Koi nodded at Bill’s question and pointed to one side of his own mouth. Seeing that, Bill held the hamburger in one hand and wiped his mouth with the other.
But that was a big mistake. The burger sauce that had been on the hand he’d been trying to remove the lettuce with smeared even more on his mouth. The other guys burst out laughing at the sight.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“You idiot, you moron!”
Ashley, who had been laughing along with the guys, clapping his hands, was about to change the subject. But at that moment, Koi’s face, smiling brightly at Bill, came into view.
Even though it was just for a brief, fleeting moment, Ashley felt an ominous premonition. And it was right on the mark. Koi raised his hand and wiped the corner of Bill’s mouth with his thumb.
“There, all done,”
Koi said, smiling again. Bill smiled back at him and said, “Thanks, Koi. You’re an angel, as always.”
After that, Bill continued to say something like, “Those gorilla guys are no help at all…” but Ashley didn’t hear it.
“Ash?”
Koi looked at him, calling his name with a puzzled expression. But Ashley didn’t react. Seeing Ashley frozen and silent, Koi was momentarily flustered.
“Ash, what’s wrong?”
Calling his name with a hint of anxiety, Ashley suddenly looked at Koi. The moment their eyes met, Koi flinched and recoiled, startled by the unexpected situation. Ashley was glaring at him with a terrifying look.
“Um…”
As he hesitated and tried to speak, Ashley suddenly jumped up from his seat. Koi wasn’t the only one who was taken aback.
The other guys also stared at him with wide eyes. They didn’t understand what was going on at all, but Ashley grabbed Koi’s arm.
“Come with me for a second.”
“Huh? Uh?”
Koi got up in a daze and followed him. The remaining guys could only stare blankly as Koi was dragged away by Ashley.
“…Hey, what’s going on?”
One of the guys asked, and Bill answered with an equally blank expression.
“I don’t know, me neither.”
He muttered, bewildered. “I just wiped something off his face…”
“Ashley likes Koi, though.”
“Still, is he really getting that angry over just that?”
“Ashley’s cool, he’s not that kind of guy.”
Everyone looked at each other, bewildered. They had no idea what had just happened.