By Zephyria As Ashley’s quitting time approached, Ariel asked Koi, who was getting ready to go home.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? Why don’t you take a taxi?”
“Of course, I’m going alone. What are you talking about?”
Koi burst into laughter, but Ariel frowned and said,
“Ash will never forgive me if anything happens to you on the way.”
Koi smiled and added, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. It’s not that late.”
Koi, who slung his crossbody bag and got up from the sofa, spread his arms to Ariel, who followed suit. Ariel readily hugged him and patted his back. Koi also hugged her back and expressed his sincere gratitude.
“Thank you, Al. For helping me like this.”
“I’m the one who’s grateful, for being so good to my sisters.”
“They’re my sisters too.”
Koi burst into laughter, and Ariel laughed as well, stepping away from him.
“I didn’t think you could say that to Ash.”
He blushed at her admiring gaze and replied,
“They’re friends who are coming for my sake. Ash agreed right away.”
Wouldn’t Ash agree to anything needed for the wedding? Koi was quite confident because he had already heard from Bill how much Ash was looking forward to it. As expected, Ashley lived up to his expectations, and if he knew how happy and grateful Koi was now, he would smile too.
Koi, who had unknowingly broken into a wide smile, belatedly remembered something. He scratched his head and said to Ariel, who was still smiling and tilting her head, “Um, I have a favor to ask…….”
“Yeah, tell me. Anything.”
Koi felt overwhelmed with emotion at Ariel’s response without even hearing the request, and he opened his mouth.
“Um, actually… I’m planning to buy a Wedding ring, and I was wondering if you could go with me to look at designs? If you have time…….”
“Oh, of course, Koi. Leave it to me.”
Ariel nodded her head vigorously even before he finished speaking. Koi, relieved, smiled brightly and blurted out, “Thank you, I asked Bill, but he said no, so I thought…….”
“Bill? He refused?”
Ariel frowned immediately and asked. Oh no, Koi regretted it instantly, but it was already too late. He nodded his head helplessly and answered honestly.
“He said he didn’t want to die and told me to go with you. So I thought you might refuse too.”
Koi, who had braced himself inwardly, was now relieved and smiled comfortably. Ariel looked at his face and was silent for a moment before letting out a short sigh.
“I want to tell Bill that he’s a coward, but Ash went too far, so I can’t blame him.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Sorry.”
When Koi agreed and apologized, Ariel shook her head in denial.
“No, why are you apologizing? Ash is the one who did wrong. How can you swing an ice hockey stick at someone in the first place? Even in the rink, the rule is to only punch.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Recalling that day, his spine tingled, and his face flushed with embarrassment. Ariel smiled as if to tell him not to worry.
“Anyway, that’s that, and Ash won’t do that to me, so don’t worry. Let’s go together, I’m free anytime.”
“Really? ……Ash wouldn’t do that to you, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ariel nodded. In a confident tone, she added,
“First of all, I’m a woman, and of course, Ash wouldn’t be relieved just because the other person is a woman, but you and I are, how should I put it, like blood relatives.”
“Because we’re sisters?”
“That’s right.”
Come to think of it, Ashley seemed to be a little more lenient towards the cheerleading team sisters. Koi felt proud when he thought that Ash recognized the team’s friendship.
“I want to see everyone soon.”
“Me too,” Ariel said, her eyes sparkling as she held Koi’s hand tightly.
“Everyone said they’re taking about two weeks off, so you’ll be able to see them as much as you want.”
The two, holding hands, shouted “Wow, wow,” and hugged each other tightly once again before separating. It was really time to go now. Koi, who had just reached the front door, turned around again, saying, “Oh, right.”
“I need to save up money to buy the ring, so if anyone around you needs someone, could you connect me? I can do most of the house repairs and installations.”
“Okay, I will. Have you looked online?”
“Yeah. I’ve made reservations at a few places. I’ve also asked the office to contact me if they have any work.”
“Okay, then.” Ariel grabbed him with a serious face as he was about to leave.
“Koi, don’t overdo it. You’re pregnant.”
“Oh…….”
That’s right, he was.
He still couldn’t believe that he had a baby in his belly. He had almost forgotten about it, but looking at Ariel’s expression, he felt embarrassed because she seemed to be more worried about his body than he was.
“Okay, I’ll be careful.”
“Okay. If you don’t have enough money for the ring, tell me. I have some money saved up, so I’ll lend it to you. You can pay me back later, so don’t overdo it right now.”
“Thank you.”
Koi thanked his friend for her kindness and left the apartment. As he took the subway home as usual, he replayed the events of the day in his mind, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Memories from his childhood quickly resurfaced. There were many times when he was scolded for missing a beat or making a wrong move, but everyone always encouraged him and waited for him to succeed, and when he finally did, they were happier than anyone else and congratulated him. The thought of seeing them again filled him with emotion.
He couldn’t help but smile as he returned home and greeted Ashley with a bright smile.
“Welcome home, Ash.”
Koi, who had rushed over when he heard the sound of the front door opening, saw Ashley’s face soften as he saw him, and he hugged him with an even brighter expression. Ashley hugged him back as if it were natural and kissed him, and Koi readily opened his mouth.
Ashley, who gently sucked on his lower lip, tilted his head and pressed his lips together, pushing his tongue in. His tongue, which lightly licked the tender flesh inside, caressed Koi’s tongue.
Koi closed his eyes and trembled slightly as he wrapped his arms around his neck. Ashley, who pulled Koi’s tongue and bit it lightly, changed the angle and pressed his lips together on the other side.
The kiss gradually deepened and showed no signs of ending. He could feel his excitement from their touching bodies. Koi’s heart was pounding as well, and the inside of his body was throbbing. It was difficult to resist the urge to take off his pants as they were, but he mustered all his patience, stopped the kiss, and turned his head to the side.
“D-dinner will be here soon… You didn’t eat dinner yesterday either…….”
“I did.”
Ashley tried to kiss him again, but Koi refused more firmly this time.
“You ate it much later. It was cold and didn’t taste good… You have to eat on time. Eating regularly is good for your body.”
The last words were common health knowledge, but unexpectedly, they stopped Ashley. Koi realized that Ashley had taken it in a completely different way than intended when he frowned and glanced at Koi’s belly. But in any case, he had achieved what he wanted as a result. Ashley sighed and reluctantly let him go. Koi felt a pang of conscience at his reaction.
“Am I the only one who’s not thinking about the baby……?”
“What are you talking about?”
Ashley, who had somehow understood his small mutterings, frowned and asked. Koi hesitated and opened his mouth honestly.
“I was talking to Al earlier, and Al told me not to overdo it. Because I’m pregnant…….”
He scratched his head and continued awkwardly.
“But I can’t really feel it, so I honestly forget about it most of the time, that I have a baby. Other people are more concerned and taking care of me than I am, so I feel a little sorry for the baby…….”
Ashley looked down at Koi without saying anything. In fact, he wasn’t worried about the baby. He was worried that Koi’s body would get worse if the baby was harmed, but Koi was thinking the opposite.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Ashley soon decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Without bothering to clear up Koi’s misunderstanding, he said instead, “You’ll be thinking about it from now on. You don’t want the baby to be sick, do you?”
“No.”
Koi nodded obediently and immediately.
“I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Take a taxi, too.”
“Yeah, I will.”
Unlike usual, Koi listened obediently. Only then did Ashley think that he had really done a good job of getting Koi pregnant. Feeling his expression soften on its own, he lightly kissed Koi’s lips.
“Good boy.”
Koi smiled back along with him as he smiled. Without even knowing what it meant. Just as he felt the desire to knock him down again, the doorbell rang. Koi’s face lit up and he hurried past Ashley to the front door.