L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 99

“Thanksgiving?”

Koi repeated Ashley’s words, caught off guard by the unexpected invitation. Ashley smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. Unless you’ve already got plans.”

“N-no, of course not.”

Koi rushed to respond, then quickly lowered his head in embarrassment.

“You know you’re the only one I have...”

“Only friend?”

Ashley immediately latched onto the wording. Koi quickly corrected himself.

“M-my boyfriend.”

Only then did Ashley smile and turn his gaze back to the road.

Passing the line of cars waiting at the front gate, Ashley steered through the private resident entrance toward the mansion and asked,

“What should we do for Thanksgiving? Anything you wanna eat?”

“Uh...”

Koi paused to think, then cautiously asked,

“Can we... have turkey?”

“Sure.”

Ashley agreed easily, then let out a little laugh.

“But isn’t it kind of gross?”

“Uh...”

The truth was, Koi didn’t know. He’d only ever seen turkey in pictures or videos—never in person.

“S-still, it’s not Thanksgiving without turkey, right?”

“Like how there’s cake on your birthday? Got it.”

Ashley laughed again, but Koi didn’t respond.

He probably doesn’t know I’ve never even had a birthday cake...

What would Ashley think if he knew everything about me?

The thought crept in, but Koi quickly shook his head. Ashley wouldn’t judge someone for that. He’d said over and over again that he liked Koi.

Doubting that would be insulting to him.

Trying to shake the thought, Koi took a breath and spoke up with new resolve.

“I’ve never had turkey before.”

“Really?”

Ashley sounded surprised but didn’t make a big deal of it.

“Well, once you try it, you’ll probably never wanna eat it again.”

He glanced at Koi with a smile, then turned his eyes back to the road. Koi stared at him for a second, blank, before a smile crept onto [N O V E L I G H T] his face too. His chest swelled with emotion.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“No way.”

Koi let out a carefree laugh. Ashley glanced sideways at him, still smiling.

It’s Koi’s first time having turkey.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

That tugged at his heart—but more than that, it stirred something else. It was okay. He’d just give Koi everything. They’d share every first together.

“Should I ask them to make a cake too?”

Ashley asked. Koi nodded right away.

“Yeah, chocolate cake. I like that.”

“Alright. Done.”

Ashley agreed just as easily this time too. He liked seeing Koi smile. If it made him happy, he’d do anything.

Truly—anything.

*

“Thanks again, Ash.”

Koi gave his usual goodbye after Ashley dropped him off near the curb.

“Thanks for inviting me for Thanksgiving.”

He spoke before their usual goodbye kiss. Ashley smiled and wrapped his arms around Koi’s waist, lifting his head to kiss him. But just before, he spoke.

“Wanna stay the night?”

“Huh?”

Koi’s eyes went wide at the unexpected offer, but Ashley just grinned.

“We’ll watch movies, hang out all night. What do you think?”

It was another plan Ashley had come up with. He wanted their first Thanksgiving together to be perfect. Koi had no idea about any of that. He just blinked in surprise for a second, then slowly nodded.

Ashley smiled again and kissed him sweetly. Koi closed his eyes and returned the kiss with all his heart.

“See you.”

“Get home safe.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

They reluctantly said goodbye, forcing themselves apart. Even then, they kissed twice more before finally letting go. As always, Koi ran off without looking back. If he turned even once, he’d run straight back to Ashley.

Once he got home, he finally exhaled. As always, he rushed to shower before his dad came home, threw the laundry in, and lay on his bed.

Only then did his heart rate begin to settle, and he could start thinking clearly. But as soon as he replayed the day in his mind, his heart started pounding again.

Thanksgiving...

He couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned. It would be his first time spending a holiday with someone. Maybe when he was really young, the whole family had been together, but that was so long ago, he barely remembered. It hardly counted as a “memory.”

With Ashley.

Just thinking about it made him giddy.

But that wasn’t all.

“Wanna stay the night?”

Ashley’s voice echoed in his ears.

Did... did he mean that?

What else could it mean? They’d been dating for almost two months now. So far, Ashley had only kissed him and touched his butt.

Koi had always known the day would come when he had to make a decision.

He rolled over again, heart thudding, nerves swirling.

Maybe... Ashley wants to take the next step.

It made perfect sense. Koi knew Ashley had been holding himself back. And they’d already promised to marry each other. Just kissing endlessly—wasn’t that kind of ridiculous? It wasn’t like they’d made some vow of abstinence. Did they really have to wait until they were adults?

And more than anything, Koi had seen firsthand just how healthy a teenage boy Ashley was.

Even the thought of touching his anaconda...

Koi swallowed and clutched his pounding heart. If I love him, I shouldn’t be scared. Ashley had waited for him this whole time. It was his turn to be brave.

“Fuuu...”

Letting out a shaky breath, Koi made up his mind. Thanksgiving was just a week away. He had to act fast. Nodding to himself, he made a firm decision.

Tomorrow, I’m buying condoms.

*

The next day was the weekend. Wearing a mask and a hoodie, Koi rode his bike all the way to a neighboring town. He stepped into a convenience store he’d found in advance and scanned the interior.

The item he was looking for was, of course, right by the register. No way he could pick one out with people watching. Koi nervously circled the store again and again. It was painfully obvious to anyone how suspicious he looked.

“Hey, kid. What are you trying to buy?”

A large shadow suddenly blocked his path. Koi gasped and recoiled in shock. The store clerk, a burly man with a stern face, was staring down at him.

“Uh, I-I, um, I...”

Koi stammered involuntarily. Behind the clerk, the wall clock ticked away. He was running out of time. His part-time shift was coming up soon—he had to hurry.

Gulp. He swallowed hard, but no sound came out. The clerk looked ready to call the cops. That was the one thing Koi absolutely couldn’t let happen. If word got out that he’d been taken to the police station for trying to buy condoms, it’d be humiliating—and his dad might beat him like a dog.

Say it. Say it. Just SAY it!

“Um, I-I mean, uh...”

“What is it?”

The clerk growled again. Koi’s brain was spinning. His vision blurred. Say it! Say it now!

At that moment, the bell above the door jingled behind him, and in a panic, Koi blurted out,

“F-forgive me—C-Condon!!”

“...What?”

The newly entered customer and the clerk both scrunched their faces. Koi froze, pale as a sheet, eyes wide.

*

“Wahahahahaha!”

The clerk doubled over, pounding the register as he laughed. Koi stood by the condom display, drenched in sweat, his face bright red.

The customer who had just entered was an elderly man with white hair. He stood beside Koi and kindly explained each product.

“This one’s strawberry-scented. Nice texture, good quality. Banana wasn’t so great. The ones with bumps—try those later. Start with something basic, that’s best... everything in life is like that...”

“Mr. Ferguson, you really don’t have to go into that much detail.”

The clerk wiped tears from his eyes. Koi kept his head down, muttering small “yes, sirs” under his breath. The old man gently asked,

“So, which one do you like best?”

Honestly, Koi had no idea. He never imagined there would be this many types. He had thought he just had to grab a big one. Trying to remember his sex-ed class, he hesitantly asked,

“Um... getting the right size is important, right?”

“Absolutely. Don’t be embarrassed—just pick the one that fits. It’s a responsible thing to do. You’re making your girlfriend feel safe.”

The old man patted Koi’s shoulder. His encouragement gave Koi a bit of courage. He recalled the man’s kind explanations, looked over the display again, and finally made a decision.

“Oh, good choice.”

The old man smiled, nodding approvingly at the strawberry-scented condoms in Koi’s hand. Feeling slightly more confident, Koi turned to the clerk and asked,

“Is this the biggest size you have?”

The clerk glanced down briefly at Koi’s pants and replied,

“That should be plenty for you.”

Of course. For Koi, this was more than enough. But the reality was different.

“U-um.”

Koi swallowed hard and spoke. It took a mountain of courage to get the next words out.

“...Do you have any that’ll fit an anaconda?”

Silence.

Both men stared straight at the front of Koi’s pants. He felt the overwhelming urge to bolt out of the store and disappear to a place no one could ever find him.