Chapter 32
“Alright. You can come in now.”
Ashley’s voice carried a hint of tension, something unusual for him.
Koi felt a quiet unease settle in his chest as he cautiously stepped forward. He swallowed dryly, his throat clicking, and finally rounded the wall to face Ashley.
...Oh.
Koi stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening.
Ashley, standing a few steps away, didn’t look all that different from usual. He was dressed comfortably in a t-shirt and jeans, barefoot in sandals. His hair was messy, just as it always was when he was at home. So far, everything was as expected.
What wasn’t expected was his face.
Ashley’s face was swollen, but not in the way Koi had imagined. Instead of his entire face puffing up from crying, one side of his cheek was distinctly red, with a clear handprint standing out against his skin. There were also scratch marks on his neck.
...A cat?
That was Koi’s first thought.
He had never owned a cat, but he had fed strays before. It always took a long time for them to warm up to him, and until then, they’d swipe at his hands with their claws whenever he got too close. After a while, they started hitting him with their paws instead of scratching, but even that still hurt.
Ashley’s face looked just like that—like he had been clawed at by a particularly hostile stray cat trying to keep him away.