Chapter 151
Don't lie.
As if he heard Ashley's voice, Koi immediately grew uneasy. Pretending to cut the marlin, he looked down at his plate and continued speaking.
"It's true. After we broke up, when I was in the West, I dated a few people. So you really don’t need to coach me about dating. I know enough myself."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he put the cut fish into his mouth. The rich flavor that spread inside was something he’d never experienced before, but unfortunately, there was no room to savor it. Koi, trying his best to act like nothing was wrong, chewed the fish and swallowed it with some wine. That was when Ashley, who had remained silent until now, opened his mouth.
"Yeah, it’s been ten years. That makes sense."
He spoke in the same emotionless tone as always and looked at Koi as he gave a short apology.
"Sorry. I was rude. Of course, you must’ve had girlfriends too."
No.
In that moment, Koi almost instinctively shook his head and nearly confessed the truth.
The truth is, there was nothing like that. Who would ever be interested in someone like me if it wasn't you? I'm Connor Niles.
He couldn't believe he had told such an enormous lie. But the chance to correct it was already gone. Ashley was already continuing his meal like it had nothing to do with him, and his expression remained unchanged. At this point, admitting that he’d just been bluffing would be ridiculous, so Koi barely managed to suppress the words that reached the tip of his tongue and instead forced himself to swallow the fish.
As they continued eating, Ashley brought up ordinary topics. Sometimes he smiled, sometimes he listened to Koi attentively, and throughout, he remained kind and warm. Koi felt relieved by the safe subjects, but a part of his conscience was weighed down with guilt for lying.