L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 137

From the moment he set foot in the airport, Koi felt like he was halfway out of his mind. The East Coast was entirely different from the West Coast where he had lived until now—even the air was different. The blazing sunlight and the cool yet gentle breeze that contrasted with it—none of that could be felt here. There weren’t even the relaxed smiles of the people he was used to.

Startled by the rush of people briskly brushing past him with expressionless faces, he hunched his shoulders and walked on. The gray sky stretching overhead instead of the clear blue sky he knew felt strange. Koi carefully pulled his luggage along, avoiding the people charging forward like racehorses, eyes fixed only ahead.

After finally arriving at the motel he had reserved in advance and unpacking his things, the very first thing he did was search for a place to live. Even riding the subway, seeing people bump into one another and just keep walking without a glance—it was all unfamiliar. He felt like he had arrived in another dimension and let the hours slip by in a daze.

“Koi, welcome!”

The moment she opened the door and saw him, his former classmate greeted him with a warm hug, and only then did Koi feel himself relax as he embraced her back.

“It’s been a while, Elle. How have you been?”

“Of course, I’ve been good. Come in.”

Elle stepped aside without hesitation and let him inside. Koi handed her the bouquet of flowers he brought at the entrance, then paused when he saw a man he didn’t recognize inside the house. The man smiled and held out a hand.

“Hello, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Garrett White. Elle’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Connor Niles, Elle’s former classmate. You can call me Koi.”

After they lightly shook hands, Ariel chimed in.

“Hungry? It’s almost ready. Want to start with a drink? I’ve got wine prepared.”

Ariel led Koi to the living room and soon returned with a glass of wine. While they finished the preparations, Koi sipped his wine and observed them.

According to what Ariel had told him in advance, Garrett was a journalist who worked at the same media company as her. They’d been living together for about six months, and so far things seemed to be going well. They exchanged light jokes while setting the table and seemed perfectly in sync even without speaking—they looked very accustomed to each other.

Once the preparations were complete and they moved to the table, Koi widened his eyes in surprise at the spread of food. Seeing his reaction, Ariel sat down and asked,

“You must be tired from the trip. Did you manage to find a place to stay?”

Koi received a portion of salad she served him and replied,

“I’m still looking. I saw a couple places today, but I’ll start searching properly from tomorrow.”

“Rent’s no joke around here,”

Garrett said with a concerned look. Koi could only laugh awkwardly—it was something he had already braced himself for. In fact, one of the reasons Ariel ended up living with Garrett was that. With the outrageous rent, it wasn’t uncommon to look for a roommate. Koi figured he’d probably have to find a place like that, too.

“Isn’t it better on the West Coast? The weather’s nice and all.”

Before Garrett could finish his question, Ariel cut in.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Living in another state at least once isn’t a bad thing. I came all the way out here too.”

Ariel had moved to the East Coast not long after graduation. Since then, she had been working as a journalist, built up a solid career, and was now fairly well known. She had helped Koi quite a bit ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ in getting here.

When he announced he’d be coming to the East Coast shortly after his father passed away, everyone who knew him reacted with surprise. It was such an expected reaction that Koi didn’t find it odd at all.

Why all of a sudden?

Everyone had the same question. After all, Koi had lived his entire life in the same town, and now he was saying he’d move somewhere he had no connections to—somewhere completely opposite. It was natural to be curious. But Koi only replied that he simply wanted to go. The only people who knew the real reason were Ariel and Bill.

It had taken him years to save up enough money for the plane ticket and to survive until he found a job on the East Coast. But in the end, Koi did it. He made it here.

“I still can’t believe it. That you’re really here.”

After the meal, as they sat in the living room drinking, Ariel spoke up. She really hadn’t believed Koi would come to the East Coast. Maybe she thought he’d talk big but never follow through. Even when she heard that Koi and Ashley had broken up, Ariel had responded the same way. Honestly, if Bill hadn’t witnessed the situation firsthand, he probably wouldn’t have believed Koi either.

Koi still vividly remembered the day the three of them sat in Greenbell and talked about everything. At first, Ariel had frowned in disbelief at Koi’s confession. But once Bill confirmed everything with a serious face, she had nothing more to say.

That didn’t mean she agreed with Koi’s decision, though. Moving across the country just to see Ashley? It was a ridiculous idea. In fact, both Bill and Ariel thought Koi would give up on his own. It made too much sense. Chasing someone he couldn’t even contact, someone from a relationship that had already ended?

But Koi came anyway. Ariel remembered the day he called her. Not just that day—even now, sitting across from him, it still didn’t feel real. That Koi had actually done it.

It had been nearly ten years since that day. Koi had worked tirelessly to save up and finally made it here. Ariel couldn’t help but feel emotional. It had already been several years since she’d left the West Coast herself. Soon, they were chatting away about old times.

“How’s Whitney doing? Is she well?”

Ariel asked warmly about their old high school classmate—also her sister. Koi answered as best he could. One of her sisters had gotten married right after graduation and was already having her third child. Another had started a small business that was doing quite well. Someone else had moved to another state, and they’d lost all contact.

“Bill’s transferring to a new team this time.”

At that, Ariel absentmindedly replied, “Really?” while sipping her wine. Bill had gone pro and was playing for a hockey team. He was probably in the top five most successful among their former classmates.

As they happily reminisced, Garrett, who had been laughing and chiming in occasionally, suddenly joined the conversation.

“But Koi, why did you come here? It can’t have been easy to leave your hometown. All your friends are back there, right?”

A little tipsy, Ariel threw Garrett a sharp look. She was warning him for asking an unnecessary question, but Koi stopped her.

“It’s fine, Elle. Garrett, you’re right. I came here because there’s something I’m hoping for.”

“...What kind of thing?”

This time, Garrett glanced at Ariel for approval and cautiously asked. Ariel sighed and answered for him.

“He’s here to see someone. Satisfied now?”

“Ah, I see... Then don’t you think staying here isn’t really necessary? You could just visit.”

Ariel, who had casually rested her legs on Garrett’s lap, lowered them and apologized to Koi.

“Sorry, Koi. He’s a journalist too, so he talks a lot. Digging into things is part of his job.”

“Elle, I just wanted to get to know him...”

Garrett protested, but Koi gave a strained smile and shook his head.

“It’s fine, Elle. It’s okay, Garrett. Uh, how should I put this... there is someone I want to see, but it’s not easy to meet them... I’m trying to find a chance... So, if the opportunity comes, I want to see them...” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

As Koi fumbled for the right words, Garrett’s eyes lit up and he eagerly offered,

“There’s someone you’re looking for? Who is it? That’s my specialty, so just say the word. I’ll track them down for you by tomorrow—no, within the week—”

“Garrett White.”

Ariel finally frowned and called him by his full name. Garrett froze, and Ariel gave him a stern look as she spoke.

“I know where he is. He’s not someone hard to find. So you don’t need to butt in and try to help.”

“...Okay.”

“Thanks.”

Ariel, still with a tense expression, turned back to Koi.

“You know there’s no guarantee he’ll agree to meet you, right?”

Unlike when she spoke to Garrett, her tone was softer as she said this. Koi gave her an awkward smile.

“It’s okay. I just...”

He hesitated, lowering his gaze.

“I just want to see him one more time.”

That was the only reason he came here, ready to live without any guarantees. Ashley might never agree to see him again. But maybe—if they lived in the same city—there’d come a day they’d pass each other on the street. That’s all Koi hoped for. Ariel looked at Koi for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“He’s changed a lot since then. If you expect him to be the same, you’re going to be really disappointed.”