Kiss Me If You Can [NOVEL] - Chapter 20

Josh stretched slowly. Coyotes instinctively distinguish between opponents weaker and stronger than themselves. The first thing you should do is visually show that you are stronger than them. Unsurprisingly, the coyotes were unable to hastily attack, they locked up and glared at Josh. It was because he was much taller than they supposed.

Thanks to this, they were hesitant to run, but that would mean that they would be giving up …

The big one, who seemed to be the leader of the group, took a step and growled in a low voice, showing his teeth; he seemed to have no intention of losing the opponent in front of him. Having a tense stare fight with the leader, Josh was quick to think about what weapons he could use. It would be considered stupid to face a group of wild animals with nothing. The first thing that came to mind was a gun, but the bullets had been depleted moments before. Josh didn’t back down at all and thought that even though he didn’t have one he could use something else as a weapon.

Without being distracted from the leader, Josh quickly looked around. Fortunately, the trunk was still open, remembering the wrench in it, he quickly established the direction of the attack in his mind. The problem was Chase, the car was safe, but there was only one opening; it was the rear glass. The open space was just enough for a beast to jump out. Josh kept his mouth open, staying nervous.

“Mr. Miller”

Still with eyes fixed on the lead coyote. He spoke to Chase in a low voice.

“At my signal, move to the front seat and crouch down as low as you can, I’ll take care of the rest. Do you understand?”

“…”

“Mr. Miller”.

This time, he called his name more firmly, still Chase didn’t answer. Josh was forced to look at him quickly, for a moment hesitating in amazement.

Unexpectedly, Chase was pale, even looking unconscious with his eyes open. He just looked at the coyotes, as if he couldn’t hear Josh’s voice at all, he wasn’t even blinking. It was questionable if Chase was breathing, Josh was embarrassed by the unexpected response and quickly blurted out, alternating his gaze between the coyote and Chase.

“Mr. Miller, what are you doing? Wake up!”

“…”

“Mr. Miller!”

Suddenly Josh remembered Chase’s phobia of dogs, even the way he cried and froze. Would he calm down if I told him they’re a coyote, not a dog? Is it the same as the same type of family anyway? Since it looks like a fox, shall we call it a fox? In just a few seconds, various thoughts came to his mind and disappeared, now was not the best time to calm him down.

Keeping his eyes on the leader, Josh, who slowly shifted his feet to the side and approached the trunk, slid his hand under the open trunk door. The cool touch of the wrench touched the tip of his finger and he soon squeezed it. Immediately, the leader noticed an unusual atmosphere. As he hurried inside, Josh screamed violently.

“Mr. Miller, go ahead! Let’s go!”

Coyotes came from here and there, barking fiercely. At that moment Chase screamed and hugged his head.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Mr. Miller!” Josh kept screaming, kicking and punching the rushing wild beasts.

“Mr. Miller, wake up! Damn it, move on.”

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Chase Miller!”

Despite the repeated screams, Chase was still panicking and yelling, and his words seemed completely inaudible. In the end, Josh spat curses.

“OMG!”

Puck, there was a dull sound; the coyote, who had pounced on Josh, fell helplessly. Immediately Josh hastily closed the back door of the open car. He wished that was the end, but unfortunately the rear glass was completely broken.

“You stupid bastard! Can’t you hear me? What are you doing now? Can’t you control yourself?”

Next to him, the leader ran behind him. Before he bites his shoulder, Josh narrowly evades him and hits him. Pam, when the leader flew away with a soft sound, another coyote ran up to him. When he kicked it and spun it, the crowd stopped for a moment. But it didn’t end there. Suddenly Josh looked back with a chill, founding a coyote jumping straight out the open trunk door, Josh lowered the open trunk door with one hand, and kicked the coyote relentlessly while showing his teeth and attacking him. With a sharp sound, the coyote rolled to the ground and another beast swooped down. Meanwhile, Chase was still shaking and squatting, but he couldn’t move.

Damn. Josh gritted his teeth and reviewed the operation. He had no choice but to go after the lead coyote. It was hard enough to protect the client and destroy the enemy at the same time, but that was the only choice he could make with Chase in that state. There was a violent barking from one place to another, their purpose was one; wait for Josh to get tired. The chief seemed convinced of his dominance. He never backed down and kept looking for a break. And he found the ‘hole’. Another coyote jumped up behind the chief, barking fiercely and threatening. Josh turned to take care of him. When the moment came, the boss ran straight for Chase. Ahh! Josh screamed urgently when he saw it.

“CHASE!”

At that moment, Chase hesitated. After that, time seemed to pass very slowly. Chase raised his head, looked back and found the coyote, who revealed his teeth at him. The fierce teeth that would take your breath away gleamed brightly in the moonlight. When he saw it, Chase stiffened and couldn’t move. The view was filled with the coyote’s wide open mouth. His mind suddenly went blank.

I’d rather have him bite the back of my neck and wait for everything to end. But that moment did not come. He heard a thud in front of him. But there was no pain.

“…?”

Chase, who slowly opened his eyes in bewilderment, met the yellow eyes of a coyote and looked at him. He was drooling and showing his fierce teeth with bitter eyes still fixed on Chase. But the opponent he had bitten was not Chase. Chase belatedly realized that Josh had locked himself between the two with his arms. And the sad fact that the leader bit Josh’s arm instead of Chase’s neck. The time of amazement was not long. Josh, who was lying in the trunk and managed to block the coyote’s attack with his arm, hit the animal’s head with a wrench in his other hand. He was getting beaten up but he didn’t let it go easily. Then the others started running up. Josh kicked the coyotes mercilessly and sent them flying. Before he knew it, Josh’s breath snapped off. He managed to rip the head off his arm, but blood flowed, apparently the wound was deep. Chase’s eyes widened at the sight. When the coyote attacked again, Josh, who hadn’t hesitated, shook his shoulders and breathed heavily.

“Ah.”

He took a deep breath for a moment and stopped his back, swallowing dry saliva. Chase just looked at him like that. The leader’s yellow eyes, glaring at him, returned to Chase’s head. Soon after, his chest tightened and it became difficult to breathe. In his ears, the barking of a dog kept echoing, and his heart was pounding, but his eyes sank black. You need to help. Chase managed to get an idea, but couldn’t move his body. There will be limits to fighting alone. Plus, Josh was already covered in blood. Look, he’s so tired.

Chase absently watched the breath on Josh’s back with his shoulders. Standing in front of him, he was protecting Chase from the coyotes coming towards him. Chase couldn’t do anything, he was just stiff. However, even knowing it, it was difficult for him to hold onto the spirit that kept fading, much less could he move. The retina was full of Josh’s stretched back. Chase’s eyes looked at him and saw Josh remove his torn jacket. Then the back of the white shirt appeared. Suddenly his eyes hurt. Ah ah ah. A trembling hand tore at his chest, but his breathing barely calmed. Eventually, Chase completely lost consciousness after three coyotes swooped down on Josh’s body at once.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

<Uh, huh…>

I heard a scream somewhere. The boy cried and cried as he brushed away the unstoppable tears with his fist. The blond boy wearing shorts and suspenders was a mess with tears, saliva and a runny nose all over his pretty face. But no matter how much he cried, no one comforted the boy.

<Chase is weird>

Grayson said with a grimace. He was the only one to pay so much attention. Nathaniel was just smoking and staring mindlessly on his cell phone, and Stacey had a bitter reaction too. The other two were too young. The misunderstanding was as painful as the indifference. But he couldn’t tell which was worse. The bird did not cry at all since the morning. He did not drink water and did not eat. Worried about his precious yellow canary, Chase couldn’t focus on class all day. When he rushed home, the bird was lying on the cold cage floor. Chase squealed in amazement. Grayson saw him and opened the cage door. Tears welled up in Chase’s eyes.

<The bird, Grayson. >

Hearing the cry, Grayson picked up the bird, put it in his palm, poked it a few times, and soon opened his mouth.

<He’s not sick, he’s dead. >

<Dead? >

<Yes>

And Grayson said casually.

<I should throw it out. >

Before he could accept the fact, Grayson turned away nonchalantly. And the yellow canary just fell into the trash. Chase squealed in amazement. Grayson just looked at him with a look of surprise at the unexpected answer. Chase picked up his bird in the trash. The bird did not move at all. No matter how much he stroked, no matter how much he cried, nothing changed. He cried for hours, but all that came back was a cold look.

<He’s dead, Chase. >

Grayson pointed, as usual, lightly.

<He’s dead, so I’ll throw him away. >

Chase complained through tears. his father looked at him with an expressionless face. Chase sobbed violently, unable to contain his pain.

<Grayson threw my bird in the trash … And it’s strange to me, Stacy and Nathaniel, they all say I’m wrong. Am I really a weird kid? >

Chase burst into tears again, but his father just looked at him with a serious look. He opened his mouth in a distinctive dry voice, looking at his son, who was so exhausted after crying for a long time.

<The bird is useless. >

<…>

His head stunned by sobbing, an idea did not easily occur to him. Chase looked at him in puzzlement. There was a cold face on his father, no different from the way Nathaniel, Grayson, and his other siblings spoke all with the same look on their faces. Feeling the tears rise again, Chase opened his mouth in a shaky voice.

<It’s pretty and it sings. >

That was the only protest that could be made. But the answer was not that different.

<Yes? >

Dad asked with a frown, he really didn’t understand. Like all his brothers. At that point Chase lost all courage and motivation to speak up. The father opened his mouth with an expressionless face towards his son, whose eyes were wide.

<I’ll buy you a new one>

That was it. He patted Chase’s head once, as if everything was settled, and went upstairs to the room. Chase was alone again. A few hours later, Dad came back, but Chase didn’t say anything about the bird anymore. Dad told that Chase’s bird had died and he was sad, but when his son didn’t respond, he just let it go … It was when Chase was lying alone in bed that night that he realized the wounds to his heart empty. At that moment, he realized that he expected someone to notice his deranged heart. But that did not happen.

Then he realized that he was a complete stranger in this family. The tears that had stopped filled the path. He bit his lip to bear it, but the tears flowed regardless of his will. The world is the same. After all, he looked at him with a strange face. Pass with a smile, unable to understand; perplexed. Time passes like this. Now he was tired of this kind of misunderstanding and wanted nothing more. He just wants to be alone. Someday it will all end.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

When he opened his eyes, Chase didn’t realize for a moment what his situation was like now. He was blinking and reflecting on the landscape that appeared to him. He was leaning against the backseat of the car, as he had the last time he lost consciousness. It was incredibly quiet everywhere. All the desperate sounds he heard were considered deaf. All he could hear was silent ragged breathing, as if the entire world had vanished. Chase’s body reacted before you think it had goosebumps all over his body and his eyes gradually widened.

And that man?

It was at that moment that he woke up, inadvertently gulped, and jumped up. Suddenly, the car’s perforated rear window smelled of smoke in the cold wind. Someone was smoking. No way. Chase looked back slowly. Beyond the car door, the man’s body was partially visible. After hesitating, he walked to the door and brought his face close to him. The glass broke and the cold wind felt the same. Thanks to this, the landscape outside came into view of Chase without filtering. He was standing a few steps away, his back to Chase, as before. The fact that Josh was smoking was completely apparent from the smoke spreading across his face. Chase was fascinated for a moment and looked from behind. The white shirt was wrinkled, dirty, and a mess. However, the dense back muscles covered by the fine fabric could not be hidden. Despite the very small movement of removing the cigarette from his mouth and biting it again, his shirt wrinkled slightly each time he moved his arm. The sleek, well-trimmed lines were clearly visible.

The eyes, which had briefly fixed on a solid rear, turned lower. Suddenly Chase frowned. The man’s legs were really long. It was when he remembered the kick he had given the coyote with that leg that he felt a momentary chill. His kick was really good. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t as bad as it hit the coyote. Realizing what he had never realized until now, Chase hesitated.

Just in time Josh was brushing ash off his cigarette when he met his eyes. After widening his eyes for a moment, he soon smiled as usual.

“Did you sleep well?”

Chase panicked for a moment at the corners of his mouth rising quietly and his eyes loving. Shouldn’t he be angry or irritated? Why did he smile? His appearance was a complete mess. Clothes ripped here and there, blood dried all over the body, and arms with clear coyote markings showed red flesh. When he looked at it closely, it seemed that there were almost no fine corners. His beautiful face is full of blood and dust. Chase stopped looking at him, seeing that he was covered and there was even a scratch left on one side. Josh, who misunderstood Chase’s gaze, wiped a cigarette from his lips and blew smoke. As Chase turned his gaze to the cigarette.

“I borrowed one. I’m sorry.”

A smiling face that was far from apologetic. But that wasn’t sarcastic, it was cheeky, that’s good, Chase thought.

“Didn’t you say you would quit?”

At his question, Josh crossed his eyes again and laughed. A face that showed fatigue unexpectedly caught Chase’s attention. Josh replied to Chase, who was just looking at him.

“I have a bleeding episode. Cigarettes are harmless, but they are good for narrowing blood vessels.”

Josh, who drew in the smoke like lightning, then took a long drag. Cigarette smoke that crossed the air in a straight line dispersed through the air. Chase looked at him silently.

“… your face … you’re hurt …”

Belatedly he realized that he had said it without realizing it. However, Josh’s reaction was so normal that he was exhausted.

“Really?” he said, and casually put the cigarette in his mouth. That was the whole reaction. Rather, Chase went absurd and blinked. “… that’s it?”

Josh tilted his head in wonder at the incredible question. Was he really serious? That face might have a scar, but he didn’t seem interested at all. On top of that, he went so far as to say, “It can happen while I’m working.”

Chase was stunned. Suddenly Josh laughed, as if it had come to light on his face. With that bright smile, Chase was dazzled again.

Why are you laughing? Is this something to laugh about? I can’t understand why, but his smile was surprisingly cold … I don’t think I’ll get tired of seeing him until he dies.

Josh raised the cigarette to his mouth. The line of smoke rose and then faded to gray. Hoo, who this time spit out some smoke, leaned in. Josh rested his hand holding a cigarette against the roof of the car, tilted his upper body, and looked Chase in the eye. Just below the nose, the two clashed. Chase didn’t avert his eyes or distort his face or get irritated. Josh looked at Chase silently and opened his mouth.

“Mr. Miller”.

A soft voice melted into Chase’s ear and was gone. A chill ran down his spine at that moment, but it wasn’t from the cold. Josh asked Chase, who was still watching, with a smile.

“Can I kiss you?”