You Are Hot Then You Are Cold

Vol 5 (Side Story 2): Chapter 1.1

Only You Can Love Me This Way

(Ash's POV)

On the fourth weekend of the month, just five weeks before the wedding, Ash Jones starts his morning without his lover by his side.

The spring sunlight tickles his cheeks, rousing him from slumber. As his sleepiness fades away, he stretches his arm out to the side out of habit. To touch his beautiful sweetheart who is supposed to be sleeping soundly next to him. However, when he can't feel Karlyle's cool body temperature, he unconsciously startles up. The fact that his familiar presence, which has become as natural as breathing to him, is not there makes him sensitive for a moment.

It's only after he hurriedly pulls back the blanket that he remembers a fact he has forgotten. Karlyle is currently not in England. He left for China the other day to watch Formula One this weekend, which is today. It's a business trip to engage with the affairs related to the sponsored team and to meet business partners in China. For that reason, Ash turned down Karlyle's suggestion that he should go with him. He was concerned that his lover wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work because Karlyle would definitely be considerate of him.

But today, two days after Karlyle left, Ash is beginning to regret his choice. It's only the second day but he has already missed his lover's body temperature so much that it's becoming hard to bear. He wants to see Karlyle's face with all its sharp edges gone soft from sleeping soundly. He misses all of the beautifully sculpted features on his body, he misses his gray hair and his gray eyes like pale blue stones. An unique color, just in between gray and blue.

He looks around the room. It feels so empty, the whole mansion has gone quiet and lonely. He used to live alone for half of his life since he couldn't bear having someone in his house for too long. But now he feels unbearably empty.

Would it be better to have a dog? If Karlyle feels this way every time Ash goes on business trips, they really should have one. He has thought about this before, so it wouldn't be a bad choice.

He stares at Karlyle's empty side, face gone sullen. He closes his eyes for a moment to breathe in his lover's scent. In the past two days, his scent in the room has faded away. Because of it, the void created by the longing inside his heart grows ever-wider. Just like that, he gets out of bed.

The other reason why he didn't accompany Karlyle is that he has a project to take care of on the weekend. Normally, he would feel very happy with work, but this time, he has no motivation at all. The emptiness Karlyle has left in has consumed him with plenty more room to grow. All the emotions Ash is feeling right now are of a kind he has never experienced before meeting Karlyle Frost.

Ash Jones is an independent man, he knows how to moderately keep personal boundaries. He always tries to make sure that each person has their own private lives, but at the same time, he wants to be a reliable lover as well. In the past, a business trip of just five days wouldn't have hit him so hard. They didn't live together in the first place, they didn't see each other every day, either.

Strangely enough, he keeps longing for Karlyle even though he has him by his side all day. Therefore, two days without Karlyle is definitely too much.

Leaving the bedroom, Ash picks up his phone. There's a text from Karlyle. As soon as he sees the familiar name on the screen, a smile slowly blooms on his face. His lover's shy expression immediately appears in his mind. He reads the text, his eyes curve up softly.

[I miss you, Ash.]

The text message Karlyle left overnight isn't long. Very simple and clear. However, as he thinks of Karlyle's expression and his pale fingers typing the text, something unbearable rises up inside. After rereading the text multiple times, he writes the answer. He wants to call right away, but he holds himself back.