Desire Me If You Can Chapter 30

When Dane finished speaking, the surrounding area was deathly quiet. Everyone realized belatedly that even the next table had stopped talking to listen to him. Even so, they only glanced at each other, unable to easily break the awkward silence. In the bewildering atmosphere, it was Ezra who spoke first.

“Even so, I believe that someday you will meet someone you love.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Ezra added with conviction, “Like in my case and Sandra’s—it’s just being happy even when you’re just sitting together, wanting to kiss them the moment you see their face, thinking of them constantly, wanting to die if they aren’t there…”

As he spoke, he spun his cup with his fingertips. Even while talking, a smile played subconsciously on his lips. Just thinking about Sandra seemed to lift the corners of his mouth. She wasn’t right in front of him, yet it looked as if she were there, smiling by his side.

He must have been recalling the ordinary days spent with Sandra: the feeling of their shoulders brushing when they walked down the street, the warm cup of tea she handed him on a tired day, the way his heart felt strangely ticklish every time he called her name.

Listing them off one by one, Ezra looked at Dane.

“Someone like that.”

Across the silence, which was not particularly welcome, Dane muttered, “You’re lucky. Congratulations.”

“What? …Oh, no, I do think I’m extremely lucky to have met Sandra, but…”

Ezra laughed sheepishly, looking flustered. He was so head-over-heels that just thinking about his wife made him unable to help himself. He tapped Dane’s shoulder lightly as if encouraging him and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll meet someone someday, too. Just like I met Sandra. When that time comes, you’ll know how great love is.”

It was a reaction that seemed to seek agreement, but only a cynical sneer rose on Dane’s profile.

“That is, if love actually exists.”

Having said that, he downed the rest of his beer in one go and ordered another. People all around ordered as well, and the topic soon changed, causing them to quickly forget what they had been talking about before.

∞ ∞ ∞

It was quite late when Dane finally got up from his seat. Seeing him finish his beer and stand up, Ezra asked in surprise, “Oh, are you leaving?”

Dane nodded and replied, “It’s late. Darling won’t sleep and will be waiting. Will, thanks for the drinks.”

It was when he had lifted his hand to give a brief wave to his colleagues and turned around. Having turned his head inadvertently, he unexpectedly locked eyes with Grayson. Dane looked for a moment into the purple eyes staring at him with an expressionless face, then averted his gaze and walked around the table. The waitress he happened to run into sent him a meaningful look, but Dane just gave a light smile, as if to say see you next time, and walked out. On any other day, he wouldn’t have refused the temptation, but tonight was an exception. He was so tired he felt like he would die, and he could think of nothing but crashing into his bed.

As he was walking down the hallway, he saw an incredibly tall man walking toward him from the opposite side. It was Grayson Miller.

Even at a glance, his physique was extraordinary. With slim limbs, a solid frame, and natural height, anyone standing next to him couldn’t help but look pathetic. A sleek suit perfectly hugged his broad shoulders and long legs, and deep-set eyes were visible beneath his naturally swept-back dark hair.

However, Dane, who had frowned involuntarily despite the man’s flashy appearance, kept moving forward without a word.

Unluckily, his timing overlapped with the man coming back from the restroom. It didn’t feel great, but Dane didn’t want to look like he cared, so he didn’t adjust his pace. Grayson was the same.

Or rather, he thought that was the case. Dane had no intention of striking up a conversation, but Grayson thought otherwise. As they got close enough to touch, Grayson suddenly broke into a full-faced smile.

“Hey, already leaving? The night is still young, you know.”

Grayson initiated the conversation with a light tone fitting the reputation of a playboy. Could someone who had fought to the death just hours ago greet his opponent so casually because he was that broad-minded, or was it just because he was a psychopath incapable of feeling emotions?

“I’m tired.”

Dane gave a short answer and tried to walk past, but Grayson kept talking.

“Martha seems interested in you; are you just going to leave like that?”

If he meant Martha, it was the staff member at the pub who had been flirting with Dane earlier. To think he had even figured that out, Dane was so dumbfounded he let out a dry laugh.

“You’re well-informed. Especially while you’re out flirting with every single female employee in the station.”

To the sarcastic remark, Grayson replied with a bright smile, “Love is something that cannot be hidden. It’s bound to be noticed.”

Dane stared blankly at his grinning face in disbelief.

Yeah, one-night love is love, too, I guess.

Dane thought cynically and was about to walk past without a word when Grayson suddenly grabbed his arm. What is this? Dane looked at him, making his unpleasant mood clear, but Grayson laughed innocently and said, “Where are you going? You should accept Martha’s heart.”

“I told you I’m tired.”

“What are you going to do if you regret it later?”

“Regret? Me? Why?”

Dane fired three short questions at the sudden word. Grayson answered with a deeply serious face.

“Martha might have been your one and only love.”

Grayson’s voice was as light and cheerful as ever. Dane frowned and asked, “So?”

“It means that if you miss her now, you might never meet her again for the rest of your life. How terrible and sad would that be? Aah, I feel like I might cry.”

Grayson put on a face drenched in sentimentality. He even wiped at his eyes as if sniffling, but of course, nothing came out. It was an exaggerated gesture, as if he were acting in a play. Dane watched him in astonishment and asked sarcastically, “So, what exactly is this ‘love’ you’re so desperately searching for?”

It was a highly challenging question. There was no way Grayson had ever contemplated love seriously. But Grayson showed an unexpected reaction. His expression melted and changed. The joke still lingered at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes twinkled strangely.

“Happy, joyful, good just to be together, taking my side no matter what I do…”

His face as he spoke about love was ecstatic, as if he were dreaming a good dream. Grayson, who had been listing only good things, finished with a satisfied expression, “Staying by my side, with me for the rest of my life.”

“Hmm.”

On the other hand, Dane, who had been listening with a listless expression as if his soul had left his body, let out a dismissive sigh and let out a dry laugh. The dreamlike answer unfolding before him sounded utterly absurd to his ears.

“It really doesn’t exist in this world.”

Leaving only that single sentence, which stood in stark contrast to Grayson’s long explanation, he turned away. The sweet pheromone scent that always drifted around him gradually faded as well. He thought it was over, but suddenly, Grayson threw out a question.

“You didn’t go that day, right?”

“Yeah, I didn’t go.”

Caught off guard by the out-of-the-blue question, Dane answered distractedly without looking back. At that moment, a silence filled with a somehow mischievous aura flowed behind his back. He suddenly had the feeling that Grayson was smiling. He felt annoyed. No, it was stranger than that.

And finally, Grayson added, “I never told you what day that was.”

Dane stopped walking. As he looked back, he immediately locked eyes with Grayson, who had been watching him the whole time. The corners of Dane’s mouth twitched.

“Not bad.”

Giving a dry laugh, he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and walked away again. Dane never looked back once after that and left the pub.

What are you thinking? Obviously, it’s not that guy.

Grayson, who had been standing in the same spot, turned around. Finding himself dumbfounded at why he had said such a thing, he strode away in the opposite direction of Dane and returned to his seat.