Kiss Me if You Can

Josh was startled by an unexpected encounter with a man, his eyes widening in surprise. The man, always wearing a smile, now had an expressionless face. He was staring at Josh with an unnatural, almost mask-like demeanor.

"Grayson."

Josh muttered absentmindedly. Why was this man here? A chill ran down his spine earlier than expected. Instead of answering, Grayson suddenly reached out. Before Josh could react, Grayson grabbed him by the collar and pulled him along, prompting his friends to shout in shock.

"Josh!"

"What the hell, what’s going on?"

"Can’t this guy let go of Josh?"

Despite yelling at him, no one stepped forward. They were just regular people with no training. Josh understood their hesitation. He didn’t want them to intervene anyway, so he raised his hand to signal that he was okay.

"Let’s talk about this. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say about him."

Josh spoke as calmly as possible. The scent of pheromones emanating from Grayson had been annoying him since earlier, but that was all. It was similar yet different. No pheromone could drive Josh crazy like Chase’s did. He felt a cold sensation in his chest as he grabbed Grayson’s hand that was clutching his collar. Despite trying to pull it away with just one hand, Grayson didn’t budge.

What kind of strength is this...

Josh was taken aback and thought about Chase. If Chase decided to overpower him, Josh would be powerless against his strength. Then, he had no choice but to use technique. Trying to twist Grayson’s arm, he was interrupted when Grayson, with his expressionless face, suddenly spoke.

"Why didn’t you answer the phone?"

"The phone?"

Josh turned his head to where his bag had been thrown earlier. Grayson followed the same direction with his gaze. When Josh turned his head back to Grayson, he did the same.

That’s when it happened. Tommy, from behind them, threw a helmet. It flew through the air and hit Grayson’s temple with precision.

It should have hit him.

Still holding Josh by the collar with one hand, Grayson effortlessly swung his other arm. The dull thud of the helmet hitting him echoed as it flew off, landing far away. Tommy, who had acted boldly to help Josh, and the other friends all shared a mix of conflicting thoughts.

I should’ve thrown a punch.