Kiss Me if You Can

It was a few more days before Chase met Pete again. In the meantime, he struggled to find a day to spare, juggling his busy schedule. After barely making a day for Pete, he struggled to plan the perfect day.

When he asked Laura, who had a nephew of a similar age, for advice, Laura unconsciously checked outside the window. There was no sign of the world falling apart. She gave him advice, confused but sincere. And then the day finally came.

*

*

“Chase, what’s with your eyes?”

Josh, who had visited Chase’s mansion as he had promised, opened his eyes wide in surprise as soon as he saw him and looked around his face. Chase answered awkwardly.

“I just didn’t get enough sleep.”

“I don’t think it was a little bit.”

His bloodshot eyes clearly showed lack of sleep and fatigue. Josh, who had been speaking playfully, soon added seriously in a low voice.

“Don’t be so impatient, there’s plenty of time.”

After saying that, he looked down. Pete was still clinging to Josh’s leg this time.

“Pete.”

Josh spoke affectionately and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him forward.

Today, Pete was wearing a narrow-brimmed straw hat that his mother had bought him the day before, a sailor suit, and shorts. When Pete checked himself in the mirror in the morning, he was very satisfied, saying that he looked like a cartoon character he had seen on TV a while ago. Of course, the only thing that resembled the character was the straw hat, but because Pete was so cute, Josh agreed several times that he was right.

“Isn’t he cute?”

Josh, who had sent the child in front of Chase, couldn’t hold back his pride and kissed Pete on the cheek. Pete, who was used to this behavior, laughed out loud in ticklishness, but he didn’t refuse Josh’s free expression of affection.

Chase just watched them silently. Josh lifted his head after pressing his lips to the child’s cheek with a finishing kiss. Immediately, his eyes met Chase’s.

“Pete.”