17. Mrs. Ashford

"Arthuuurrr, you'll never beat me! Let's make a bet!"

Karel began pedaling his bike with all his strength. His breath came out rapidly and his enthusiasm soared as he prepared to win a race that had not even started.

After a while passed without any reply from Arthur, a strange feeling started to creep into his chest. He looked behind him and found nothing but an empty road. Arthur was not following him.

"Damn, where's my boyfriend!"

Karel slammed on his brakes quickly and looked to the right and left. After a few seconds of searching, he turned his bike's handlebars and pedaled back to their starting point.

Finally, his eyes caught sight of Arthur standing not far from the bike rental kiosk. The man appeared completely absorbed in his phone, his fingers occasionally swiping across the screen.

Karel frowned. He wondered why Arthur was so engrossed in his phone when he was already ready for the race. A feeling of irritation began to take over him.

"Why didn't you follow me?" Karel asked with a pouting, discontented expression that clearly showed his displeasure.

Arthur looked up from his phone, his sharp gaze meeting Karel's questioning eyes. Without saying a word, he raised his phone and displayed a screen showing a tutorial on how to ride a bike.

For a moment, Karel remained silent, blinking several times as if he could not believe what he had just seen. Then laughter burst out from his lips.

"Hahaha, you don't know how to ride a bike?" he laughed heartily, his body slightly bending with amusement.

The laughter continued to build, growing louder until Karel had to wipe away the tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. His stomach began to ache from laughing too much. How could Arthur, a man who always appeared perfect and untouchable, have such an endearing weakness? It seemed the world was truly fair.

Karel quickly stepped forward. His eyes still sparkled with the remnants of laughter, yet his expression had softened. He raised both hands and cupped Arthur's cheeks with his palms.

"Relax, your handsome boyfriend here"

Before Karel could say anything further, Arthur suddenly moved forward. Without any signal, his face came closer and in a matter of seconds his lips touched Karel's in a kiss.

Karel froze.

His eyes widened, his mind still trying to process what had just happened. Arthur really kissed him in public?

Arthur, on the other hand, simply stared at him with a calm expression as if what he had just done was nothing significant. Only the corner of his lips was slightly raised, giving the impression that he enjoyed Karel's surprised reaction.

After a few seconds, karel breathing steadied. 

A slight smile played on his lips as he brought his face close to Arthur's ear, his warm breath caressing the man's skin.

"This is outdoors, if you want it like this let's go to the apartment"

Arthur did not answer immediately. He simply looked at Karel with gentle eyes. Then, with a relaxed expression, Arthur wrapped his arm around Karel's waist, pulling him closer until their bodies were nearly touching.

"What are you talking about? You said you wanted to treat me, hmm?"

Karel opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, Arthur lowered his head and whispered in his ear "and there's no one around here."

Karel's goosebumps stood on end. He glanced to the right and left to survey the area, feeling that the park was very empty today. He tiptoed and kissed Arthur's lips.

Arthur was slightly startled, though he did not resist. Instead, his arm around Karel's waist tightened further, drawing their bodies together until they were completely united.

Arthur's fingers moved slowly as they slipped under Karel's T-shirt. His fingertips discovered a scar on Karel's waist and gently caressed it.

However, no matter how much he enjoyed the kiss, his lungs began to feel tight. His breathing grew shallower and his head became a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen. His legs started to weaken, and fortunately Arthur quickly supported him, holding him effortlessly as if Karel were weightless.

When Arthur finally released the kiss, his eyes immediately fell on Karel's face, now flushed and still gasping. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as if he had thoroughly enjoyed Karel's expression, which now seemed a bit unsteady.

Casually, his thumb moved to the corner of Karel's mouth, wiping away the remnants of their saliva and licking his own thumb with a delighted expression.

"Karel, you're here! What a coincidence!"

Both of them turned around in surprise, especially Karel who instinctively stepped back as his heart nearly stopped. He saw a woman dressed in casual clothes, carrying a shopping basket filled with fresh vegetables.

"Oh my God, Mrs. Ashford! Long time no see!" 

Karel's tone sounded nervous. He quickly straightened the back of his T-shirt, feeling a bit awkward after what had just happened.

Mrs.Ashford didn't see them kissing, did she?

Patricia Ashford, with the gentle smile that always shone on her face, looked at Karel warmly "Why didn't you visit my house before and visit Daniel?"

"Hehe, Karel had so many exams that he didn't have time"

They talked with enthusiasm, like old friends who hadn't met in a long time, exchanging news without noticing that someone beside Karel now felt a little ignored.

Mrs. Ashford then smiled even wider. "I'm just finished shopping, let's eat together at my house!"

"No need, we.."

However, before Arthur could finish his sentence, Karel quickly interrupted "Seriously, I'm really hungry"

His tone sounded so convincing, complete with a feigned weak expression. To reinforce his act, Karel even grabbed Arthur's hand, holding it tightly and signaling for silence. His fingers pressed slightly, as if indicating "Don't refuse, this is a golden opportunity"

Refuse? No way. When else could he have the chance to dine with a famous entrepreneur of the future? Karel had already imagined various possibilities in his mind.

"Who knows, when Daniel tries to take down my company, Patricia could stop him!" he thought, growing more certain of his decision.

"Then come on, let's go! My house is nearby, it won't be long"

Suddenly, Karel raised his hand as if he had just remembered something. "May I bring one more person along?" he asked while glancing to the side.

Patricia then turned toward Karel's side, realizing that someone was standing there. "Oh, there's actually someone here" she thought in surprise.

Seeing the handsome man with a calm aura accompanying him, Patricia smiled warmly. "That's fine! Are you Karel's older brother?" she asked hesitantly, trying to guess their relationship

Arthur shook his head with a polite smile, then extended his hand to shake hands with Patricia. "No, I'm not his older brother. I'm Karel's teacher. We happened to meet earlier"

"Oh, Karel's teacher, huh? Wow, nice to meet you! In that case, let's go now before it gets dark!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, beginning to walk ahead of them.

"Um, Mrs. Ashford" he called, a bit hesitantly. "Can you ride a bike?" he asked in a tone full of caution. 

Karel hesitated, wondering what would happen to the bike—after all, he had paid for it for one day, and it would be a shame to return it now.

"Hahaha, of course"

Karel smiled broadly and handed over his bike

"I'll just ride with you, Mr. Arthur. Since he can't carry the bike. And I'll carry the vegetables" then quickly took the bag of vegetables from the hand of the leading lady.

"Thank you, Karel" Patricia expressed sincerely before she began pedaling her bike ahead.

Meanwhile, Karel handed the bag of vegetables to Arthur. The man still looked hesitant, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the bike in front of him.

"Are you sure you can handle this bike?" he whispered uncertainly, his voice almost drowned by the rustle of the night wind.

Karel, who felt his pride was being questioned, immediately patted his chest proudly. "Don't worry, I've got a strong grip" 

Deliberately, he pressed the pedal harder, causing the bike to move a bit faster than it should.

Arthur, who had initially looked hesitant, could only let out a small sigh, yet a faint smile remained on his face. Instead of feeling scared, he tightened his arm around Karel's waist. His warm touch made Karel tense for a moment, but he chose to remain silent and keep his focus on the road ahead.

They followed Mrs. Ashford, who had already moved ahead. The road they traveled grew darker and darker, illuminated only by a few dim streetlights. The shadows of trees along the side of the road swayed slowly in the breeze, creating an atmosphere that felt somewhat tense.

"You're so brave, Mrs. Ashford, riding alone on a road like this" thought Karel a little nervously.

Suddenly he felt a cold sensation crawling along his stomach. Strange fingers slipped under his shirt, gliding slowly across his skin. The sensation made him reflexively take a sharp breath.

Without needing to guess, he knew who the culprit was. With one hand still on the handlebars, Karel used his other hand to grab the mischievous hand that had now dared to act on his stomach.

After sending Arthur's hand away, Karel merely gave a small grin before refocusing on pedaling.

"Are you hungry? But... why does your stomach look a bit chubby?" teased Arthur, his voice sounding amused. His hand moved again, gently pinching Karel's stomach which felt as soft as cake batter.

Karel, who did not expect the second attack, jerked reflexively. His bike wavered, causing the front wheel to shift slightly off course. Fortunately, Arthur quickly steadied it with his leg before they completely lost their balance.

"Arthurr!" Karel shouted angrily, his cheeks beginning to flush with both embarrassment and irritation.

Arthur, sitting behind, only let out a small giggle as his shoulders bobbed up and down in laughter. "Sorry honey" he chuckled lightly, without any hint of remorse.

Karel pursed his lips and vowed to go to the gym and sculpt his abs.

o0o