Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 55

Meanwhile, as Naomi’s car disappeared, Grayson immediately walked out of the cafeteria. He casually strolled toward the spot where George, the man who had come to repay a favor, was standing, waiting for Dane.
“Ah, you’re here… huh?”
George, who had turned around with a smile at the familiar footsteps, was taken aback when he saw the unexpected face and flinched, shrinking his shoulders. Grayson looked down at him and smiled.
“Hello, George. How’ve you been?”
“Uh… yeah…”
George answered in a daze, still unable to hide his wariness, as he secretly eyed Grayson. Who is this guy calling my name and acting like he knows me? Of course, Grayson didn’t miss the opportunity. He raised both arms dramatically and called out George’s name loudly.
“George, you’ve forgotten me? I was the one who went into that burning mansion to save Charles last time!” “Huh? Eh?”
Placing his hands on George’s shoulders, Grayson spoke, his voice exaggerated. George’s eyes widened, and he stammered as he struggled to remember, his eyes darting around in confusion. Grayson’s face twisted with a smirk at the sight of George’s flustered state.
“Don’t you remember the burning fire? How you cried and struggled, trying to save your dog? I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I went into the mansion. It was so hot! The smoke was so thick that I could barely breathe, and I couldn’t see anything, but I kept pushing forward, shouting ‘Charles! Charles!’ I risked my life several times just to save that dog! And then you just disappeared! Now you don’t even remember me? How could you be so heartless!”
Grayson, with the dramatic flair of an actor, took a deep breath and sighed deeply, lowering his head. George, who had been listening to Grayson’s outpouring in a daze, suddenly fell silent, sweating profusely and unsure of what to do.
“U-um… uh…”
George, frozen with Grayson’s hands still gripping his shoulders, stammered and couldn’t continue. What should I do? He was panicking, desperately glancing around, when suddenly, Grayson snapped his head up and looked directly at George. Startled, George swallowed hard, and Grayson locked eyes with him before abruptly asking. “Well?”
“W-what?”
George stammered, still shocked, and Grayson whispered, as if sharing a secret.
“You should invite me to lunch, don’t you think?”
“What? Why would I?”
George’s reaction was immediate. He stared at Grayson in disbelief. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. It was Dane, now changed into civilian clothes. Both of them turned toward him. As their gazes met, George’s face immediately softened, and Grayson saw it clearly.
“What are you two doing over there?”
Dane asked with a furrowed brow. Without hesitation, Grayson wrapped his arm around George’s neck and pulled him closer.
“George is going to buy me lunch! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“What?”
Dane stared at George as if in disbelief. George, struggling to speak the truth, found himself unable to escape as Grayson’s arm tightened around his neck. Grayson left him gasping and continued speaking.
“George really knows how to show gratitude. He came all the way here to invite us. So, how about we all drive together? What do you think, George? You’ll drive, right?”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Grayson gently loosened his grip, and George coughed violently, releasing the breath he had been holding in. “Oh dear,” Grayson said, patting George’s back with a look of sympathy.
“Are you okay? Oh my, do you have some kind of respiratory condition? Take a deep breath, go on.”
As though to make sure everyone heard, Grayson spoke loudly, but then leaned closer to George’s ear, whispering softly.
“You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”
Startled, George forgot to keep coughing. His eyes widened as Grayson gave him a faint smile.
“It’s rare for a beta to like the same sex, interesting, huh? I wonder how he feels about you. Why don’t you just ask him? I can help you…”
“Stop, stop it!”
George, now pale and completely panicked, shouted in a whisper. After quickly looking behind him, he turned his head back to Grayson and said, breathless.
“Okay, okay! I’ll invite him! I’ll invite him to lunch! Just… please, not that!”
George, completely drained of color, pleaded desperately. Of course, Grayson had no intention of spreading that information. He only cared about achieving his goal.
“Spreading other people’s private matters around is just bad manners.”
Grayson smiled sweetly, mimicking a thoughtful tone, then straightened up and patted George on the shoulder. George, still frozen  in fear and unsure of what to do, didn’t say anything as Grayson turned to Dane. “Looks like you’re feeling better now. Shall we head out?”
Dane, watching them with his arms crossed, gave Grayson a suspicious look before turning to George. “Hey, you.”
“Y-yes?”
George, startled, stammered. Dane kept looking at him closely and asked again.
“Are you really okay? Be honest. Don’t make me perform first aid in the middle of lunch. I don’t mind not going
out.”
Dane’s tone was gruff, and it was hard to tell if he was genuinely concerned or if he was just annoyed. George hesitated before nodding and saying, “I’m fine.” Dane gave him a skeptical look for a moment but didn’t press it further.
As Dane turned and started walking toward the car, George hurriedly followed.
“Um, um, excuse me.”
George, still fumbling for words, glanced back and quietly asked.
“Um, are you… are you okay? Well, we’re going together now… with that guy…”
Dane, answering with an indifferent tone, responded as he walked.
“Since you’re paying, it’s up to you how many people come. Who you invite is your choice too. What do you want me to do about it?”
“Yeah… right.”
It was true. George had nothing else to say, so he just lowered his head, and Dane shot him a quick glance before speaking in a stern tone.
“If you want something, say it clearly. Do you not want that guy to come with us?”
“Of course not.”
At that moment, Grayson appeared behind George and clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder, subtly applying pressure. George, unable to say a word, felt himself shrink under the pressure as Grayson, pretending to be kind, spoke sweetly from behind.
“George likes me a lot, right? He wants to come with me.”
And with a meaningful laugh, he secretly added.
“We share secrets, don’t we?”
George, clearly startled, hesitated, then muttered, “Yeah.” Dane silently watched the exchange, but soon turned away, his expression still unreadable. He had given George a chance to speak up, but it wasn’t Dane’s fault if George didn’t take it.
Eventually, George, still anxious, took the driver’s seat, Dane sat in the passenger seat, and Grayson settled in the back. Together, they drove to a restaurant some distance away.
The sound of a plate crashing to the floor echoed loudly, and all eyes turned toward the scene. George, pale and mortified, didn’t know what to do.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
As a staff member hurried to clean up the mess, George repeatedly apologized to no one in particular. Grayson, standing nearby, whistled lightly. George, now grimacing, glanced at him, but Grayson just smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “It’s okay, George. You’re doing great!” it seemed to say.
The entire time, George remained frozen, nervously glancing around, dropping cutlery, mistakenly calling for the wrong staff, and finally, breaking the plate with his clumsy hands.
Yet, throughout all of this, he kept sneaking glances at Grayson, possibly more focused on Grayson’s reactions than on what he was actually doing. Grayson, in turn, whistled, exclaimed “Wow,” or even clapped his hands enthusiastically every time George made a mistake, showing his support. There couldn’t be a more exciting lunch than this. Grayson marveled at each mistake George made, eagerly waiting for the next slip-up. What will he mess up next? Grayson thought, his heart racing.