MERRY 53

Sure enough, Somerset naturally tilted his head along with the music. The empty cocktail glass held between his fingers looked like a jazz instrument. Ethan finished his own drink in turn and asked.

“You’re ordering another round, right?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Me too.”

While they waited for their respective orders based on the bartender’s recommendation, Somerset held out his phone.

“I realized I still don’t have your number. Running into each other felt so natural and frequent that I didn’t even notice. Since we could always meet without needing to call.”

“Do you know that if you have someone’s phone number, you basically know half of their private information?”

“Huh? Never heard that one before.”

“Of course not. I just made it up.”

Ethan tapped five digits into Somerset’s phone.

“Your number is pretty unique.”

“I’ll give you the rest next time.”

“Is your major ‘Teasing Somerset Quinn’? Or maybe ‘Making Somerset Quinn Think Only of Me’? I only learned today that they teach things like that in the Ivy League.”

Somerset sarcastically bit back, but he saved the five numbers anyway—under the name ‘Bad Boy.’

“You aren’t planning on giving me one digit at a time every time we meet, are you? If you do, you’re going to pick up another major. The field will be ‘Insulting Somerset Quinn.’”

“I feel like a bad boy should act exactly like that.”

“Why are you trying to fit the part of a bad boy? Think about breaking out of that shell already.”

Ethan nodded slowly at the sincere advice and handed him the new cocktail. The drink, with layers of blue and orange, sat in an inverted triangular glass. He had ordered it for himself, but it suited Somerset better.

After listening to the bartender explain that it was meant to represent a sunset in Florence, Somerset tilted the glass against his left cheek. His amber eyes looked like a setting sun.

“The New York sunset is pretty decent too, isn’t it?”

He was wrong. It wasn’t just ‘pretty decent’; it was incredible. No matter what spectacular sight unfolded, it would be hard to tear his eyes away from the man.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve been in awe of you anymore. That damn infinite charm of yours is backing me into a corner. Is your major ‘Blowing Ethan Reed’s Mind’? Beyond just majoring in it, you might have taken on the role of the professor. But please, don’t stand at the podium. Don’t teach anyone else. It’s enough if only you know. That’s all that matters.

Ethan, struggling to suppress his boiling emotions, snatched back the cocktail he had given Somerset.

“Hey. That’s cheap.”

Ignoring the jeer, he pressed his lips to the glass. Alcohol touched by the light of Somerset was incredibly sweet.

They stayed at the bar for a reasonably long time, but they didn’t drink heavily. Since both were far from their limit, they were able to leave with their wits about them. Only a faint scent of alcohol lingered.

Somerset waved toward Kittish, who was visible through the sandwich shop window, and bounced around Ethan—moving in front, behind, and to his side. His legs were as busy as his mouth.

“Maybe it’s because of the recent rain, but the heat has died down a bit. It feels like the temperature from when I first saw you. Did you find and read all of Alex Howard’s books? You looked like you were ready to.”

“No.”

Ethan had lost interest in the author Alex Howard for two reasons. First, he was tired of books that were uniformly dull, and second, his reading time had drastically decreased. He had hardly read books by other authors either.

The man who was currently stealing his time in place of books was right beside him. Hopping along to the beat of someone nearby singing with terrible skill, Somerset continued.

“You probably read the most books out of everyone I know. People with such refined hobbies are rare.”

“Refined? Just because of that?”

“Is it not refined to wake up and sit at a desk to read? There aren’t many people like that in New York.”

Was that the image of him? A bookworm who opens a book early in the morning? Though there were times he stayed awake until late at night, turning pages thinking he only needed to read a little more. Ethan shrugged.

“Refined New Yorkers might rise up in protest at that.”

“That would be a problem. If they capture and bind me for the crime of spreading false rumors, come save me.”

Somerset pulled his eyebrows down, making a pitiful face.

“Even if I don’t step in, someone will save you if you make that face.”

“It has to be you. You must be the one to save me.”

To the man acting like a spoiled child, Ethan reluctantly agreed. He figured it was just an extension of their playful banter. He even complied when Somerset initiated a fist bump to seal the promise.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“One more time. Because a promise like this shouldn’t be one-sided. I’ll come save you when you’re in danger, too.”

“I’m fine.”

Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets and changed the subject.

“I dreamed of lying face down on the grass in Central Park and leisurely reading a book. I thought that was just the daily life of a New Yorker.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course, it’s a joke.”

Somerset immediately suggested turning that joke into a reality. Truly, there was no knowing which way the man would bounce next.

“Let’s go. You know fun things happen when you’re with me.”

The choice of whether to follow him or not was a mere formality. The answer was already decided.

“Isn’t it this way?”

Ethan pointed in the direction of Central Park. Somerset’s body whipped around toward it.

“Congratulations on passing Step 1 of the New York Citizen Qualification Exam.”

The location of Central Park was something even most tourists knew. There was a high chance they had marked it on a map before even starting their journey. The massive park nestled in the heart of the city gave tourists the thrill of belonging to New York and offered New Yorkers a place to rest.

The forest facing the skyscrapers is charming no matter when you see it. Arriving before it, Ethan took a breath so deep his chest swelled. When he made a deliberate scene of it as a ‘Step 1 passer,’ Somerset giggled.

“You’re really funny sometimes.”

“Sometimes… then why have I seen your smiling face so often?”

“That’s not because of your humor. It’s just, I just end up smiling. It’s like that when I’m with you.”

Ethan calmly accepted the “abnormal symptom” Somerset confessed in his rhythmic tone. It wasn’t something to be surprised about, though he might have felt proud that his prediction was spot on.

“Wait here for a second.”

Somerset grinned and went into a nearby shop, returning with a blanket. It was a quite striking design with an exotic pattern, but draped over his broad shoulders, it looked like a cloak sold by a high-end brand. It might have looked even more plausible if it weren’t summer.

Flapping the blanket as he led the way, he guided Ethan to a patch of grass that was good for resting.

“A gentleman doesn’t let his companion lie down just anywhere.”

After speaking solemnly, he spread the blanket on the grass and pulled a magazine he had tucked into his back pocket, handing it over.

“There, this looks about right, doesn’t it?”

“It really is ‘about right.’”

It made his head spin to think how pathetic someone would look lying on a blanket smelling of alcohol while reading a magazine full of gossip. But he couldn’t refuse. He didn’t want to disappoint the gentleman who looked so proud of himself. Honestly, it seemed like it might be fun, too.

After hesitating for a moment, Ethan took the magazine but set a condition.

“Stay sitting next to me. Don’t leave me alone.”

“Want to lie down? Should I be your pillow?”

Somerset, sitting on the grass, patted his thigh. Ethan was tempted by the offer, but he declined and lay face down. The blanket was quite soft.

Resting his chin on one hand, he opened the magazine. A photo of a naked man with a large plastic bottle between his crotch proudly decorated the first page. It was an advertisement clearly aimed at being low-brow.

“Weren’t there any other magazines?”

Ethan looked up at Somerset. Somerset, with his back curved, was acting as a canopy to block the sunlight pouring down on Ethan.

“They said that one sells well.”

“If enjoying this kind of magazine is a requirement for being a New Yorker, I’ll pass.”

Reluctantly, out of respect for the effort of buying the magazine, he turned to the next page. The man who had a plastic bottle between his legs was now showing off his back while wearing only a T-back. The firm, lifted glute muscles were aggressive. Ethan covered it with his hand and spoke.

“Now that I think about it, you didn’t tell me.”

“What? I don’t have anything to hide.”

“What kind of underwear you’re wearing today.”