CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: OLD NAMES, NEW EMOTIONS

I stood up, genuinely surprised. "Excuse me, Zayn," I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder before walking away.

Before I could fully step toward the entrance, I heard my name shouted.

"Evric!" Nuala’s voice rang out with excitement.

She practically launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck. I caught her in a warm hug, the kind that only came from people who truly knew you, flaws and all.

"I missed you so much," she whispered against my shoulder.

"I missed you more," I replied, holding her tighter.

She pulled back slightly, her hands still on my arms, eyes sparkling. "You didn’t tell me you were coming with that," she whispered mischievously, Nuala, ever the gossip queen, tilted her head and asked with a sly smile, "Is that him?"

I chuckled, already bracing myself. "Nuala, you’ll never change."

But I nodded, answering her silent question.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh my God. Bro, he is so hot," she mouthed dramatically. "This one? This one you brought home? He’s elite."

Before I could respond, Chrisly, always the mood-breaker, chimed in with a smirk, "Dear sister, you’re too good at this. Maybe that’s why you’ve gone years without a serious relationship."

He leaned closer and added, "You’ve gossiped every guy away before they even had a chance."

That joke nearly made me burst out laughing. But Nuala’s my baby girl, so I tried to hold it in, but a small smile still crept across my face.

I looked at Nuala’s face, mock offence mixed with mischief.

"You’re laughing?" she snapped, though she was smiling too. "That wasn’t even funny."

I wiped the smile quickly from my face. "It wasn’t," I said, straightening up.

"You’re impossible," she muttered, turning her back in mock sulk.

"Ohh, baby sis, I’m sorry," I said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know I love you."

All of this played out while Zayn watched from the dining room. I could tell from Zayn’s eyes that he was curious about Nuala and Chrisly. It wasn’t until they casually mentioned "sis" and "bro" that it clicked for him.

This must be Chrisly and Nuala... Zayn thought. Their father always talks about them on TV, but no one ever sees them in public. So these are all Draeven’s children...

Nuala suddenly turned to me, eyes wide. "Evric, if you love me, introduce me properly now. Before I throw a tantrum."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "You’re always so dramatic."

Still, I took her hand and walked with her toward the dining room.

"Zayn," I said, "meet Nuala, my sister."

Nuala gave a bright, slightly flirty wave. "Hi."

"And that grinning idiot over there is Chrisly, my younger brother."

Zayn chuckled and gave a small nod. "Nice to meet you both."

Then I turned to Nuala with a grin. "And this is Zayn, myyy..."

Zayn gave me a warning look.

"...my friend," I finished quickly.

Nuala raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the ’just a friend’ line, but she kept quiet. For now.

They exchanged polite greetings, and soon after, the maid came over and offered to help Nuala with her luggage. Chrisly followed her upstairs, too, likely sensing the need to give me and Zayn some space.

The rest of the maid excused themselves to resume their duties, leaving just me and Zayn in the living room.

The house quieted.

Zayn turned to me. "I should get going now."

"Already?" I asked, taking a step closer to him.

"I’ve stayed long enough. Don’t want to overstep."

I stepped closer and pulled him by the waist. "When I call, pick up at once. And when I text, reply immediately."

He glanced around nervously and tried to remove my hand. "Evric, have some shame. What if your brother and sister see us?"

"So what?" I replied casually. " They’re my family. And they’ll know soon enough."

He grabbed his bag. "Let go of me."

I didn’t move. "I’ll let go if you kiss me."

His eyes widened. "What? Someone might see us!"

"No one’s here," I assured him.

Zayn’s head snapped to face me. "Evric..."

"Just one kiss," I murmured.

He looked around nervously, scanning the hallway. Seeing no one, he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"That’s it?" I asked, raising a brow. "I want a longer one."

He stared at me like I was impossible, but then his shoulders softened. He stepped in closer and kissed me properly, hands gripping my waist. His mouth was soft but demanding, his kiss deep and slow, like he meant every second of it.

When he finally pulled back, he whispered, "Are you satisfied now?"

I nodded, a little dazed.

"I’m leaving," he said.

"I’ll walk you out."

What neither of us realized was that Nuala and Chrisly had hidden halfway down the stairs. The maid peeked from the hallway too, stifling a giggle.

I walked Zayn out to the car. He gave me one last look before driving off.

When I came back inside, Nuala was standing there, arms crossed, smirking. "That," she said with a grin, "that was so romantic, bro. Come here. Spill everything."

I smirked. "Tell me first if you’re staying home this time for good. Then I’ll tell you anything you want."

She linked her arm through mine as we walked upstairs. "Fine. But don’t you dare skip any juicy details."

Chrisly walked back into the room, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. He sank into the single couch across from me and Nuala, giving us both a casual nod before settling in.

I leaned back, feeling the aftertaste of Zayn’s kiss still lingering on my lips. Without meaning to, a smile curved across my face.

"What’s that smile for?" Nuala asked, teasingly nudging my arm. "Is it... Zayn again?"

I rolled my eyes, but my grin only grew wider. "What can I say? The man cooked for me, kissed me breathless, and still had the nerve to ask what I wanted for breakfast."

Nuala gasped playfully. "Evric! Since when did you become so soft?" She leaned in closer, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail."

Chrisly let out a deep sigh, shaking his head with a faint smirk. "Here we go again."

I chuckled. "I’m serious. Zayn has this way of looking at me like I’m the only person in the world. And when he touches me, even something as simple as brushing my cheek" I paused, heart thudding. "it’s like everything else fades."

Nuala clasped her hands dramatically. "Ugh, I want a Zayn. Where do I find one?"

"Probably in your dreams," Chrisly muttered without looking up.

"I heard that!" she threw a pillow at him, which he dodged lazily.

I laughed, running my hand through my hair. "But it’s not just about the romantic stuff. He’s gentle with me. Like this morning, I tried to act tough, but he noticed something was wrong. He didn’t push. He just changed the topic and asked me what I wanted for breakfast like it was the most important thing in the world."

"Stop it." Nuala covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers. "You’re making me emotional."

Chrisly snorted. "You? Emotional? This I gotta see."

Nuala shot him a glare. "Don’t be mad just because no one talks about you like that."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Not everyone’s life is a romance novel."

I exhaled softly, feeling a strange warmth in my chest. "Maybe not. But for the first time in a long while... it feels like mine is."

As Chrisly and Nuala kept talking, half teasing, half serious, I picked up my phone and unlocked it. "I need to text James," I said casually. "There are a few files I should look over today, and I might not go into the office."

I began typing, still half-listening to their playful argument, and added with a small smirk, "Running a company doesn’t stop just because my life suddenly got interesting."

Then Nuala leaned forward, her eyes locked on me. "Bro, in case you don’t know... this feeling you’re having right now?" She gave me a pointed look. "It’s called love."

I blinked, not that surprised. "Love? I know it’s..."

Chrisly leaned forward, brows raised like he’d been holding something in.

But Nuala cut him off, playful and bold. "Don’t act confused. The one you felt before, for that guy, what’s his name again?"

Chrisly rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Nicki."

Nuala snapped her fingers. "Exactly! Nicki. That wasn’t love. That was straight-up lust, all dressed up to look like something deeper."

Chrisly let out a short laugh, half embarrassed, half admitting she had a point. "Lust wrapped in a form of love. Yeah... I guess that’s what it was."

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the two of them bicker. Then I shifted, facing them with a quiet smirk.

"Speaking of Nicki..." I said, dragging the words just enough to catch their attention.

Chrisly and Nuala instantly leaned in, their eyes wide with curiosity, already eager to hear what I had to say.

"He reached out to me this morning," I said casually, like it was no big deal, but I knew it was.

They both blurted out at once, "He what?"