CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: HORNY TEXTS AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS

I could feel Nicki’s eyes still on me as I stepped out, heavy with something between longing and regret, but I didn’t care.

I picked up, forcing my voice to steady.

"Hello?"

"Evric," Zayn’s voice came through, calm and warm, "are you back home yet?"

I glanced up at the night sky. "Not yet. I’m just on my way."

There was a brief pause, the kind that always made me feel like he was thinking too much.

"Alright," he said. "Text me when you get in, okay?"

"I will," I replied softly, the corner of my lips lifting despite everything. "Promise."

I slid into my car and let out a long sigh, gripping my phone as if it could anchor the thoughts swirling in my head.

Why do I pity Nicki? Why am I even thinking of him now...?

I knew he wanted the best for me. Maybe he always had, but what could I do with that now?

A part of me felt strangely relieved, like a weight I never noticed had been quietly lifted. But another part... it didn’t know what to do with this new truth. I didn’t know how to feel.

His explanation didn’t change anything.

I stared out the windshield, my voice quiet inside my head. Whether it’s true or not... I’m done with the past. And it’s time I finally moved on.

But my mind was crowded with questions, and I kept trying to push them aside. I didn’t even realize we had arrived until my driver said, "Boss, we’re here." That’s when I finally stepped out of the car.

Walking into the house, I was surprised to find Chrisly and Nuala waiting for me in the living room. I had assumed Chrisly would’ve gone home by now... but of course, he had to drive Nuala back here. I should’ve known. They were both worried... and clearly curious about whatever Nicki had to say.

The moment I stepped inside, Nuala rushed toward me.

"Bro, is everything okay?" she asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

Chrisly followed closely behind, both of them watching me like they’d been holding their breath.

I sighed and dropped my phone on the console. "Yeah... I’m fine. We talked."

They settled onto the couch, eager but patient, and I told them everything, how Nicki had come clean about the past, what he said, and how I felt nothing. I laid it all out without skipping a beat.

Chrisly stayed quiet, listening.

Nuala tilted her head, arms folded. "I mean... I feel a little bad for him," she said softly. "But still, that doesn’t erase the fact that he left you at your lowest. I’m not blaming him completely, but it’s just not... acceptable."

She looked at me carefully. "So after all that... what did he say he wanted?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "He said he wants us back. That he still loves me."

Chrisly raised an eyebrow. "And what did you say?"

"I told him that’s in the past," I answered. "That I’ve already moved on."

Nuala gave a small nod. "Good. It’s important he knows that."

There was a short silence, the kind that lingers when something unspoken still sits in the air.

Then Nuala glanced at me again. "But Evric... do you still feel anything for him?"

I froze.

My gaze met hers, but I couldn’t say a word.

Instead, I stood up, brushing my fingers against my jeans. "I don’t know," I said quietly. "But I do know... I’m not that into him anymore."

And with that, I turned and walked upstairs, the weight of the entire night pressing on my heart.

I stepped into my room, shutting the door behind me with a quiet click. The silence pressed in. I didn’t bother with the overhead light, just reached over and turned on the small bedside lamp. Its warm glow spread dimly across the room, soft but steady.

I undressed slowly, peeling off the layers of the day, letting them fall carelessly to the floor. Standing bare before my reflection, I stared, trying to find the part of me that still ached. My eyes softened when his face came to mind.

Zayn.

I picked up my phone and, without a second thought, tapped on the video call icon and waited as it rang.

He answered on the third ring, voice low and groggy. "Evric?"

"Did I wake you?" I asked quietly, guilt brushing the edge of my words.

He shook his head, blinking sleep from his eyes. "No. I wasn’t really asleep."

But I could tell. His hair was messy, his voice thick with fatigue. He had definitely been sleeping.

He asked how the business I went to went, and I replied that everything went well.

After that, I simply kept looking at him, saying nothing.

The silence lingered between us until he finally spoke, his voice low and curious.

"Why are you just staring at me without saying a word?"

Then I finally said, "Are you wearing anything?" My voice carried a hint of teasing curiosity.

He looked confused for a second before answering, "Just pyjamas."

I exhaled softly, voice low. "Take them off."

He blinked. "Evric, I’m tired."

I smiled at him through the screen. "Okay... you can go to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning."

I was about to hang up when he stopped me.

"Wait." His voice was suddenly clearer. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," I said, forcing a smile.

"You don’t sound fine."

I paused, eyes drifting toward the ceiling. "I’m just..." tired."

He didn’t push. Instead, he slowly unbuttoned his pyjama top. One button at a time, quiet, unhurried. Then, the shirt slipped off, followed by the bottoms.

He sat back against his pillow, completely bare now, the sheets only half covering his lower body. He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything. He just... let me look at him.

"I just want to feel like you’re here," I murmured, crawling under my own duvet, naked as well.

And strangely, it worked. His soft breathing through the screen. His quiet blinking. His chest rose and fell.

He felt close.

I closed my eyes.

"Just keep the camera on... until you fall asleep," I whispered.

Zayn nodded once, then nestled into his pillow, his face now the last thing I saw. We didn’t talk after that. There was no phone sex, no flirting, no noise. Just the quiet intimacy of being seen of not being alone.

At some point, his eyes fluttered shut. And somewhere in between his breathing and my longing, just as sleep started to wrap its arms around me, the weight of Nicki’s words came flooding back into my mind.

His explanations, his regret, his plea to come back... I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or reliving it all. His face, his voice, they haunted me in the quiet, and with them came the memories I tried to bury.

Nicki had always been wicked in ways only I knew. Naughty. Dirty. The kind of man who could stir chaos in my blood with just a look. We’d done things together I could never say out loud. Things that lived between us like a private, dangerous flame... too hot to touch, too addictive to forget.

In my haze, half-asleep and naked under the covers, the soft buzz of my phone stirred me awake. I blinked groggily, reaching for it. Zayn’s call had ended.

But it wasn’t from Zayn.

My heart dropped slightly when I saw the new message flash across the screen.

It was from Nicki.

I opened it, and froze.

A nude photo of him filled the screen. Bold. Shameless. Still so familiar.

And just beneath the image, a single caption:

"I’m horny."