#But I just have to do it like I have to go crawling back to them like a little fucked up lizard

[gayshitanddadjokes]

Okay I thought I was content just leaving commentary in the tags but after reading that article I need to say something.

The reason electric boats aren't mainstream is because they're hard to make and even harder to sustain. My (summer) job is at a place that has some of the largest electric boats in the world, and we are constantly charging them. The moment they dock we plug them in, and they're only moving for 30 min at max. Electric boats that do longer voyages have solar panels on the boats so that they have a constant charge, because the one thing you don't want to have happen is have your boat battery die.

Elon Musk wants to strap a single electric motor and propeller to the back of the cybertruck and have people drive them into lakes. There's no way those cars are neutrally buoyant; it's hard to make sure boats are neutrally buoyant. So even if one of his cars looks like it's floating, it's going to be sinking little by little.

Imagine with me, if you will. You drive your cybertruck into a lake. You use a slipway, because trying to enter the lake in any other way will probably immediately kill you. It's going okay, and miraculously the caulk musk used to close your doors shut is holding. And then your battery dies and you notice that your car is slowly sinking. Hopefully you manage to roll down the window and crawl out before you have to open the door, which would sink the car and immediately send you to the bottom of this lake. Hopefully you can swim.

At this point, I think Musk is trying to cull the stupid.

[ssentimentals]

vernon + clingy/affectionate!reader

vernon knows his own quirks very well. he knows he spaces out a lot, is very aware that sometimes he can come across as standoff-ish or rude. he also knows that he's not very attentive and easily misses some details, but even he is not that oblivious or dumb to not notice changes in your behavior. if there's one thing that vernon got used with you is you being affectionate. caressing his face when he's close. dropping a kiss on his cheek in the passing. hugging him from behind when he's standing. running your fingers through his hair when you two are laying next to each other. and now all of it is... gone.

it's disturbing, to say the least. it's like the switch went off and suddenly he can't see a thing, everything is pitch black. vernon watches you closely as you walk around the room, throwing things messily on top of your suitcase. he didn't have any bad feelings about your two weeks trip back home before, but now he can't help but feel that with you leaving something is going to break. his eyes track every move of yours and he mentally counts missed kisses. you usually grin at him and always come over to kiss him or hug him while packing; sometimes he distracts you enough to have you forget about the clothes and choose getting with him under the sheets. but today is different and his forehead is pretty much stinging right now with desire to be kissed, while his hands feel empty without yours.

'babe,' vernon calls, unsurely. when you pause and turn to look at him, he nervously asks: 'are we okay?'

you blink at him. 'yes? i mean, yes, we are.' you frown, fully turning to him this time. 'why are you asking this? do you feel like we are.. not okay?'

vernon knows when you're lying mostly because you're shit at it; right now he can tell that you're telling the truth and it only confuses him even more. if you think that everything is okay then where are his kisses?! 'it just..' he starts, deflating. 'feels weird. that's all.'

you're up from the floor instantly, coming to sit up next to him on the bed. you look worried and vernon waits for your hands on him but you keep them tightly pressed to your sides and he is going to scream. 'why, baby?' you ask, looking at him with your beautiful eyes which are now filled with worry. 'what's wrong? why it feels weird?'

he waits. waits for his hands to be clasped in yours, waits for you to come sit a little closer, waits for your warm hug. vernon counts to ten and when nothing happens, he feels a little foolish for hoping. he also feels like he's about to cry. 'it's weird,' he comments, looking down at his hands. he opens his palms and then looks back at your hands. 'they are empty. it's weird not to have your hands in them.'

'uh-' you look unsure, frowning. 'i don't get it, vernon.'

'what did i do?' vernon asks, finally raising his head. emotions well up in his heart and he tries hard not to let them spill. 'just tell me. be honest. i- i will fix it. whatever it is, i promise i will fix it.'

'vernon, baby, what are you talking about?' you sound distressed. 'what do you want to fix? what is happ-'

vernon grabs your hands in his and squeezes them hard. 'this. i'm talking about this. why- why you don't touch me anymore? you don't hug me as often as you used to, you don't kiss me all the time, you-' he pauses, trying to calm himself. his voice wavers as he continues: 'i miss this. i miss your hands in mine, your random kisses and hugs, i miss it all. what did i do?' he kisses both of your hands. 'tell me, angel.'

pregnant silence fills the room. it's horrible, to be honest. it makes vernon want to crawl out of his skin, because he can't take this silence, not from you. did he make you feel like you cannot be honest with him anymore? how did he manage to majorly fuck up?

your hands squeeze his. 'i thought...' you take a deep breath. 'i thought you didn't like it. so. i toned it down.'

vernon blinks. you don't look like you're joking and it wouldn't have been a funny joke either way; he opens his mouth and closes. opens it again: 'are you serious?'

'you never really react?' you look so fragile, biting your lower lip and looking away. 'like, you don't push me away but you also don't show that you liked it so i thought maybe you were just tolerating it, you know?'

vernon thinks that maybe banging his head on the wall will cure him. make him less oblivious, more adapt on social cues. fuck, how did he-

'i'm sorry,' he rasps, taking your chin in between his fingers and making you look at him. 'i just received your affection and got used to it so much that only when you toned it down i realized how much did i love it. how much i relied on it. baby, you make me so happy with it, you have no idea.'

you look up at him with big eyes filled with hope. 'yeah? you don't think i'm like, clingy?'

god, vernon is going to kill himself for ever making you doubt this. 'i love it,' he assures you. 'how affectionate you are, how clingy you are. it's what makes you you and i'm in love with you. i'm sorry for not making sure it's clear for you recently. i'll be better.'

sun doesn't shine as bright as you do when you smile widely at him. you paint the prettiest picture when you look like this and vernon is ready to take all the blame, take any punishment from god for making you for a second think that he might hate this part of you. when you hug him tight, he hugs you back even tighter, burying his nose in your neck, breathing you in. 'i love you so much, you are my sunshine, my everything.' he whispers secretly.

you giggle a little and it's the best sound. 'i love you too, baby. i do.'

a/n: finally getting down to your requests :') hopefully you liked this one!! - nini

find my other seventeen works HERE

[thef1diary]

team principal!carlos treating the team to a little vacation before the new season starts for uh.. team building reasons.. obviously.. 👀 think paradise but sharing meals with everyone and having a few fun activities together. and you are sharing a room with carlos, the suite was the only one available with two rooms 🤓

i'm thinking waking up to carlos eating you out to start the day off well with more to follow😵‍💫

🩵

— hmm why make it two rooms if it could be one? With one bed ofc 🤭 the team would be suspect anything, it was just a booking issue on the hotel’s end…right? 18+ content below

The tropical retreat had been Carlos’s idea, pitched to the team as a well-earned vacation to recharge and build camaraderie before the new season. What no one knew—what no one could know—was that his real agenda had little to do with team bonding. He had planned every detail, down to the “accidental” mix-up that left the two of you sharing a single room with one bed. The team didn’t suspect a thing. To them, you were the star driver, and he was the ever-professional team principal. Behind closed doors, however, things were much different.

The bed was large enough to keep up appearances, but neither of you had any intention of using all that space. You fell asleep curled against him, your limbs tangled under the soft sheets, his hand possessively resting on your bare hip. The sound of the ocean outside lulled you into a deep sleep, and you didn’t stir until the morning—when you woke to something far more intoxicating.

A low, needy moan escaped your lips before you even opened your eyes. Warmth spread from your core, the unmistakable sensation of Carlos’s mouth between your thighs pulling you from sleep. His broad shoulders pinned you down, his strong hands gripping your hips to keep you exactly where he wanted you.

“Carlos…” you gasped, your voice still rough from sleep. Your legs trembled, instinctively trying to close around his head, but he groaned against you, the vibration sending a jolt of pleasure through your body.

“None of that, hermosa,” he murmured, his voice husky as he pulled back just enough to look up at you. His lips glistened, his dark eyes smoldering. “Let me take care of you. You’ve earned it.”

He didn’t give you a chance to respond before diving back in, his tongue dragging slow, deliberate circles over your clit. His movements were precise, calculated, like he had mapped every inch of you and knew exactly what would unravel you.

“You were incredible last season,” he said between licks, his voice low and reverent. “Every win, every podium—you make me so proud.” He punctuated his words with a firm suck on your clit, making your back arch and a cry fall from your lips. “I want to reward you. Motivate you to keep being my best driver.”

Your hands flew to his hair, fingers tangling in the thick strands as your hips bucked against his mouth. He let you grind against his face as he worked you closer to the edge.

“Carlos—sir—fuck—”

“That’s it, princesa,” he groaned, his voice muffled as he pressed his tongue deeper into you. “Let go. I want to feel you fall apart for me.”

And you did. The orgasm hit you like a wave, your body tensing before shattering beneath him. He held you steady, his tongue working you through the high, his grip firm but tender as he murmured praises against your skin.

You were still catching your breath when he crawled up your body, his lips finding yours in a kiss that was equal parts sweet and filthy. You could taste yourself on him, and it only made you want more.

“Think you got one more in you?” he asked, his voice a low rumble in your ear. You could feel him, hard and insistent against your thigh, and the look in his eyes made your stomach flip.

You briefly glanced at the clock on the nightstand, barely registering the numbers before giving him an answer. “We’ve got time, please sir.”

A smirk graced his lips, and he placed a light kiss on your lips. “Good girl, that’s what I like to hear.”

He flipped you onto your stomach, his hands gripping your hips as he positioned himself behind you. He slid his cock into you in one slow, deliberate thrust, the stretch making you gasp. He didn’t wait, setting a rough pace that had you clawing at the sheets, your moans muffled by the pillow.

“You feel so good,” he groaned, his grip tightening as he drove into you. “So perfect for me.”

His hand slipped around to your front, finding your clit and rubbing it in time with his thrusts. The overstimulation was almost too much, but the way he moaned your name, the way he filled you completely, had you hurtling toward another orgasm.

“Come for me again, mi princesa,” he commanded, his voice rough and strained. “Show me why you’re the best.”

It didn’t take you long to shatter around him, your body shaking as he followed you over the edge, his cum spilling into you with a guttural moan. He collapsed beside you, pulling you into his arms and pressing soft kisses to your sweat-slicked skin.

“Good morning,” he murmured against your temple, his voice warm and teasing.

You laughed breathlessly, your body still trembling from the aftershocks. “If this is how you want to start the day, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week holds.”

He chuckled, pulling you closer. “Just wait, hermosa. I’ve got a lot planned for us.”

want more team principal!carlos? send me an ask with your filthiest thoughts and it’ll get answered during one of my dirty drabble days

[schlattslambo]

i need a jschlatt smut when he's drunk after some big party like a wedding or smth like that, and he's all cute and cuddly but also horny for you and wants to marry you but also fuck you thank you that's all

a/n: coming back with a bang! hope you all enjoy!! im basing this off of drunk bob from bobs burgers “show me your boobs”

———————

jay was humming along to the song that the uber was playing as the two of you stumbled to the house. the two of you chose to ring in the new year with friends, and the drinks were flowing. his dress shirt was unbuttoned halfway despite the cold, and his jacket was draped over your shoulders. his lips feather over your neck, making goosebumps rise on your skin.

“baby, let me open the door,” you smile, fumbling for your keys.

“but i love you,” jay whines against your skin.

“love you too, baby.” you turn and give him a kiss on the cheek before pushing the door open.

the door isn’t even fully closed before jay is on you, nipping at your skin and feeling you up.

“you’re so beautiful,” jay mumbles. “i love you so much.”

“i love you too jay,” you reply, returning his kisses.

jay scoops you up without a word and throws you over his shoulder. you squeal and grip his shirt, laughing loudly.

“jay!” you squeal. “put me down!”

in response, jay slaps your ass and you can almost picture the grin on his face. he plops you down on the bed that you two share and crawls on top of you. brown hair falls in his face as he smiles, cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

just as you’re sure that he’s going to grind onto you, jay flops down and snuggles into you. his hands grip your soft body gently as his face finds its way into the crook of your neck.

“you’re just so amazin’ baby,” jay says against you. “i got so lucky. you make my life so much brighter.”

he babbles away, complimenting you and rubbing your thighs and hips as he does. he looks up at you and your eyes lock again. you don’t think he’s ever looked at you with such love before. maybe he has and you just weren’t looking?

you run a hand through jay’s hair and smile.

“y’know,” jay says. “i wanna marry you one day.”

your breath catches in your throat. jay is never one to be outwardly affectionate, so this entire moment is charged. you’re sure that you’ll break down into tears if jay keeps saying all these sweet things.

“we’d have everything you wanted. the best damn cake money can buy, and we’d get married on a beach just like you’ve always dreamed of.” jay says, staring at you with literal hearts in his eyes. “and you’d look so beautiful. like the goddess that you are. you’re everything i’ve ever wanted, and i want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life.”

your tears finally sting your eyes before falling and you sniffle, grabbing jay close and hugging him tightly.

“i love you,” you whimper softly. “and i can’t wait to marry you one day.”

jay adjusts, straddling you as he brings your lips to his. what starts out as a loving, passionate kiss turns into a sloppy makeout session. when the two of you break away for air, jay’s fully tenting his pants. you glance down before giggling.

“‘s what you do to me, sweet thing,” jay smiles bashfully. “can’t help it.”

you smile and bring jay back down, nibbling his bottom lip.

“you should show me how much you love me,” you breathe against his lips. “please make me scream.”

jay pulls back slightly and smiles. “baby, you say that shit again and we’re breaking this bed.”

[kookinglikeachef]

remember that tiktok prank where the girl pretends to give her bf head but she put her hair up and grabbed a remote from under the couch he was sitting on instead? could you do svt reaction to y/n doing that to them?

Seungcheol

Cocky mf. The moment you’re crawling between his legs while he’s lying in bed, reading, he’d close his book and place his hands behind his head. On the inside you’re trying so hard not to laugh because Cheol really thinks he’s getting it SLOPPY ASF. However, you are giving him that look and he’s never been more excited. That is until you also pulled out your own book and laid beside him. A deep sigh falls from his lips and he drops his arms to his sides. To add insult to injury you have the nerve to kiss his cheek and giggle innocently.

Jeonghan

Would probably already know that it’s a prank because you tease and prank each other regularly. But a part of him would still fall for it. He’d run his fingers through your hair, thumb grazing the side of your face and lifts your chin slightly. That alone makes you want to forget the prank. But powering through, you bring your face closer to his growing bulge only to blow a raspberry on his stomach. Not the blow he was expecting. He’ll let out a breathy laugh and pretend like he wasn’t falling for it. Rest assured, he’ll tease you the same way next time.

Joshua

Unless you’re really trying to get fucked I suggest you sit your ass down. He will not accept that it’s a prank. You started it. Now you have to finish it.

Jun

Okay so, you jokingly get on your knees in front of him. Jokingly caress his thighs. He’s jokingly throwing his back. You jokingly take his cock out and into your mouth. And jokingly give him bomb ass head. He’ll jokingly cum. Then you jokingly tell him it was a TikTok prank. And he jokingly tells you that it’s your turn.

Hoshi

You already know he’s hype the minute you bend between his thighs. He immediately stops whatever he’s doing. There’s a smile on his face assured as he sinks back, arms wide across the back of the couch, and eyes closed. He’s waiting for something to happen, that sloppy top, gawk gawk, and it’s not. He doesn’t see when you go under the couch to grab the tv remote that you had planted there earlier. But when you get up, he’d open one eye, looking around confusedly, and you’re sitting next to him with your legs crossed, scrolling through channels. “Wanna watch Squid Game?” You’d ask. He'll say yes but his face clearly says no. You’ve totally shattered his heart.

Wonwoo

He’s gaming when you go into his room and suddenly stood in front of him. Moves his headphones slightly behind his ear and stares up at you and asks if you’re okay with a hand reaching for yours. When you crouched between his legs and he noticed what you were doing, he’ll blush and probably won’t meet your gaze, but he also wouldn’t question you any further. He’ll wait with anticipation for your next move. Until you reveal that it’s a prank, his face would turn red and he’ll feel a little ashamed.

Woozi

He’s already relaxing when you caught him working on music and mixing vocals. He’d start smiling and grabbing your hair and tells you that you have to make it fast. Then you go down and come back up with a pen, “was that fast enough for you?” You asked innocently. Just fucking blinks at you. And now he’s humiliated. Dignity? What dignity?

Dokyeom

Absolutely do not play in his face like this. He’s swallowing hard, palms sweaty, and breath hitching when he feels the warmth of yours so, so close to his crotch. He’s prayed for times like this. Waiting for you to give him the most gut wrenching, toe curling, finger bitting, eye rolling, ass clenching, soul sucking head he could ask for. Unfortunately that prayer would not be answered because when you grabbed a stray hair tie from the floor then joined him, he’s DUMBFOUNDED and covering his face with his hands. Ears turning red from embarrassment.

Mingyu

PLS you’re gonna have his big ass feeling like a damn FOOL. He’s like a puppy the minute you get down on your knees. The prank hadn’t even started yet and he’s already foaming at the mouth. A small noise would escape his throat the moment you bend forward and he’s basically pushing his hips into your face. You try to bite back your laughter when you pulled back with a chapstick you had conveniently put under the couch and plop into his lap. Hands on his face trying to get him to look at you again even though he was refusing. He’ll be smiling but he’s definitely annoyed. “Talk to me when you’re done being a tease,” he’d tell you before walking away.

Minghao

His eyes would be glued to you wondering what you were up to. So when you position yourself perfectly between his legs, he folds his arms with raised eyebrows. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing? Your little TikTok prank?” He didn’t have to clock you so quickly but just give him that neck anyways.

Seungkwan

BYE. He’ll get so mad at you for getting his hopes up. And then get mad at himself for getting his own hopes up. You give this man a hard on and then reveal it was just a little jokey joke, he’s eye-rolling and mean muggin you all day. Attitude on top of more attitude. Will completely and I mean COMPLETELY ignore your existence.

Vernon

Just sits there. You drop to your knees and push his legs open a bit and he literally just sits still, no reaction or anything. It’s so awkward cause you’re tying up your hair and making those eyes like he’s about to get that gluck gluck 9000 double handed twisted vacuum sealed super max deluxe. You look up and he’s just staring down at you like 👁️👄👁️?? Talking about some, “Y/N, get off the floor.” While pushing your head away. You’re like 😐 “really Hansol.” And you get up, so embarrassed. Now he’s really not getting the gluck. Then he’s so confused when you’re annoyed with him later.

DINO

Chan loves going down on you. But even more than that he LOVES when you go down on him. Shit absolutely destroys him. So he wouldn’t understand the prank. You’re warming up your jaw and when he decides to lean forward and kiss your forehead, you begin to feel bad for what happens next. You caress his knees, separate his legs, and finally lean in… to grab the couch pillow that had fallen on the floor. His shoulders slump and he looks as if he’s on the verge of crying when you explain the prank. On the outside he’s smiling but on the inside it’s just pain. Please give him the suck he deserves.

[svgarseason]

𖹭 cw: suggestive, fluff, angst

══════════════𖹭 MINORS DNI 𖹭═════════════

PT 1 ⋆ PT 2 ⋆ PT 3 ⋆ PT 4 ⋆ PT 5 ⋆ PT 6. PT 7 [SOON]

English professor Nanami could tell that you were uncomfortable the first couple of days that you stayed with him. He could see it in the shy way you asked for permission for every little thing. "You don't have to ask," he tells you. "I'm glad you're here," he says. He feels suddenly warm, the way you smile at that. It takes a while, but it seems you're finally comfortable, if the way you hum moving around the kitchen and plop down right next to him on the couch with your laptop are any indication.

Professor Nanami tries his best not to stare, but it's hard. He can't understand why seeing you do mundane, domestic things, like making coffee or rinsing dishes, makes his heart feel so full, but it does. He guesses he is probably in love with you, and if that's the case he is well and truly fucked because it can never come to anything. He hopes it is just a passing infatuation, not that he is particularly prone to those. It has never happened to him before, actually.

Professor Nanami knows that, when you leave, his house will feel quiet and empty and he'll torture himself with thoughts of who you're with and what you're doing. He knows it will be soon. The selfish part of him dreads it, but his practical and morally upstanding side will be relieved. The couch situation is becoming potentially problematic, after all. The shorts aren't helping.

"Professor Nanami, what do you think of this paragraph, like, is it actually terrible?" He couldn't truthfully tell you because the plush of your thigh is pressed up against his as you lean over practically on top of him. Your hair is falling over his arm and, although he doesn't mean to look, he can see down the front of your shirt over your shoulder. It is so much worse than when you would crowd in on him in his office.

"Why are your eyes closed," you giggle "Is it that bad?" It is that bad. His cock stays at least half hard pretty much around the clock, now. It has a mind of it's own. He is squeezing his eyes closed, desperately grasping at any thought that might direct bloodflow away from his twitching dick. But he doesn't tell you that, of course.

"Just thinking," he says, instead.

Professor Nanami opens his eyes and your face is so close it kind of takes his breath away. You have never been this close before, and you are so still. Still like a coiled spring holding tension until it just can't anymore. He doesn't mean to, but he looks down at your lips. When he looks back at your eyes, he knows he's caught. He knows he should look away, create distance between the two of you, but he is frozen in place.

And by the time he has done all that thinking, it's too late anyway. The crush of your mouth against his is soft and warm, like the press of your body against his as you crawl into his lap.

Professor Nanami wants to pull you closer, taste you deeper. He wants to undress you and explore your body with his hands and his mouth. Really take his time with you, memorize you like a favorite lyric. His hands find the angle of your jaw, trace the line of your neck he had so often admired before coming to rest on your shoulders.

Professor Nanami pushes you away. "Stop," he says, an alien strangled quality to his voice. "I can't."

Professor Nanami stands in the doorway of the guest room, saying your name softly. You are a quiet blur of motion as you stuff your things into a bag and tug on your shoes. Your face a shiny, red mess of ruined mascara. He says he wants to talk about it, but you don't care, you're too ashamed. You feel like a stupid little girl with a stupid crush who did a stupid, stupid thing.

Professor Nanami doesn't try to stop you when you go.

a/n; hey guys, spoiler alert, but I'm thinking of making the next part a smau. It would be texts between these two. Idk. I love reading smau but I've never made one. Or maybe the next part will be readers POV, then a smau. Anyway, any thoughts on that? & ty for reading as always.

[simonsrileyhusband]

AAHRRG I NEED TO HEAR YOUR SIMON SHARING READER WITH PRICE IDEAS and maybe a little ghostprice in there too just maybe

🙏🙏

nsfw:

simon is jealous... no, possesive, you are his and only his. but before he met you he meet price and his captain means a lot to him.

so when he sees the way price eyes you up at the tiny reunion the 141 had at his house, he starts thinking. thinking why wasnt he angry, why didnt he punch him in the face like he has done before with random guys on the street?

"yer joking, right?" price was sitting alone with simon on the tiny office of the house, a quick drop off something simon forgot at base turned into a small talk session and drinking.

"i never joke like that." his voice is harsh, dry and determinated. simon looked at his captain death in the eyes, waiting for an answer.

"i mean..." the older man speaks, drinking a bit of the whiskey, nervous. "if he is up to."

simon hums and stands up, leaving the glass on the tiny table and walks off the room.

"wait-..." he tries to complain but its too late, price hears how a door opens from afar and how the two of you talk, far enough to not be able to actually pick up any words.

after a good 10 minutes simon walks in, you walk behind him shyly, grabbing his hand you hide behind his strong frame.

"you already know eachother, no needs for introductions." he pulls you into his lap, sitting besides price. "if you wanna stop just say, m'kay?" you nod softly, wiggling closer to simon, watching price carefully. he is hot, big biceps and a bit of tummy, just like your simon, big thighs and husky voice...

"words baby." he whispers, and you nod again, lost in the way price stares at you while he finishes his drink. "i-... yes." you finally speak and your boyfriend hums.

"go on. sit on his lap baby." you obey, crawling into his lap, facing him. "hi, love." he mumbles, placing his hands barely above your knees. you whisper a little hi back. "can i... can i kiss him?" you ask shyly, while looking at simon, your cheeks blushed. "you can do anything, lovie, as long as you are comfortable." you nod and turn back to price, whose hands were a bit higher on your thighs now.

you kiss him, not like you would kiss your boyfriend, you hold back a bit, tasting the alcohol on him. but he is older, he has experience, he knows how to make someone feel good, you feel his hands rub your legs and waist, squeezing just enough to make you want more, and when you feel his bulge grow you cant help but grind on it, moaning softly into his lips.

"enough, on your knees, now." you quickly pull back, and look at simon flustered, yet, you do as he says quickly, kneeling in front of the two men. "jesus, ya got him trained well."

"he know he gets a reward if he's good."

you look up at them with desire, a burning sensation growing inside of you, sinful images filling your mind of all the things they can do to you. both of them undo their belts and unzip their pants. you perk up and pull down simons boxers. instinctively grabbing his dick. "not so fast, be a good boy and do the same with john."

a little whine scapes your mouth, and you do as you are told, pulling down his boxers too, both of your hands start to move up and down their hardening cocks, you look at them, how theu grunt and pant, how they stare down at you like hungry lions waiting to eat their prey.

"suck." a simple word, a command that came out as a grunt. you lean in and kiss his tip lovingly, you lick and kiss all over his lenght, taking your time to take all of it inside. you continue to jerk price off, who was lost in the way you moved your head up and down, how your eyes water and how good simons voice sounds when he is whispering naaty praises to you.

your mind is blury, you dont know how lomg you have been sucking their dicks, being yanked by the hair and cheeks to be shoved into their aching dicks. but when they get tired of that and need more than just your mouth your mind is already gone.

"its okay baby, relax f'me" you hear your boyfriends husky voice sooth you, face down and ass up on the couch they were once sitting at. your hole dripping and your breath heavy. simon pats princes arm, "ye' can go first, but no cumming inside of him, that’s only f'me."

price says something that you dont quite graso because a heavy hand falls harshly into your ass, making you whine. "do you want me to fuck you, mhm? tell me honey, tell me how badly y'want your boyfriends friend to fuck you."

[sunarinscat]

Nsfw below the cut!!

Thinking about Kaminari who is so, so good for you.

When you come home frustrated from work or school, and you don't even have to say anything, you simply exchange a look. He knows.

You drop your bag to the floor and saunter across the room, taking a seat on the couch. You cross your legs and sink into the cushions. The exhaustion of the day pulls you deeper into the couch as you mull over the shitty people you've had to put up with. As you huff and sigh Kaminari slinks over, sugary sweet. You think you could get drunk off of the way he looks at you when you're like this. When he knows what's coming.

"How was your day baby?" He murmurs as he drops to all fours.

He all but crawls over to you, sliding his nimble fingers between your legs and prying your thighs apart. Your fingers find their way to his hair as you mumble something unintelligible in response. He looks up at you from between your legs, batting his long lashes, begging for something unspoken.

"That bad? Need me to make it all better?"

You nod. You can feel his little breaths on your thigh. It sends a delicious tingle up your spine. You can see how worked up he's getting, the way his pants have become tight, and his cheeks flushed.

"Tell me mama. Tell me I can make you feel better. Jus' wanna make you feel better. Please."

You'd trained him never to act without permission and you almost wanted to deny him right then and there. To force him to sit there and watch while you helped yourself feel better, with his hands behind his back. Unable to do anything but writhe while his cock strained against his pants, twisting with desire to touch you. But really, how could you say no to those puppy eyes? He was excellent at begging.

"M'kay. Make me feel better baby."

He's all over you in an instant. His hands pulling down your tights and lips pressing little kisses against the plush flesh of your tummy and thighs. He nips at your inner thigh, and you gasp, shooting him a look. He grins sheepishly and kisses over the spot. His fingers move to rub gentle, painfully slow circles against your clit through your panties and you whine. He keeps his eyes on yours the whole time as he continues with the torturously slow pace, and you hold his gaze.

"Need to taste you.."

You nod and open your legs a little further.

"Go right ahead sweetheart."

He takes this as an invite to replace his fingers with his mouth. Your panties are already soaked, and he languidly sucks on the fabric. Your hands pull at his hair as your head falls back against the couch cushions. The feeling of his hot mouth and the texture of the fabric against your pussy has you reeling. The sensation building in your tummy and the way that he looks up at you from his place between your things has you losing your shit. Your hands tug at his hair, his cheeks are flushed and his eyes dewy. He moans into your pussy, and you cry out.

"Fuck Kami' so good for me. Such a good fucking boy. Oh, my goddd."

You don't even have the time of day to be embarrassed about the sounds coming out of your mouth. Kaminari knows exactly what the fuck he's doing, and he's doing it well. His tongue swirls against your clit, drawing figure eights into your folds. He sucks, hard and everything spins. he releases your clit with a wet pop, and you whine at the loss of contact. He shoots you a small smile.

"Don't worry. Gon' make you feel even better. I got you."

He pulls your panties off of your legs, relishing how fucking wet they are before he's back at your cunt. Lapping at you like a dog. He brings his fingers to your entrance and circles it a few times before sticking two in. His fingers are so deliciously long. Maybe it's something to do with his gaming addiction but he knows how to curve them just right.

"Taste so good mama.. Fuck. Can't get enough of you."

His voice vibrates through your cunt. His mouth is on your clit and he's fucking you on his fingers so good you think you might cry. It's too much, you can feel it coming, that pressure rising in your tummy. You rip him away from your cunt.

"C'mere baby. Up on the couch. Need you to fill me up. You can do that for me right baby?"

You all but drag him onto the couch and straddle him. Your wet pussy rubs against the fabric of his jeans and you moan. You grind yourself against him a few times, pushing his shoulders into the cushions as you kiss him roughly. His hand travel under your shirt as he kisses you right back, hips lifting to meet yours. You break the kiss and hurriedly unbutton his pants and rip off his boxers. You salivate at the sight of his dick, flushed and leaking with precum. You wipe the leaking tip with your thumb and bring it to your mouth. Kaminari lets out a groan as your tongue swirls around you finger. You smirk and resume kissing him as one hand goes to line his dick up with your entrance.

Slamming down on him, you cry out in satisfaction. This is exactly what you needed after today. Kaminari fiddles with your shirt and you brush the hair out of his face as you help him get your top off. You unclip your bra as you roll your hips against his. You allow him to suck harsh kisses into your neck and across your chest as you pound your hips down again and again. His mouth, his skin, his warmth feels ethereal. You grasp one of his hands in your own as you continue to work yourself on his dick.

"Love you so much baby. Such a good boy fer' me."

You're drunk off the way he feels. The way he acts. So pliant for you, so obedient, so good. Making you feel so good. The way he sits there and takes it as you spend yourself on him. He shifts to get better access to your neck and angles his hips, hitting a spot inside you that has you seeing stars for the nth time. You begin to shake and grip at his shoulders as you struggle to keep the pace. "Kami you feel so good ohmygod fuck. Please, please, please." You whine.

But the fatigue of the day is catching up to you. You hadn't realized just how exhausted you were. You groan in frustration, arms shaking as you try to reach your high. Kaminari is panting as your hips stutter. He reaches and arm behind your head and brings your forehead to his.

"Let me help you. Jus' wanna make you cum. Promise I'll be so good. Let me do it I got *haah* I got you."

Through tears of frustration you nod, leaning into his touch.

"Make me cum baby."

With that he flips you onto your back, caging you in his arms and fucking into you so hard your seeing start with every thrust. One hand reaches down to rub circles into your clit as he kisses your tears away.

"Cum for me mama I got you. I'm right here. Your good boy. Jus' wan you to feel better. Cream on my cock." He moans.

His fingers on your clit and his dick hitting that spot repeatedly send you over the edge and you pull him close as your body spasms and twitches. The cord snaps and you let something nasty come out your mouth as your toes curl. He thrusts a few more times before pulling out and covering your tummy in cum.

You close your eyes and rest for a minute, breathing hard.

"See, don't you feel better?"

You laugh hoarsely.

"Much. Always know how to make me feel better Kami."

You place a peck on his lips as he gathers you up in his arms and hauls you over to the bathroom to draw a warm bath.

[waitforyrlove]

are you sure is it casual with slytherin ! matt ? read this to understand this drabble better.

inspired by the song casual by chappel roan.

the days following that night were an emotional blur. It was as though the encounter with Matt had lit a fire in your chest, one that you couldn’t seem to extinguish no matter how hard you tried.

every glance, every word he spoke to you felt like it carried an undertone of something unspoken, something simmering just beneath the surface.

but Matt? Matt was as maddeningly infuriating as ever, acting as though nothing had happened. Like almost kissing you hadn’t meant anything.

and yet, that smirk of his haunted you. It lingered in your mind late at night, as you tossed and turned, replaying the way he’d looked at you, the way he’d stopped just short of something that would have changed everything.

you hated him for it.

but more than that, you hated the way you wanted more.

it was Friday evening, and the castle was alive with its usual end-of-week energy. Laughter and chatter filled the corridors as students flitted between the Great Hall and their common rooms, some heading out for the weekend’s mischief, others settling into their usual routines. You, however, couldn���t shake the restlessness crawling beneath your skin.

maybe that was why you found yourself wandering the castle aimlessly after dinner, your thoughts tangled and impossible to organize.

that’s when you saw him.

Matt stood at the edge of the Astronomy Tower, leaning against the railing with his usual air of practiced ease. The moonlight bathed him in silver, softening the sharp lines of his face and illuminating the streaks of dark green in his robes. He didn’t see you at first, his gaze fixed on the horizon, but the sight of him stopped you in your tracks.

you told yourself to turn around, to walk away before he noticed you, but your body betrayed you. Your heart betraye the weekend’s mischief, others settling into their usual routines. You, however, couldn’t shake the restlessness crawling beneath your skin.

before you could decide what to do, he turned, catching sight of you in the doorway. His expression shifted instantly, his usual smirk curling onto his lips like a reflex.

“Couldn’t stay away, could you?” he drawled, his voice low and teasing.

you rolled your eyes, summoning every ounce of defiance you had left. “Hardly. The castle’s big enough for both of us. Don’t flatter yourself.”

he chuckled, the sound warm and irritatingly inviting. “Sure it is. And yet here you are.”

you crossed your arms over your chest, trying to ignore the way his eyes seemed to drink you in like you were something fascinating. “I didn’t realize you had a claim on the Astronomy Tower.”

“I don’t.” He stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, like he was testing how far he could push you before you ran. “But I can’t say I mind the company.”

you held your ground, refusing to back away as he approached. Your pulse quickened, a familiar, maddening heat creeping up your spine. “Why are you like this?”

“Like what?” he asked, stopping just short of your personal space. His voice softened, the teasing edge giving way to something almost sincere. “Go on, sweetheart. Tell me what’s so awful about me.”

you glared up at him, your frustration bubbling over. “You’re insufferable. You’re arrogant, manipulative, and you think everything’s a game.”

he raised an eyebrow, his smirk faltering for a fraction of a second. “And you keep playing.”

the words hit you like a punch to the chest. You wanted to deny it, to argue, but the truth hung in the air, suffocating you.

he was right. You did keep playing, despite everything. Despite the way his teasing twisted your insides or the way his presence seemed to fill every empty space inside you.

you took a step back, trying to find your voice, but it came out quieter than you’d intended. “What do you want from me, Matt?” The words were out before you could stop them, laced with a mix of confusion, frustration, and something else—something you didn’t want to acknowledge.

his expression softened just a little, the teasing fading. “What if I told you I didn’t want anything?” He leaned in, his gaze steady on yours. “What if I just wanted to see if you’d let me get close enough to figure you out?”

your heart thudded painfully in your chest. It felt like the whole world had gone silent, like there was only the two of you in this moment, standing on the precipice of something you couldn’t name. Your breath hitched as his eyes flicked down to your lips, and for a second, everything felt still.

then, before you could make sense of the situation or stop yourself, he was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his breath on your face. Your pulse raced, the space between you charged with tension, and it seemed like he was going to close the distance. The temptation to close your eyes, to lean into him, was almost overwhelming. You could feel the pull between you, magnetic, undeniable.

but you stopped yourself.

you took a shaky breath and stepped back, shaking your head, trying to clear the haze that had clouded your mind. “I can’t do this,” you whispered, almost as if you were trying to convince yourself. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

his gaze darkened for just a moment, before that damnable smirk returned. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” he murmured, eyes gleaming. “You’re so busy trying to keep your distance, trying to keep control, that you’re missing everything right in front of you.”

his words hung in the air like a challenge. You wanted to argue, to tell him that he didn’t know you at all, that this—whatever this was—wasn’t going to happen. But there was a part of you that didn’t want to fight it anymore. You didn’t want to be the person who kept pushing him away, who refused to acknowledge what was brewing between you.

instead, you turned and started to walk away, your hands trembling at your sides. The soft sound of his footsteps echoed behind you, a reminder that he was always too close, always a little too present.

“Don’t walk away from me,” Matt called after you, his voice low and commanding.

you stopped, but didn’t turn around, your back to him. “What do you want?”

he didn’t answer right away, and for a second, the night seemed to hold its breath. Then, his voice, quiet but steady, reached you. “I want you to stop running.”

you closed your eyes briefly, fighting the wave of emotions crashing over you. “I’m not running.”

“Sure you’re not.” as his laugh was almost a growl.

when you finally turned around, you saw that he hadn’t moved—still leaning against the stone wall, watching you with a quiet intensity. You could feel the tension between you like a live wire, sparking, threatening to catch fire.

he took a step toward you, the space between you narrowing once again. The moment stretched on, both of you standing there, unsure of what would happen next, but knowing it would change everything.

“One day,” he said, his voice soft, almost a promise, “you’ll stop pretending like this doesn’t matter.”

you didn’t respond, couldn’t find the words. Instead, you turned and walked away, faster now, desperate to put distance between you and the pull he had over you.

but as you walked back through the darkened corridors of the castle, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over.

and in the pit of your stomach, you feared it was just the beginning.

the days that followed were a strange blur. You kept your distance from Matt—or at least you tried to. Every glance across the Great Hall, every passing moment in the corridors, seemed charged with an unspoken tension. He didn’t try to corner you, didn’t follow up on his words that night. But his gaze lingered. Always.

it was maddening.

you couldn’t focus on anything—your classes, your friends, even simple conversations. His words played on a loop in your mind. “One day, you’ll stop pretending like this doesn’t matter.”

and the worst part? You were beginning to believe him.

one evening, you were sitting in the common room, pretending to study while the fire crackled beside you. The rest of your housemates had dwindled off to bed, leaving you in relative silence. But the book in front of you remained unread. Your thoughts were elsewhere—back in that corridor, back to the way Matt had looked at you, like he knew you better than you knew yourself.

with a frustrated sigh, you closed the book and leaned back against the armchair, but a knock at the window jolted you from your thoughts.

your brow furrowed as you glanced over. The Gryffindor tower wasn’t exactly easy to reach—so when you saw an owl perched on the stone sill, you knew something was up. Rising to your feet, you opened the latch, and the bird hopped inside, holding out its leg with a note attached.

you hesitated, because owls didn’t usually bring you notes. Not at this hour.

with trembling fingers, you untied the parchment and unrolled it. The handwriting was unmistakable.

“Meet me. Astronomy Tower. Midnight. Don’t make me come find you.”

you stared at the note, torn between ignoring it and the pull of curiosity that was impossible to resist. Midnight was only a few minutes away, and you knew that if you didn’t show, he’d make good on his promise. He always did.

with a resigned sigh, you grabbed your cloak and slipped out of the common room, the castle quiet around you as you navigated the dark halls. Your steps were light, cautious, but your heart was anything but calm. You weren’t sure what you were walking into—what Matt wanted from you this time.

the Astronomy Tower loomed ahead, its spiral staircase winding upward. You climbed, your breaths shallow and quick, until you reached the top.

there he was.

Matt stood at the edge of the tower, leaning against the stone railing. The moonlight painted him in silver, his dark robes catching the faint breeze. He turned at the sound of your footsteps, and that familiar smirk spread across his face.

“You came,” he said, his voice low and amused, like he hadn’t doubted it for a second.

you crossed your arms, trying to keep your composure. “Why am I here?”

he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pushed off the railing and closed the distance between you, his steps unhurried, deliberate. His gaze held yours, sharp and searching, and you felt that same pull you’d been trying to ignore.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said simply, his tone casual but with an edge of something darker.

“Maybe I’ve been busy.”

“Couldn’t get me off your mind, could you?” His smirk stayed in place, but his tone was quieter, almost teasing, as his eyes searched yours for something unspoken.

your cheeks burned, and you hated how easily he saw through you. “Don’t flatter yourself,” you muttered, turning away from him to look out at the castle grounds below.

but Matt wasn’t having it. He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “I don’t think I have to. You do that enough for both of us.”

you turned to snap at him, but the words caught in your throat when you saw how close he was. His usual teasing smirk was gone, replaced by something more serious, more intense. His gaze flicked to your lips for just a second, and the world seemed to hold its breath.

“Matt…” you began, your voice faltering.

“Stop pretending, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice soft but insistent. “You want this just as much as I do.”

your pulse thundered in your ears. You should push him away. You should say something—anything—to break the moment. But you didn’t. You couldn’t. Because deep down, you knew he was right.

and when he leaned in, you didn’t stop him.

his lips brushed yours, tentative at first, as if he was waiting for you to pull away. But you didn’t. Instead, you leaned into him, your hands clutching the fabric of his robes as the kiss deepened. It was electric, overwhelming, and for a moment, everything else melted away. The games, the tension, the endless push and pull—it all disappeared, leaving only this.

when you finally broke apart, both of you breathing heavily, his forehead rested against yours.

“See?” he whispered, his voice rough. “Not so hard to admit, is it?”

you stared at him, your emotions a chaotic mess. Part of you wanted to argue, to push him away and retreat to the safety of denial. But another part—the part that had been fighting this for weeks—knew there was no going back now.

your breath mingled with his as you stayed close, the silence between you heavy, electric. Matt’s hand lingered on your waist, his touch firm yet teasing, like he was testing the limits of how far you’d let him go.

your heart thundered in your chest, and for a brief moment, you thought—hoped—that maybe this was real. That maybe the games were over.

but then he pulled back slightly, just enough to look at you, and the smirk returned.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said, his tone light, almost mocking.

the vulnerability you’d been feeling, the whirlwind of emotions that had overtaken you, suddenly felt exposed, raw. You blinked, taken aback by his casual dismissal, like what had just happened didn’t carry the same weight for him as it had for you.

“Is that all this was to you?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. You hated how uncertain you sounded, but you needed to know.

Matt’s eyes flickered, something unreadable passing through them, but it was gone just as quickly. He stepped back, putting space between you, and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Come on, don’t get all serious on me now,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “It’s just a kiss.”

your chest tightened. Just a kiss. The words hit you harder than they should have, like a slap to the face. After everything—the tension, the pull between you, the way he’d looked at you moments ago—it felt like a betrayal.

“That’s it?” you demanded, your voice sharper now. “All of this—everything you’ve done—and it’s just a game to you?”

he raised an eyebrow, clearly unbothered by your growing anger. “I never said it was more than that.”

you stared at him, trying to reconcile the person standing in front of you with the one who’d kissed you like he meant it. “You’re unbelievable,” you muttered, stepping away.

Matt let out a low chuckle, but there was no warmth in it. “Don’t act so surprised, sweetheart. You knew what you were getting into.”

“No,” you snapped, turning back to face him. “I didn’t. I thought—” You stopped yourself, shaking your head. What had you thought? That you’d somehow reached the part of him that wasn’t cold and calculating? That he actually cared?

Matt’s smirk widened, but there was something sharp behind it, something that cut. “You thought what? That this meant something?” He took a step closer, his voice softening but still carrying that edge. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is more than what it is.”

“Which is what, exactly?” you shot back, your anger flaring now.

“Fun,” he said simply, shrugging as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re fun. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to change who I am for you. Don’t expect me to.”

the weight of his words settled over you like a lead blanket. Your hands clenched into fists at your sides, every part of you screaming to walk away, to leave him standing there with his smug grin and his twisted sense of satisfaction. But it still hurt. It hurt more than it should have.

“You’re a coward,” you said, your voice trembling with barely-contained emotion. “You hide behind this act like you don’t care about anything or anyone, but you’re just scared. Scared of actually feeling something.”

his smirk faltered for a split second, but he quickly recovered, his expression hardening. “And you’re naive if you think that little speech is going to change anything.”

the words stung, but you refused to let him see it. You squared your shoulders, lifting your chin. “You can keep playing your games, Matt. But don’t think for a second I’m going to let you drag me down with you.”

you turned on your heel, the cool night air biting at your skin as you made your way toward the staircase. You didn’t look back, even though every part of you ached to.

“Suit yourself,” his voice called out, low and taunting, though there was an edge to it now that you couldn’t quite place. “But don’t pretend you won’t come running back. They always do.”

you clenched your fists tighter, forcing yourself to keep walking, even as his words echoed in your mind. You didn’t stop, didn’t turn around, even when the sting of tears blurred your vision.

because you knew he was wrong. He had to be.

© waitforyrlove. all rights deserved. do not copy my works. or modify my work.

taglist: @secretlocket @pearlzier @et6rnalsun @mattscoquette @carvedtits @sirenedeslily @mattslolita @flouvela @bella-loveschris @lovingregulusblack @sarosfilms @annsx03 @eliana-4200 @wakeupitschrizz @emely9274 @sturniolossss @sturnslutz @sturnlsstuff @sweetcowboycollection @sturnioloangell @xoxoshanelle

˙ . ꒷ 🪽 notes from author ˙— hai !! i missed this fuckass bitch

[thanosscross]

In your club - Choi Seung Hyun/ T.O.P x reader SMUT

Summary: After going to a club Seung Hyun takes a huge liking to a certain drunk girl, who easily charms her way into his heart, even if he doesn't realize it.

Warnings: Smutttt

Whenever you went to your downtown night club, you weren't expecting much, it was New York, so you were used to a lot, not an entire K-pop boy band having an after party, thankfully you and your two friends were all let it, you were all a little tipsy already from your pre-game, so whenever you made it to the bar, you walked away drunk, giggling as you looked around the dance floor with your friends, trying to feel out the vibes.

As soon as the bass to your favorite song started playing your friends were quick to drag you to the floor, holding your hands as they danced. Your friend group dynamic was odd to an outsider, you were the youngest, but the mom friend of the group, but whenever you were drunk, you needed to be watched, it wasn't that you'd run off, but you were a giant flirt while drunk, and it only ended in a regret filled hung over y/n in the morning trying to find her way home.

Seung Hyun stood on the balcony with Ji-yong watching the dance floor scanning over the men and women dancing, pointing out any that caught each others eye, they were each others wingmen after all. As soon as Seung Hyun turned to look towards the door, a group of women caught his eye, Specifically the one in the middle swinging her hips to the beat while running her hands up her body through her messy h/c hair. "Ji-Yong, look" he shouted over the music pointing the girl out, a smirk slowly crawling onto his friend "I knew we could find you someone, buddy!" He cheered before making his way downstairs to find out the situation on if you were single or not.

As you danced along to the music you never noticed your friends giggling backing away as a man not much taller than you started to match your movements moving closer behind you "Hey! I'm Ji-Yong! My friend up there...Yea! there! He thinks you're hot! But he's a little shy!" the guy shouted over the music, you smiled nodding along to his words, resting your hands behind you on his shoulders, his hands going to your hips, your drunk self not wanting to leave the dance floor until the song was over. As soon as the music faded you giggled loudly turning around "I'm- Y/n" You hiccupped, regretting how fast you chugged your chaser, Ji-yong smiled leading you upstairs into the V.I.P area, leading you to a much taller man who was leaned over the railing holding a glass of some type of dark alcohol, you were too drunk to care. "This is my friend! You can call him T.o.p!" He shouted, you shyly extended your hand out, now suddenly your confidence and liquid confidence were gone, the taller man made you very flustered just by looking at you. "H-Hi!" You tried to shout over the music, the man just chuckled leaning closer to you while he gently held your hand, you were conscious of how close his lips were to your neck as he leaned close to hear you, and vice versa "I'm sorry, baby?" He asked, unsure of how much Korean you knew, if any at all "H-Hi, I'm Y/n" You said a bit softer, not wanting to shout in his ear "Beautiful, My name is Seung Hyun, but you can just call me Top" His voice was something you weren't expecting, it was deep, smooth, unlike his friends, not that his friend's wasn't also hot. You watched as he pressed his lips to the back of your hand, keeping eye contact with you "oooo! I love this song! Do you wanna dance?" You asked excited, the alcohol hitting you all over again, somehow stronger than before, especially after swiping a shot from a waiters tray downing it as you dragged Top to the dance floor.

Ji-Yong smirked watching his friend closely, finding it amusing that he was letting this small women boss him around and drag him around the club, but not wanting his friend to have a panic attack. You moved through the club with ease, stopping whenever you got to the middle of the floor, grabbing T.o.p's hands you moved them with yours as you pressed your back against his chest swaying your hips, after a moment Seung Hyun actually felt himself loosening up as he rested his hands on your hips matching your movements, laughing as you turned around singing along to the rap verse to him before walking up starting to dance with him again, this time facing him, he placed his hands back on your hips blushing as you bounced your hips into his with the beat of the music. You danced for about two more songs before you were at the bar having Seung Hyun try all of your favorites, even as he got more intoxicated, he still never got an attitude with you, always letting you drag him away chuckling or smiling.

Moving back to V.I.P to take a breather, Ji-Yong could definitely tell his roommate and best friend would be coming home with company tonight by the way he held your hips as he stood in front of him trying to spot your friends from the balcony. You leaned over further trying to get a better look in the dark, Seung Hyun quickly held you tightly noticing both of your feet were dangling in the air from how far you were leaned out. Whenever you popped back onto your feet, your new friend, T.o.p pulled you close to him "Be careful, beautiful" He whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine, you just melted into his touch, looking up to notice he was smoking, you tilting your head you reached up, he was quick to arch his head up higher before taking the joint from his lips, handing Ji-yong the joint before blowing the smoke into your mouth slowly, if you could melt anymore, you would. "I don't want you too messed up" He chuckled, you just shrugged dancing along to the music as he continued to speak with his friend, his hand never leaving your hip as they swayed back and forth.

"Where did mean Seung Hyun go huh?" Ji-Yong teased pushing his friends shoulder laughing "Shut up! She just looks so sad anytime I say no" He frowned "Plus she's really fuckin hot" He slurred, drinking the rest of his drink, he had lost count of how many he had, he just knew if it weren't for the colored hair, he'd have no idea who he was with at the club. You squealed seeing your friends waving them over before turning around resting your hands on Seung Hyun's chest "I'm gonna go let my friends they can go ahead and go" you whispered in his ear, he smirked nodding, holding your hand until you were to far to keep ahold "You better not fall in love, Seung Hyun!" His friend warned, he just rolled his eyes "I'm not! She's not even my type! I don't like the clingy girls" he stated, biting his lip as he peered around his friend to find you, wanting to make sure you were okay, even in his drunken state, he still knew how risky it was being a female drunk. Watching you walk back over he held his hand out to you, blushing brightly you took his hand in yours letting him pull you back over into his arms, as you started dancing to the song playing you noticed T.o.p's smirk and his friends chuckles "what'd I do?" You asked tilting your head, now feeling nervous they were laughing at you, Seung hyun couldn't help but mentally aw at your confused face, he just shook his head continuing to chuckle as he leaned into your ear "This is our song, beautiful" He whispered in your ear, you raised your eyebrow, skeptical, you had guys try that line before, what convinced you though, was Seung Hyun leaning closer to you swaying his hips as he rapped along to his verse of Zutter, watching the realization wash over your face was adorable to Seung Hyun, you continued dancing, now enjoying the song a lot more, grateful for all of the trips to South Korea, and other countries your dad would force you on as an 'i'm sorry' present for getting a divorce with your mom when you were a teenager.

"You want to come to my place, beautiful?" Seung Hyun asked checking the time, it was about four AM, but he was not about to leave you especially knowing your friends had left hours prior "A-Are you sure?" You asked, he could tell by the glint in your eyes you were still a little drunk, but you were both mainly high rather than drunk at this point. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure" He smirked pressing his lips to your neck, something he'd do occasionally throughout the night, only once or twice but it was starting to get to you. T.o.p kept his hands on your hips helping you keep your balance, knowing you could very easily do it own, he wanted to make sure. As you climbed into the limo you were in awe, yea you came from money, but not like this, you came from maybe a fancy car or two for the family, and maybe two yearly trips out of the country, not ride in a limo rich.

"Beautiful" Seung Hyun's deep smooth voice broke you out of your awe state, only now noticing you had sat on the opposite side of the seats from him "You scared of me now, jegi?" He teased reaching a hand out, you blushed taking his hand in yours, giggling as he pulled you next to him as the limo started to take off. "Why would I be scared...just because you're bigger?" You teased looking at him through your eyelashes, he just smirked pointing at you "No pulling that face" He warned playfully, the smile on his face giving him away immediately, you smiled, giggling again as Seung Hyun handed you a glass identical to his, taking a small sip from both before letting you have full grip of yours, tilting your head confused you looked at him "So you know it's safe, beautiful" He replied before taking a large drink from his, not wanting his liquid confidence to disappear to early, you blushed at his kindness before downing your drink in one go, grimacing at the burning sensation it left in your throat "Damn" Seung Hyun gasped "You're supposed to sip it!" He laughed cupping your cheek, kissing your lips softly, using his tongue to lick off any remaining whiskey from your lips, pulling away he smirked at your shocked and flustered reaction. "I can't help it, I wanted both my hands free" You pouted setting your drink down before placing your hands on his chest kissing his softly, purposely poking your tongue just enough to tease him before pulling away moving your kisses down his jawline. His grip on your hips tightened as his breathes became shaky, his pants becoming tighter and uncomfortable, it wasn't the kissing that turned him on, it was the gentleness behind your actions, every girl he had almost slept with was always rough, trying to rip and rush, and while Seung Hyun enjoyed his fair share of rough sex, that wasn't was he was looking for after a stressful show.

As you approached his front door, you felt his hands land on your hips "Are you sure, beautiful?..I can bring you home if you don't want to come in" He offered, his tone deep but soft, almost like he actually cared about you, even though you were only a one night stand. "As long as it's with you" You whispered reaching up pulling Seung Hyun's lips to yours "Can we please go inside, Top?" You asked, giving him the same look from earlier, he just smirked leading you inside, Ji-yong following behind making sure to shut and lock the door, finally happy to see his friend getting laid and seeming actually excited about it. As Seung Hyun backed you into his bedroom, his lips were attached to yours, hands exploring every inch of your body, you slowly moved your hands to push off his jacket, starting to undo his buttons on his shirt whenever he caught your hands quickly, giving you an intense stare for a moment "I-I'm so sorry" He started to apologize, his anxiety starting to kick into full drive, this is how it always went, he'd freak out, scare the girl away, and then feel terrible he ruined all of his friend's hard work. You just looked at him though, almost like you were trying to understand him without words "Top?..Are you okay?" You asked softly, ignoring the slight pain in your wrists from his grip "I-I" He started but his quickened paced breathing stopped him "You're alright, we don't have to take it off, I can keep mine on too" You offered, finally understanding it all started with his shirt "I used to need to do that sometimes too.. a lot actually" You tried to comfort him, which appeared to work slightly, his head turning with a pout painted on his face as soon as you offered to keep your shirt on "Oh no no this has to come off, I have to see" He stated leaning over you, you smiled a bit but cupped his cheek "You're okay, right?" You asked, offering him a sympathetic look "I'm good, beautiful" He replied before pulling at the bottom of your dress, helping you lift it off of your head, staring in awe biting his lip as he noticed you had been without a bra or underwear all night.

You gasped watching Seung Hyun start to kiss up your thighs towards your pussy, biting your lip as you locked eyes with him, only now seeing how handsome the man between your legs was. As soon as Seung Hyun licked a broad stripe up to your clit you immediately had your hands tightened and twisted in his sheets. The longer you kept eye contact with him the weaker you felt, throwing your head back whimpering loudly as he pressed two fingers inside of you. You weren't a virgin, but you weren't exactly used to having sex, most times you did you were drunk, other than that, you used a variety of toys. "Jagi, you're fucking tight" Seung Hyun commented, sucking on your clit softly before moving his lips to your thighs, leaving a trail of hickeys, his fingers starting to move and curl inside of you. Seung Hyun found a lot of enjoyment watching your confidence dominant act was now out the window now that his fingers were inside of you, he watched his your back arched and how your head tossed side to side as you begged to move faster.

"Baby, I'll do whatever you want, you just have to ask quietly" He whispered, repositioning himself to move his finger in and out of you a lot faster than he originally started with, the curling he did only quickened aswell. You were already getting closer, not noticing he was adding in a third finger until his lips were against yours asking if you were ready. Your head immediately went back into the pillows as your back arched, Seung Hyun smirking, loving the way you were falling apart just by his fingers "Do you want something else, Jagi?" He asked, planting soft kisses up from your stomach to your nipples up to your lips "Do you want more, princess?" He asked, You leaned up, pressing your lips fully against his as you panted "I want you, top, please" You whispered against his lips "Whatever you desire" He smirked playfully bowing before slowly pulling his fingers out of you, making eye contact as he licked them, He pulled off his jeans and boxers, reaching over grabbing a condom slipping it on. "Ready, beautiful?" He asked, you gasped a bit shaking your head, afraid you were hurt he pulled away, you quick to grab his shirt collar pulling him to lay flat on the bed "I wanna ride you" You offered, he just raised his eyebrows at you, his eyes growing a shade darker if possible as he held your hips, helping you guide yourself onto him.

As you slowly slid down having bottom out inside of you, you were both panting and moaning, pulling each other close "H-Holy shit" You whimpered starting to roll your hips, running a hand through your hair to keep it out of your face as you started to find a rhythm you liked. "You like, baby?" He smirked, feeling cocky until you started to bounce your hips in between you rolling them "O-Oh my- H-holy shit" He panted letting his head fall, you weren't doing much better, using one hand to help balance yourself, and the other to try and stifle your whimpers and moans "Oh, princess, come here" Seung Hyun said in a teasing tone, pulling you down to capture your lips into a heated kiss "Is it too much?" He continued, you just moaned in reply, whimpering loudly whenever his hand moved to meet your clit, rubbing soft circles with his index and ringer finger, You arched your back moaning against his lips, scratching down his chest, not realizing you had ripped his shirt along with it. "Fuck" He groaned, flipping you both over, using the new position to fuck you at a different angle, you panted looking up at him as you dug your nails into his back leaving bold red scratch marks down it. "You're going to make me cum if you don't stop" He warned, you didn't listen though, too close to the edge to process anything he was really saying, noticing your state, Seung Hyun picked up his pace, leaving hickeys down your neck as he started rubbing your clit again, your moans turned into calling out his stage name repeatedly, before turning into a blubbering moaning mess, Seung Hyun moaned softly as he felt you squeeze around his cock before feeling you cum around him, he grunted, trying to hold on, but feeling you trying to pulling cock deeper broke him, causing him to kiss you deeply as he came into the condom, panting against your lips, neither of you aware of the awkward conversation that awaited tomorrow morning.

--

my lordy! This was a long one!!

[wierdgaypanda-blog]

I love this post and 100% agree. I am personally both mentally and physically disabled. I have chronic pain, hypermobility and balance issues which all combined means I fall easily and often and when I do I tend to hurt myself more easily than an able-bodied person. I sometimes have vertigo so bad I can barely even crawl let alone stand and walk. Getting a wheelchair has changed my life. I'm no longer bedridden for sometimes weeks at a time. Even when I'm at my worst I can still get up and do things around the house and even go out and do errands and make appointments. I no longer have to rely on others to do everything for me. I can actually be independent and not rely on a mother who is incredibly toxic and borderline emotionally abusive.

But because my legs work (sometimes) and I'm not paralysed people accuse me of faking. I once had a stranger see me stand up from my chair in the supermarket to grab something from the top shelf and start yelling at me for "pretending to be disabled for attention" and "taking away resources from actually disabled people." I'm also autistic so completely froze up and went nonverbal. I just stood there clutching onto the shelves as this person pulled my chair away from me and threatened to return it to the Accident and Medical clinic next door. They started wheeling it away from me with my bag with all my belongings still hanging off the back. I tried to stop them and had a fall right there in the middle of the busy supermarket.

Thank god the nice homeless lady who I stop and talk to sometimes saw the woman walking out of the store with my chair.

I don't know what she said or did to get my chair back but she came back in the store with my chair and retuned it to me. By this point I was crying and panicking on the floor. A random bystander saw me and was trying to help me up but when they picked me up I just fell over again. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've been picked up by random strangers on the street who've seen me fall. Every time it's incredibly distressing as I'm never ready to be back on my feet again. People also come up and grab my chair and try to push me to "help" and sometimes it is very helpful getting up hills and I'm very grateful but sometimes they don't let go when I tell them to and I once had a guy crash me into a bench and almost break my chair because he didn't know how to break or steer.

Anyway Gretta returned my chair and the man who was trying to help me lifted me back into it. I managed to pull myself together enough to finish the shopping and now every time I have to go to the supermarket while in my chair Gretta comes in with me and helps me with my shopping. I always grab her anything she needs while we're in there as a thank you and she's kind of half-adopted me since I'm not that much older than her grandkids.

The moral of this story is always be kind to strangers and never assume you know more about a person or their ability than they do. Whether or not someone "looks" disabled is subjective and anyone of any age or appearance could be struggling with a hidden disability. Mind your own fucking business and don't bother people if they're not bothering you.

Also be kind to unhoused people. They're people two and you don't know what struggles they are going through to put them in their situation. Most people are one disaster from ending up in similar situations. Think how you'd like to be treated if you somehow ended up without a stable place to live.

Sincerely a disabled person in their early twenties with blue hair and pronouns.

Like "Yeah I can walk, but I still need my wheelchair" is a statement that both someone who is faking AND someone who is 100% legitimately disabled could say, there's no way to tell the difference unless you're inside their heads so don't try. Even doctors will misjudge a patient's need, they do it ALL THE TIME. There's no reason to assume someone is faking, get that white knight shit out of your mind, leave disabled people alone. I'd rather 500 people use mobility or other aids they don't need in peace than have a SINGLE disabled person get harassed or be forced to go without help they desperately need because people think they're faking when they aren't. If you think someone isn't actually disabled shut the fuck up, it's literally none of your goddamn buisness.

Edit: I encourage disabled people, both mentally and physically, to add stories of times they've been hurt or harassed about faking so abled people can see how harmful this shit is. Also if any of you get mad at me for including mental disabilites/illnesses/neurodivergencies under the disability umbrella you will be getting very acquainted with my soild aluminum knee braces, idc who you are. My brain is part of my body and solidarity is the key to liberation.

[blog-o-meter]

House of Whispers (Part 2) - Nicholas Alexander Chavez x fem!reader

summary: Everything comes to a head and (Y/N) is right in the middle.

warnings: 18+, angst, so much arguing srry not srry, unprotected p in v, fingering, cunnilingus, cheating, cursing, outdoor sex, idk what else honestly

required listening: Already Know by DEGA; Anxious In Venice by Superhumanoids

word count: 25,005

a/n: part 2 is here yay!!!! ik this part picks up abruptly but I truly didn't want to split it up into parts </3 curse you Tumblr! anyway this is the last part so pls enjoy. I had so much fun writing house of whispers, idk like I could clearly imagine everything happening in my head crying emoji you guys already know how much I love dragging shi out for no reason. anyway I have some ideas already for other single-part fics, I just need to write them!

Part 1 | Part 2

reblogs, likes, and replies are greatly appreciated and let me know if you'd like to see more!

Over the next few days, the tension only grew.

Valerie settled into her role as the center of attention with a practiced ease that made my skin crawl. She was charming and effervescent in front of Nicholas’s mom and the guests, always quick with a compliment or a laugh. But the moment their backs were turned, she shifted, snapping at the staff with thinly veiled disdain and issuing passive-aggressive commands like she was the queen of a castle that wasn’t hers, at least not yet. Not for another few months.

“Do you really think that centerpiece works?” I overheard her ask Maria, her voice syrupy sweet but her eyes hard. “I mean, I guess it’s fine if we’re going for rustic, but I thought we were aiming for elegant. Maybe… try again?”

Maria nodded quickly, her cheeks flushing as she scrambled to adjust the arrangement. I wanted to say something, to call her out, but I knew better. Confrontation wouldn’t end well — not with her. Instead, I bit my tongue, holding onto the simmering anger as I turned away.

Whenever Nicholas wasn’t in the room, she barked orders like a drill sergeant, her tone sharp and impatient. But the moment he returned, she was all soft smiles and doe-eyed adoration. It was a performance, and I hated how good she was at it.

The mistreatment wasn’t lost on Paolo or my mom either. Paolo shot me a glance as we passed through the dining room the next afternoon, his expression tight. “Your friend,” he said under his breath, the word ‘friend’ dripping with sarcasm, “has a real knack for making people feel small.”

“She’s not my friend,” I replied, my tone sharper than intended. Paolo raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the issue.

Maria, on the other hand, was less subtle. Later that evening, as we stood in the kitchen helping prepare dessert, she leaned close, her voice low. “That woman,” she muttered, nodding toward the patio where Valerie was holding court with a group of guests, “is a nightmare. I can’t believe Nicholas is marrying her.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Instead, I focused on slicing strawberries, the knife trembling slightly in my hand. My mom’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing.

Nicholas wasn’t oblivious, either. I caught him watching her more than once, his jaw tightening and his gaze darkening as she dismissed a server or criticized one of the housekeepers. He didn’t say anything, not directly, but the cracks in his façade were growing until he had enough.

The dining room was alive with conversation, the clinking of glasses and the low hum of laughter filling the space. I sat between Paolo and my mom, doing my best to focus on the meal and ignore the weight of Nicholas’s gaze from across the table. Valerie sat beside him, her hand resting possessively on his arm as she chatted animatedly with one of the other guests.

“So, Paolo,” Valerie said suddenly, her voice cutting through the chatter like a blade. “It’s fascinating, really, how someone in your line of work can find time to travel so much. I mean, I suppose it’s easier when you don’t have to worry about running a household.” The smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes, and the condescension in her tone was unmistakable.

Paolo, to his credit, remained calm. He leaned back in his chair, his expression polite but cool. “It’s all about balance,” he replied smoothly. “I imagine you’d know a lot about that, being so… involved in planning your upcoming nuptials.”

“Balance is key,” he said, his voice deceptively calm as he set his fork down. “Of course, it also helps to treat the people around you with a little respect. Makes things run a lot smoother.”

Valerie blinked, her smile faltering for a split second before she recovered. “Oh, definitely,” she said, her tone overly sweet. “I was just saying how impressive Paolo’s schedule must be. It’s really a compliment.”

Nicholas’s gaze didn’t waver. “It didn’t sound like one.”

The tension at the table was palpable, the other guests suddenly finding excuses to excuse themselves. My mom gave me a knowing look as she stood, her arm brushing Paolo’s. “Let’s grab some coffee in the lounge,” she said brightly, her tone masking the awkwardness in the air. Paolo nodded, rising to follow her and the others out of the room.

I lingered, my heart pounding as I saw Nicholas lean back in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on Valerie. I should have left, but something in his expression made me hesitate. I slipped into the hallway just outside the dining room, pressing myself against the wall as I strained to hear their conversation.

“I don’t know what that was about,” Valerie said, her voice sharp now that the audience was gone. “You didn’t have to embarrass me like that.”

“I didn’t embarrass you,” Nicholas replied evenly. “You did that yourself.”

There was a pause, and I could imagine her bristling, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the tablecloth. “Excuse me?”

Nicholas’s tone was calm, but there was an edge to it that sent a shiver down my spine. “You think I don’t notice the way you talk to people? The way you treat them like they’re beneath you?”

“I don’t—” she started, but he cut her off.

“You do,” he said firmly. “And I’m sick of it. This isn’t the first time, and it’s not going to keep happening.”

Her voice dropped, sharp and cold. “What are you trying to say?”

He didn’t hesitate. “I’m saying you need to start treating people with respect, Valerie.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. I held my breath, my pulse racing as I waited for her response.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low and tight with barely contained anger. “I can’t believe you’re taking their side. You’re overreacting,” she snapped. “I was just making conversation.”

“No, you were making digs,” he said sharply. “And you’ve been doing it since we got here.”

I pressed my hand to my chest, my heart pounding as the truth in his words settled over me. I shouldn’t have been listening, but I couldn’t tear myself away.

“I’m not the problem here,” Valerie hissed. “You’re the one who’s been acting different. Distant. Do you think I haven’t noticed?”

Nicholas exhaled sharply, the scrape of his chair audible as he leaned back. “I’ve been distant because I can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not.”

My breath caught at the bluntness in his tone. I edged closer to the doorway, my pulse pounding as I waited for her response.

Valerie didn’t miss a beat. “Fine? You think I’m the problem here?” Her voice was sharp but edged with something calculated. “Nicholas, you’ve been distracted since the moment we arrived. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the way your eyes wander.”

There was a pause, heavy with implication. Nicholas didn’t respond immediately, and when he finally did, his voice was low but filled with quiet anger. “Don’t try to twist this.”

“I’m not twisting anything,” she said quickly, her voice softening as if she’d just realized she’d pushed too far. “Look, I know the last few months have been… stressful. Planning the wedding, keeping up appearances—it’s a lot. And maybe I haven’t been as understanding as I should be.”

Her tone shifted, adopting an air of vulnerability. It was a performance, but an effective one. “But that’s no excuse to start attacking me at the dinner table. You humiliated me, Nicholas. In front of your family.”

Nicholas sighed, the sound heavy with frustration. “You’re not the victim here, Valerie. I’m not going to sit back and let you talk to people like they’re beneath you.”

“I wasn’t!” she snapped, but then caught herself. Her next words came softer, more measured. “Maybe it came off wrong. I was just trying to make conversation, Nic. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

The air shifted, her tone almost pleading now. “I know I can be… abrasive sometimes. It’s just the pressure, you know? I want everything to be perfect for us, for the wedding, for your family. I’m trying, Nic. I really am.”

She reached across the table, and I could practically hear the sound of her hand resting on his. “I need you to believe that. To believe in us.”

My chest tightened, a familiar pang of jealousy mingling with anger as I listened to her carefully crafted words. She was diffusing the situation, steering it back under her control, and Nicholas was letting her.

“I don’t know if I believe it anymore,” he said finally, his voice quiet but firm.

Her breath hitched audibly, and I could feel the weight of the silence that followed. Then, she let out a soft, shaky laugh. “You don’t mean that,” she said, her voice trembling just enough to sound sincere. “You’re tired, Nic. And overwhelmed. We both are.”

“I mean it,” Nicholas said, his tone unwavering. “I don’t want to keep pretending.”

Valerie didn’t respond immediately, and when she did, her voice was calm, almost too calm. “Do you really think now is the time to be having this conversation? With your family here? With everyone watching us?”

Nicholas let out a frustrated sigh, but she pressed on. “I get it, Nic. I do. But this isn’t just about us anymore. There’s the baby to think about. Our future.”

I heard Nicholas’s chair scrape against the floor as he stood, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. His footsteps echoed as he walked away, and I barely had time to duck further into the hallway before he passed by. His expression was dark, his jaw tight, but he didn’t see me.

And he might’ve not seen me then, he sure as hell saw me whenever his eyes weren’t on Valerie.

Every stolen glance, every brush of his hand against mine when no one was looking, sent a jolt through me. He found excuses to slip away from the group, and I wasn’t far behind. It was reckless, dangerous, and impossible to resist.

The first rendezvous after our pool house tryst happened after the dinner incident. I was helping Maria set up the dessert table in the garden. Nicholas appeared out of nowhere, his presence like a storm cloud rolling in.

“(Y/N),” he said quietly, his tone a warning and a plea all at once. Maria glanced between us, her brows knitting in confusion before excusing herself with a polite nod. She left me alone with him, the space suddenly too small despite the open air.

“Yes, Nicholas? Do you need something?” I whispered, my voice sharp as I adjusted a platter of macarons, careful to meet his gaze even though I knew there was nobody around. Though, I was hyper aware of the windows of the house, especially the ones on the second floor, which basically had a front row and unobstructed view of the backyard as opposed to the first floor windows covered in bushes and climbing vines.

“You,” he replied simply, the weight of the word making my hands tremble. I felt him step closer, the heat of his body radiating against my back.

I stiffened, gripping the base of the macaron tower as my eyes flicked up to the second floor, my heart skipping a beat as I caught sight of a shadow passing by one of the second-floor windows. I turned my back to him, walking to the end of the table to fix the tablecloth, “Second floor, left corner window,” I whispered.

Nicholas stilled, his gaze snapping upward in the direction I indicated. He lingered just long enough to catch the subtle movement of the shadow, then turned his head slightly, pretending to admire the flowers lining the garden path.

“Were you always this observant?” he asked, his voice low and steady as he walked toward the far end of the table, keeping his posture casual but a smirk played on the corner of his mouth.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, my fingers adjusting the edges of a napkin as though I cared deeply about the table’s presentation. “I had to learn if I was gonna sneak around with you all those years ago,” I teased.

Nicholas chuckled softly, his voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry to the house. “You always were good at keeping me on my toes,” he murmured, his dark eyes catching mine briefly before flicking back to the shadow in the window. “But you’re even better now. More confident.”

I rolled my eyes, keeping my hands busy with a basket of utensils. “Confidence comes with age,” I replied lightly, though my heart raced under his gaze. “Unlike some people, I actually grew up.”

He grinned, a flash of white teeth against his sun-kissed skin. “In more ways than one.” His voice dropped to a whisper, full of teasing heat, as he leaned just close enough that only I could hear.

I nearly dropped the basket, my cheeks heating as I turned my back to him again, pretending to fix the tablecloth. “Oh, my god. You really just said that,” I muttered, though the faint smile tugging at my lips betrayed me.

Nicholas chuckled, the sound low and full of mischief, but I could feel the tension radiating off him as he glanced toward the window again. “I’m just being honest, baby,” he murmured, stepping closer but keeping his distance just enough to avoid suspicion. “Meet me in the pool house in ten minutes,” he whispered.

I hesitated, my pulse quickening at his words. I wanted to say no, to remind him of the risks, but the weight of his dark, steady gaze made it impossible to resist. Every nerve in my body hummed with the memory of his hands on me, his lips tracing lines of fire against my skin.

Without looking at him, I adjusted a fork in the basket, my voice barely a whisper. “You’re insane.”

“I’m desperate,” he countered, his voice low and rough. “Ten minutes.”

Before I could respond, he stepped away, his posture casual as he walked back toward the house. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked as if he’d merely stopped to check on the dessert setup. But the brush of his fingers against mine as he passed sent a jolt through me, a silent promise of what was to come.

I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the table to steady myself. The faint movement in the second-floor window was gone, and I prayed whoever had been watching had lost interest. My heart raced as I glanced at the house, the hum of conversation and laughter drifting through the open doors.

Was this worth the risk? Of course it wasn’t. But that hadn’t stopped me before, especially not the other night. Though, to be fair, I was drunk. I’m not sure what excuse I could possibly have now.

After an excruciating ten minutes of debating whether to listen to Nicholas, I excused myself from Maria with a lame reason about needing to check on something. She barely glanced up from the desserts, too preoccupied with arranging the delicate tower of profiteroles to question me. I slipped further into the garden, navigating around the paths of perfectly trimmed bushes, my footsteps light against the stone path as I passed the pool and made my way to the pool house.

The pool house door creaked slightly as I pushed it open, my heart pounding in my chest. The space was dimly lit, the faint glow of indirect light filtering through the windows and casting long shadows across the room. I closed the door behind me, my breath hitching as I turned to find Nicholas already waiting.

He was leaning against the wall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks, his tie loosened and the top buttons of his shirt undone. His dark eyes locked onto mine the moment I stepped inside, the tension between us crackling like a live wire.

“You’re late,” he murmured, his voice low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine.

“You said ten minutes,” I replied, my tone sharper than I intended as I stepped closer. “I waited exactly that long.”

Nicholas pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us in two quick strides. He stopped just in front of me, his towering frame casting a shadow over mine as his dark eyes searched my face. “You drive me fucking crazy, you know that?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You told me once,” I shot back, my voice trembling slightly as I held his gaze.

He smirked, his hands reaching out to grip my hips and pull me closer. “I mean it,” he murmured, his breath warm against my cheek. “Every time I see you, every second I can’t touch you—it’s killing me.”

“Nic,” I started, but he cut me off, his lips crashing into mine with a desperation that made my knees weak. His hands slid up my sides, his fingers brushing against the bare skin beneath my blouse as he pulled me closer, his body pressing against mine.

I melted into him, my hands fisting in his shirt as his mouth claimed mine, hot and demanding. The taste of him, the feel of him, the sheer intensity of his presence — it was intoxicating. I hated how much I wanted him, how easily he could unravel me with just a look, a touch.

“This is insane,” I murmured against his lips, my voice trembling as he kissed his way down my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there.

“I don’t care,” Nicholas growled, his hands gripping my waist as he backed me toward the couch. “I need you.”

I gasped as the backs of my knees hit the edge of the couch, my body sinking into the cushions as he followed, his weight pressing me down. His lips found mine again, his hands working quickly to unbutton my blouse, his movements rough and desperate.

“We shouldn’t,” I whispered, even as my fingers moved to loosen his tie, my body arching into his.

“We won’t get caught,” he promised, his voice low and full of heat as he quickly ripped his shirt off and let it fall to the floor. His lips brushed against my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine. “I’ll make it quick.”

I laughed softly, the sound breathless and tinged with disbelief. “You’re unbelievable.”

“You love it,” he shot back, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief as he leaned down to kiss me again, his hands sliding beneath my skirt.

And God help me, he wasn’t wrong.

Other times, we wouldn’t have sex. Yes, we would sneak a kiss here and there, but we’d also find ourselves just enjoying the other’s company and getting to know each other again.

Late one afternoon, after most of the guests had gone off for a wine tasting tour, Nicholas and I found ourselves alone in the garden. It wasn’t planned — or at least, it wasn’t planned on my part. I’d been rearranging the floral arrangements along the fountain when his voice startled me.

“Still playing florist?” he teased, leaning against the wrought-iron gate with his hands in his pockets, the sunlight casting a golden glow on his sharp features. He was devastatingly casual, his shirt rolled up to his elbows and his dark eyes fixed on me like I was the only thing that mattered.

I straightened, forcing myself to meet his gaze, shrugging my shoulders. “You know how much I love details.”

He smirked, pushing off the gate and strolling toward me, his every movement fluid and purposeful. “That’s one of the things I always loved about you,” he said, his voice low but warm. “You notice the things most people overlook.”

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the arrangement in front of me. “Careful, Nicholas. Someone might think you’re flirting.”

He chuckled, the sound deep and familiar, sending a shiver down my spine. “Maybe I am,” he admitted, stopping a few feet away. He tilted his head, watching me carefully as I adjusted the flowers. “Why did you even come back to work here? Last I heard you were off working at some big office.”

I froze for a moment, my fingers hovering over the delicate white roses as his question hung in the air. Finally, I sighed, my shoulders dropping as I adjusted the petals of the centerpiece. “It was an unpaid internship, and it looked like it wasn’t going anywhere. So I thought about going back to school to get my master’s, but I can’t do that without a paying job, now can I?” I asked with a smile.

Nicholas nodded slowly, his gaze softening as he stepped closer, his hands sliding into his pockets. “Makes sense,” he murmured, his voice quiet. “But this place… doesn’t it feel like going backward? You always said you wanted to do bigger things.”

I shrugged, forcing a nonchalant smile as I busied myself with the flowers again. “One step forward, two steps back.”

Nicholas tilted his head, studying me with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “That doesn’t sound like you,” he said quietly. “You’re not the kind of person who settles for less than what you want.”

I laughed softly, though it lacked any real humor. “Sometimes life doesn’t give you much of a choice, Nic. You should know that by now,” I cocked an eyebrow, trying to insert a tinge of teasing behind my words to lighten the mood.

He frowned, stepping closer until he was standing beside me, his presence warm and overwhelming. “So what do you want, then?” he asked, his voice low and serious. “What would make you happy?”

I hesitated, my hands stilling over the arrangement. His question lingered in the air between us, heavier than the summer heat. I could feel his gaze on me, piercing and unrelenting, demanding an answer I wasn’t sure I could give.

What did I want? What would make me happy?

The truth was complicated, tangled in the years we’d spent apart, in the choices we’d both made, in the reality of who we were now. And yet, standing there with him so close, the answer felt heartbreakingly simple, but I couldn’t tell him the truth.

I turned to him slowly, meeting his dark, searching eyes. But then, I smiled slowly, “I’ll let you know.”

Nicholas threw his head back in defeat, a smile growing on his face. “You always were good at keeping me on edge,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down my spine.

I shrugged, turning back to the flowers. “Keeps things interesting,” I replied, plucking a stray leaf from the arrangement and tucking it into my apron pocket. The sunlight filtered through the garden, casting dappled shadows on the path between us, but the air felt charged, humming with unspoken words.

Every touch, every stolen moment, every secret conversation felt like a rebellion against the world around us. It was wrong, so wrong, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Not when he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. Not when his touch set my skin on fire.

It became a pattern. Nicholas found me whenever he could — in the garden, in the hallway, even once in the pantry when I was restocking supplies. Each time, he kissed me like he was starving, his hands greedy and demanding as though he was trying to remember every inch of me. Or asking me about what I had been up to since I last saw him all those years ago, as if he wanted to get to know the girl that had escaped his grasp and make up for lost time.

And I let him.

I let him because I was angry.

Angry at Valerie for the way she treated everyone around her, for the way she manipulated Nicholas with her lies and her performance of the perfect fiancée. I told myself it was revenge, that every touch, every kiss, every stolen glance or word was a way of reclaiming some small part of my dignity, that she couldn’t scare me into submitting to her. Angry at the universe for ever separating Nicholas and I in the first place. But most of all, I was angry at myself — for still wanting him, for letting him back in so easily, for pretending I could walk away unscathed when I knew better.

Nicholas wasn’t just my past. He wasn’t just somebody I could brush off and forget. He was in my blood, in my bones, in every broken piece of me that still remembered how it felt to love him like I was still that wide-eyed 18-year-old. And no matter how much I tried to deny it, I wasn’t strong enough to resist him.

I hated the person I was becoming. I had never imagined being the other woman, never thought I could be someone who existed in the shadows, taking stolen moments and pretending they were enough. But I couldn’t stop. Not when Nicholas whispered my name. Not when he looked at me with that raw vulnerability that made my heart ache. Not when his touch felt like the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

I was in too deep, and there was no way out.

One day, I was in the kitchen, wiping down the counters as the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. My mom was nearby, chatting softly with Paolo about the menu for the day, and the house was just starting to stir with the faint sounds of life.

That’s when I heard it — a voice. Hers.

I paused mid-wipe, my ears pricking at the sound of Valerie’s voice drifting from the adjoining hallway. She was speaking low, but there was an urgency to her tone that made me still.

“—can’t keep pushing this off,” she hissed, her words clipped. “I told you I’d handle it. Just give me more time.”

I froze, my heart racing as I glanced toward the kitchen door. She was on the phone, and she wasn’t trying to be overheard, but her voice carried just enough that I could pick out the words.

“I know it’s risky,” she continued, her voice sharp. “But I don’t have another option right now. He’s suspicious as it is.”

Suspicious? My stomach twisted as I stepped closer to the door, careful not to make a sound. She was pacing, her heels clicking softly against the floor as she spoke.

“Because it’s not that simple!” she snapped, her voice rising slightly before she caught herself. “Do you think I want to be in this position? He’s expecting a baby, and I—” She broke off abruptly, her breath hitching audibly.

The blood drained from my face as her words settled over me. Oh my God.

“But I’m not pregnant,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, raw with frustration. “Not yet.”

I gripped the edge of the counter, my knuckles white as I tried to process what I’d just heard. Not pregnant. Not yet. She was lying to him — about everything.

My chest tightened, and I took a step back, the tile cool against my bare feet as I tried to catch my breath. The image of her drinking the mimosa, the wine, her tendency to wear very loose clothes to hide a belly that wasn’t really growing flashed through my mind, and suddenly, it all made sense. The evasiveness, the secrecy, the drinking — it was all a façade.

Before I could think better of it, I stepped into the hallway, my voice trembling but firm. “You’re not pregnant?”

Valerie spun around, her eyes wide with shock and then narrowing into something colder. She ended the call with a sharp tap on her phone, slipping it into her pocket as she straightened her posture. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone icy.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” I asked, my voice steadier.

She tilted her head, her lips curving into a tight, forced smile. “That’s none of your concern.”

“It is my concern,” I shot back, anger bubbling to the surface. “You’ve been lying to Nicholas, to everybody. And last week—” I took a step closer, my voice rising. “Oh, my god; it makes so much fucking sense.”

Her expression faltered for a fraction of a second before she composed herself, stepping toward me with calculated grace. “Listen carefully,” she said, her voice low and venomous. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And I suggest you keep your fucking mouth shut.”

I stared at her, my hands trembling at my sides. I wasn’t sure if it was because of anger or fear. “Why are you lying to him?”

Her jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought she might answer. But then her lips curled into a smirk, and she leaned in closer, her voice dripping with condescension. “If you think for one second that I’ll let a housemaid ruin everything I’ve worked for, you’re even dumber than you look.”

My heart pounded, but I held my ground. “Is that what this is about? Baby trapping Nicholas so he can marry you?”

Valerie let out a low, humorless laugh, her eyes gleaming with something darker as she stepped even closer, her perfume sharp and overwhelming. “I prefer to think of it as securing my future. Nicholas is my future.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I stared at her, my chest heaving. “He’s not your future if it’s built on lies. You’re playing with people’s lives — his, his family’s, your own. Do you even care about him?”

Her smile faltered, and for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something real — fear, maybe, or guilt — but it was gone in an instant, replaced by that same steely confidence. “Of course, I care,” she said smoothly, crossing her arms. “But love doesn’t pay the bills.”

Her words were like a slap, the cruelty of them making my stomach turn. “You don’t deserve him,” I said, my voice low but firm. 

She laughed, studying me like I was some curious little animal she could squash under her heel. “And you do?” she asked, her tone sharp and cutting. “Let me save you the trouble, (Y/N) — If you so much as hint at what you think you know, I will make sure you and your mother are out of this house. You’ll lose everything. You want that master’s degree, don’t you? You want your mom to have job security?”

Her words hit me like a slap. She was threatening me, my family. I gulped at her threat. Knowing her, it wasn’t idle. I mean, look at everything she’s done so far to keep up her lie.

She straightened her posture, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from her dress. “This conversation is over,” she said coolly. “And if you’re smart, you’ll stay away from Nicholas.”

I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest as a wave of helplessness washed over me. She was lying to him, manipulating him, and there was nothing I could do to stop her — not without risking my future, my mom’s job security.

I stayed rooted to the spot as she walked away, her heels clicking behind her. I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty hallway where Valerie had disappeared. My chest was tight, anger and helplessness swirling together into a storm I couldn’t contain. Every instinct screamed at me to run to Nicholas, to tell him everything I’d just heard. But her words echoed in my head like a taunt.

You’ll lose everything.

I couldn’t let that happen. Not to my mom. Not after everything she’d done for me, after all the sacrifices she’d made to give me the chance to build a better life, not when she fought for me to have this job again after I quit my internship. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I forced myself to turn back toward the kitchen.

The moment I stepped through the door, my mom’s gaze snapped to me, her brow furrowing in concern. Paolo, who was busy chopping vegetables, paused mid-motion and glanced up, his sharp eyes narrowing as he took me in.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” my mom said, setting down the dish towel she’d been holding. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, too quickly, the words tumbling out before I could think them through. I busied myself with grabbing a clean dish from the drying rack, avoiding their gazes. “Just needed some air.”

Paolo’s lips pressed into a thin line, his sharp intuition cutting through my flimsy excuse. “You’re pale,” he said, his voice quieter now. “Did something happen?”

“No,” I lied, forcing myself to smile as I turned to face them. “I just needed a break. That’s all.”

My mom didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press the issue. “Well, sit down if you need to,” she said, her tone softening. “You’ve been working so hard lately.”

I nodded, grateful for the out, and sank into one of the kitchen chairs. My hands trembled slightly as I folded them in my lap, but I clenched them into fists, willing the shaking to stop.

Paolo, however, wasn’t so easily swayed. He leaned against the counter, his sharp gaze fixed on me. “You know,” he said, his tone casual but pointed, “sometimes the truth has a way of coming out, always.”

My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. “What are you talking about?”

Paolo shrugged, turning back to his cutting board with a nonchalant air. “Just saying.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. Did he know something about what happened just now? About what’s been happening between me and Nicholas? Or was he just trying to get me to open up? Either way, I couldn’t risk saying anything — not here, not now, not when my family was in jeopardy.

For the next few days, I kept my head down, doing everything I could to stay out of both Nicholas’s and Valerie’s paths. It wasn’t easy. Nicholas was everywhere—lingering in the garden, passing through the kitchen, even showing up at the greenhouse where I sometimes retreated to arrange flowers. He always seemed to find me, his dark eyes filled with questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

But I avoided him. I avoided everyone.

My mom noticed, of course. She wasn’t the type to pry, but I could feel her watching me, her brow furrowed in quiet concern. Paolo, on the other hand, wasn’t so subtle. He made little comments, dropped hints about secrets and truth, his sharp eyes cutting through every flimsy excuse I gave him.

And then there was Valerie.

She was everywhere, too, but for a different reason. It was like she could sense my hesitation, my fear, and she reveled in it. She was sharper than usual, her barbs aimed with precision at anyone who dared to cross her path. She was always smiling, but it never reached her eyes. When our gazes met across a room, her lips would curl into a smirk that made my stomach twist.

She knew she had me cornered, and she wanted me to remember it.

But the most unnerving thing was the shift between her and Nicholas. He was colder, distant. I noticed the way his jaw tightened when she touched his arm, the way he didn’t lean into her kisses anymore. He didn’t even pretend to laugh at her jokes. It was subtle, but it was there. A tension that simmered just beneath the surface. And then, one evening, it all came to a head.

I was in the library, organizing the collection of vintage books that hadn’t been touched in years. The smell of leather and paper filled the air, the soft light from the desk lamp casting a warm glow over the room. I liked it there. It was quiet, out of the way — a place where I could breathe without feeling like the walls were closing in. But my peace didn’t last long.

The door opened behind me, the sound of footsteps echoing against the hardwood floor. I froze, my hands stilling over the spine of an old copy of Pride and Prejudice. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. His presence filled the room like a storm cloud, heavy and unrelenting.

“(Y/N).”

His voice was low, rough, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I forced myself to stay calm, to keep my hands steady as I slid the book back into place. “Yes?” I asked, my voice soft as I turned around to face him.

Nicholas glanced over his shoulder and locked the door before crossing the room toward me in a quick few strides.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended, though my heart pounded against my ribs.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, Nicholas closed the distance between us until he stood just a foot away. His dark eyes burned with intensity, and the tension rolling off him was palpable. “You’ve been avoiding me,” he said finally, his voice low but firm. 

I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the bookshelf behind me as though it could anchor me. “I haven’t been avoiding you,” I lied, my voice trembling slightly. “I’ve just been… busy.”

“Don’t bullshit me, (Y/N),” he snapped, his tone cutting through the quiet like a knife. “You won’t look at me, you barely say a word when we’re in the same room, and now you’re hiding out in the library. What the hell is going on?”

My chest tightened, and I glanced away, unable to meet his gaze. “It’s nothing,” I said weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nicholas reached out, his fingers brushing my chin as he tilted my face up, forcing me to look at him. “Talk to me, baby,” he murmured, his voice softer now but no less intense. He leaned in then, peppering my face in soft, tentative kisses, maybe hoping that his kisses might reassure me that I could talk to him, but I couldn’t.

I jerked back slightly, shaking my head as my heart raced. “Nic, stop,” I said, my voice breaking.

His brow furrowed, and the confusion in his dark eyes made my chest ache. I hesitated, my heart racing as I searched his face. He was everything I shouldn’t want, everything I should have let go of years ago. But the truth was, I didn’t want to let go. Our past few trysts were everything I wanted. But then, the image of Valerie flashed inside my mind. Her threats. That evil smile she only reserved for me.

I closed my eyes. “I need you to go back out there,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Nicholas froze, his breath catching as he stared at me, his dark eyes searching mine like he was trying to make sense of my words. His hands were still on my face, his body pressed so close I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

“What?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “You need to go back out there, Nic,” I said again, my voice trembling but resolute. “We can’t do this anymore,” I whispered as my gaze fell to the floor.

His jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he was going to argue, to push back the way he always did when he didn’t get what he wanted. But then his shoulders sagged, and the fight seemed to drain out of him.

“Why?” he asked, his voice cracking. “Why the fuck are you pushing me away?”

I took a shaky breath, every nerve in my body screaming at me to say the truth, to tell him everything. But I couldn’t. The weight of Valerie’s threat loomed over me, heavy and suffocating. My mom’s face flashed in my mind, the way she’d look if she lost everything because of me. I couldn’t risk it.

“You have a fiancée,” I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt. “That’s why—“

Nicholas’s jaw tightened, his dark eyes blazing with frustration. “Don’t give me that. You know how I feel about you, (Y/N). I know how you feel about me, baby. What happened? What changed?”

“What we do… it’s not right,” I said, my hands trembling. “You’re supposed to be marrying—”

“She’s lying to me,” he interrupted, his voice rising. “Fuck, I know she is. I don’t know about what or why, but I know she is.”

I froze, my breath catching as his words sank in. His dark eyes bored into mine, searching for answers I couldn’t give him. Of course, he caught my change in demeanor, he always did.

“Is that what this is about? (Y/N), do you know something? Did she say anything to you?” he asked, his voice softer now but no less intense.

I hesitated, my heart pounding as I weighed my options. I wanted to tell him the truth, to expose Valerie for the liar she was. But her threat hung over me like a guillotine, the weight of what I — my mom — stood to lose pressing down on my chest.

“No,” I whispered finally, my voice breaking.

Nicholas’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he stepped back slightly, studying me with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. “Don’t lie to me, (Y/N),” he said, his voice low and sharp. “You’re not this good at hiding things — not from me.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if that could shield me from the intensity of his gaze. “I’m not lying,” I said quietly, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and for a moment, he just stared at me, his dark eyes burning with unspoken words. Then he let out a sharp exhale, raking a hand through his hair. “She’s gotten to you, hasn’t she?” he asked, his voice softer now, laced with a mix of anger and pain. “What did she say?”

“She didn’t say anything,” I insisted. “I just… I can’t do this anymore, Nic.”

Nicholas froze, his chest rising and falling as he tried to rein in his frustration. He stepped back, running a hand down his face before letting it fall to his side. “You never give up easily, (Y/N). You promised me you wouldn’t give up on us. Why are you doing this?”

I stared at him, my heart breaking under the weight of his plea. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t risk everything for a truth that might not even set us free.

“Please, Nic,” I said, my voice trembling. “Just let it go, okay?”

Nicholas stared at me, his jaw tight, his eyes filled with a mix of hurt and frustration. For a moment, I thought he was going to argue, to push me for answers. But then he exhaled sharply, stepping back. His gaze lingered, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite name, and for a moment, I saw the boy I used to know — the one who used to climb through my bedroom window or sneak me into his house and make me laugh until I couldn’t breathe, the one who made me believe in love, even when it hurt.

“Fine,” he said, his voice clipped. “If that’s how you want it.”

He turned and left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him. The silence that followed was deafening, and I sank into the nearest chair, my head in my hands as the tears finally spilled over.

I had done the right thing. The only thing I could do. But it didn’t feel right. It felt like I’d just lost him all over again.

I stayed there in the silence of the library for what felt like hours, staring blankly at the rows of untouched books. My tears had dried, leaving my cheeks stiff and my eyes sore, but the ache in my chest refused to let up. I had pushed him away, again, but this time it felt irreversible.

Eventually, the muffled hum of voices from the main living areas reminded me that I didn’t have the luxury of hiding forever. I forced myself to stand, smoothing down my skirt and wiping my face as I stepped back into the hallway.

As I made my way toward the living room, my heart sank at the sound of familiar voices drifting toward me. Mrs. Chavez, with her warm, commanding tone, was deep in conversation with an event planner’s crisp voice, discussing fabrics and color schemes. I considered turning around, but it was too late. They were right in my path.

When I entered, Mrs. Chavez glanced up first, her smile jovial, “Oh, (Y/N)! Come look at the concepts for the gender reveal party I’m throwing for Nicholas and Valerie,” she excitedly waved me over.

I hesitated for a moment, the words “gender reveal party” hanging heavy in the air. My feet felt like lead as I moved toward the table where Mrs. Chavez and the planner were seated. She gestured to the seat beside her, her smile warm and inviting, but I could feel my pulse quickening.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” Mrs. Chavez said, her voice brimming with excitement as she tapped on a sketch of a grand garden setup. “I’ve already ordered the custom cake, and the florist is bringing in peonies next week.”

I nodded, my throat tight as I sat down. The sketches in front of me blurred together, my mind racing with the memory of Valerie’s words: “I’m not pregnant. Not yet.”

Mrs. Chavez studied me for a moment, her eyes softening. “You’re usually so excited about parties,” she said gently, tilting her head. “Is everything okay?”

Just then, the planner stepped away, sensing the shift in the room. I forced a smile, nodding quickly. “I’m fine.”

She reached out, resting a hand on mine. “You’ve been working so hard. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you do.”

Her kindness was almost unbearable, the weight of her words pressing down on me like a stone. I swallowed hard, nodding again as I focused on the sketches in front of me.

“You know,” Mrs. Chavez began, her tone thoughtful, “I’ve always admired your strength, (Y/N). Even when you were a teenager, you had this quiet determination about you. It’s one of the reasons I was so happy to have you back here.”

I glanced up at her, surprised by the shift in her tone. Her gaze was warm but piercing, as though she could see right through me.

“I used to think…” She trailed off, her smile faint but knowing. “Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have been surprised if I might’ve been planning all of this for you in some other lifetime.”

Her words hit me like a tidal wave, the weight of her insinuation crashing over me. My stomach twisted as I struggled to keep my composure, my fingers gripping the edge of the table.

Mrs. Chavez’s smile remained gentle, her tone casual, but her eyes never left mine. “You and Nicholas were always so close back then,” she continued, her voice light but deliberate.

My breath hitched, but I quickly masked it with a laugh that sounded too forced, even to my own ears. “Nicholas was—he’s always been kind to everyone,” I said, my voice shaking slightly.

She hummed thoughtfully, leaning back in her chair as if considering my words. “Kind, yes,” she agreed. “But with you, it was different. I thought it was sweet.”

I felt my heart hammering in my chest, my hands trembling as I tried to focus on the sketches in front of me. “That was a long time ago,” I said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

She reached for her teacup, her movements graceful as ever. “You know, (Y/N), it’s okay to hold onto feelings from the past. Sometimes, they never really leave us.”

My head snapped up at her words, my eyes wide with surprise. For a moment, I saw something in her expression — a flicker of understanding.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

She smiled knowingly. “You’re a terrible liar. You always were.” Her tone was gentle, but the weight of her words made it impossible to breathe.

“Mrs. Chavez,” I started, my voice trembling. “I—”

She held up a hand, silencing me with a look that was both kind and firm. “Listen to me, (Y/N),” she said, her voice softening. “Whatever is happening now — whatever has happened before — I want you to know that you are important to this family.”

Her words were like a lifeline I didn’t know I needed, but they also left me feeling exposed, as though she could see every tangled thread of my life unraveling. I swallowed hard, my throat dry, and nodded, though I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze.

“Thank you,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mrs. Chavez leaned forward slightly, her hands folded neatly on the table as she studied me with an intensity that was both comforting and unnerving. “You’re a good person, (Y/N),” she said softly.

Her words hit me like a tidal wave, the truth in them cutting through my carefully constructed walls. I wanted to tell her everything — about Valerie’s lies, her threats, and the unbearable weight of keeping it all inside. But the fear of what I stood to lose kept me silent.

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my voice trembling as I glanced down at the sketches, unable to look her in the eye.

She reached out, her fingers brushing against mine in a gesture of quiet support. “You don’t have to say anything,” she said gently.

The sincerity in her voice made my chest ache, and for the first time in days, I felt a flicker of hope — a small, fragile light breaking through the darkness. I nodded again, unable to trust my voice as a lump formed in my throat.

Mrs. Chavez smiled, her expression warm and understanding. “Now,” she said, her tone shifting back to its usual brightness, “how about you go and take a breather, hm? I’m gonna need you and your mom’s opinions on balloons later.”

I nodded, managing a small smile despite the turmoil swirling inside me. “Of course, Mrs. Chavez. Thank you.”

Her eyes lingered on me for a moment longer, and I could see the unspoken concern in her gaze. But she didn’t press. Instead, she reached for another sketch, her attention shifting back to the plans in front of her as she called the event planner back inside.

I stood, my legs feeling shaky as I pushed the chair back and stepped away from the table. The walls of the estate suddenly felt too close, the air too thick. I needed to get outside, to breathe, to clear my head.

The garden was quiet when I stepped outside, the hum of activity inside the house fading into the background. I walked aimlessly, my fingers brushing against the hedges as I tried to make sense of the chaos inside me. Mrs. Chavez’s words played on a loop in my mind, her knowing tone, her gentle reassurance.

She knew. Maybe not everything, but enough to suspect something wasn’t right. And yet, instead of judgment, she’d offered me compassion, a lifeline I hadn’t expected.

I stopped by the fountain, the sound of trickling water soothing the storm in my chest. My reflection in the rippling surface looked foreign, my face pale and my eyes clouded with uncertainty. I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.

“Pull it together,” I whispered to myself.

But as much as I tried to convince myself, the weight of the secrets I was carrying felt unbearable. Every moment I stayed silent, I felt like I was betraying not just Nicholas, but also Mrs. Chavez, my mom, and even myself.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, lost in my thoughts, when a voice broke through the silence.

“Shouldn’t you be working?”

I turned sharply, my stomach dropping to my feet. Valerie stood there with her arms crossed, a smirk curling her lips. Her eyes gleamed with a cold satisfaction, as if she’d caught me doing something I shouldn’t.

I threw my head back and looked up at the sky, as if I was pleading the universe for mercy. How many heavy conversations could I have in one day? “What do you want, Valerie?” I asked, my voice sharp.

Valerie let out a soft, mocking laugh, as if she found my frustration amusing. “Relax, (Y/N). I just wanted to remind you how you’ve been doing a pretty good job staying out of my way so far. I’d hate to see you ruin that.”

I took a deep sigh, my shoulders slumping, “Look, I’m not in the mood right now. I get it, okay? I’ll stay out of your way.”

Valerie tilted her head, her smirk widening as if she found my resignation amusing. “Good,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension.

My jaw clenched, anger bubbling beneath the surface, but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. “Is that all?” I asked, my voice flat.

She pursed her lips in triumph. “For now,” she said before turning on her heel and walking back into the house.

I watched her retreating figure until she disappeared through the tall French doors. My chest felt tight, like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap. My fists clenched involuntarily at my sides as the rage simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over.

I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take. Every word she spoke was another brick added to the wall I was building around myself, trapping me in a web of lies and threats. And yet, I couldn’t seem to find a way out without everything crumbling around me.

The days leading up to the gender reveal party weren’t any easier. Tension hung thick in the air, palpable enough to choke on. There were a few bumps in the party planning, so Mrs. Chavez was frazzled about the details, having to find a different florist and needing Paolo to take over for the catering company that dropped out of the event at the last possible moment.

I was avoiding Nicholas like the plague, or maybe he was avoiding me, too. I hadn’t really talked to him since our conversation in the library, and if I did, it was polite and professional. Though, I could sense the hurt in his eyes every time I did. Valerie, on the other hand, seemed to thrive on the chaos. She floated through the house with an air of smug confidence, her voice carrying easily as she commanded staff and fussed over every detail of the party.

By the time the day of the party finally arrived, I was on full-on autopilot mode. My nerves were already frayed from days of walking on eggshells and dodging both Nicholas and Valerie, but I didn’t want what had happened to affect my performance at work. So, I plastered on the most polite smile I could muster and got to helping set up for the party.

It was an hour before the allotted time on the invitation. The backyard was a flurry of activity as staff hurried to have everything ready before the first guests could arrive. Paolo and his team of hired underlings were all rushing to get the last of the desserts ready on time. Maria and I were in charge of helping set up all of the tables while the rest of the sub-contracted decorators were being overseen by my mom and the event planner Mrs. Chavez had hired.

So far, the backyard looked just about done. The extravagant pink and blue balloon archways and garland adorned every entryway and path leading guests toward the heart of the event. The main attraction was the centerpiece fountain, transformed into a cascading display of pink and blue hydrangeas, their soft petals spilling into the water like a fairytale come to life.

Strings of fairy lights were woven through the garden’s trellises and wrapped around the ancient oaks, casting a warm, inviting glow as the sun began its slow descent. At the far end of the garden, a dessert table was the picture of decadence. Towering macaron pyramids in alternating hues of pink and blue flanked a massive tiered cake, the top tier covered in edible glitter and crowned with a gold question mark. Miniature cupcakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, and bite-sized éclairs filled the table, their intricate designs reflecting the party’s color scheme.

The smell of fresh blooms mixed with the tantalizing aroma of Paolo’s creations wafting from the catering station. His team was arranging trays of hors d’oeuvres on a smaller table nearby, each bite-sized piece meticulously plated with edible flowers and tiny garnishes.

Around the fountain, small tables were arranged in concentric circles, draped in crisp white linens with golden accents. Each table was adorned with glass vases holding sprays of baby’s breath and roses dyed in pastel shades of pink and blue. The soft notes of instrumental music drifted from hidden speakers, adding to the serene yet celebratory atmosphere.

Maria and I worked silently as we adjusted chairs and made last-minute tweaks to the arrangements, our movements quick and efficient. I paused to straighten the centerpiece on a table closest to the fountain, my fingers brushing against the delicate petals of a pink peony. Despite the beauty surrounding me, the tight knot in my chest refused to loosen. The party was perfect. The party was nothing more than a celebration of a lie.

Across the garden, I caught a glimpse of Nicholas speaking with his mother near the dessert table. He was dressed impeccably, his dark suit tailored to perfection, but his posture was tense, his hands stuffed into his pockets as Mrs. Chavez gestured animatedly. He nodded occasionally, his gaze flickering over the setup before landing on me.

Our eyes met for a fleeting moment as I walked past to make my way toward the kitchen and check on Paolo, and I quickly looked away focusing on my strides, but Mrs. Chavez called out to me. “(Y/N)!”

Nicholas’s gaze awkwardly shifted away as I made my way over to them.

“(Y/N), can you check on the pedestals near the canopy and make sure none of them are easy to knock over?” She asked with a smile. I was about to nod my head and turn to do what she said but she stopped me, “Wait.” She turned her attention to Nicholas, “Sweetie, is Valerie almost back from her nail appointment? Did you ever get that ultrasound from her so we can put it up on the slideshow?”

Nicholas pulled out his phone from his pocket, “She should be on her way. Valerie said she’d call her doctor before she left, but I can call and ask if they sent it over to her. I think I have the doctor’s name somewhere,” he said as he scrolled away on his phone, tapping something, and bringing the phone up to his ear before making his way back inside the house.

Mrs. Chavez turned back to me, “Check the pedestals please.”

I nodded quickly and hurried away, relieved to have a reason to distance myself from Nicholas. As I walked toward the canopy, the tension in my chest only grew tighter. My hands were trembling as I reached the first pedestal, giving it a slight nudge to ensure it was steady. I did the same for the next. The next. And the next.

Some minutes later, Maria joined me, a smile on her face. “The decorations are so pretty, aren’t they?”

I let out a breathy laugh, “I’m more focused on making sure Paolo saves us some leftovers to take home.”

She laughed heartily. “You know he will. These people always prefer the drinks to the food.” Maria’s laughter was a small reprieve, her warm energy cutting through the tension that had been suffocating me all day.

I nodded, trying to match her lightness, even as the weight of everything threatened to pull me under. “Good,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’m staking my claim on those macarons.”

“Smart,” Maria teased. “But don’t let Paolo catch you sneaking them early. He’s in full perfectionist mode right now.”

I chuckled softly, grateful for the distraction as we continued adjusting the pedestals. For a moment, it felt almost normal — like we were just two coworkers prepping for another lavish party. But then, the distant sound of a raised voice shattered the illusion.

“…in the actual fuck are you talking about?!”

My heart stopped. Nicholas’s voice, sharp and unmistakable, carried across the garden. I exchanged a worried glance with Maria, who had frozen mid-reach toward a floral arrangement. We both turned around and saw Nicholas stomping out into the backyard with Valerie following closely behind, her white dress flapping in the air.

Nicholas’s expression was thunderous, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked as if he might crack a tooth. “Valerie, stop lying to me!” he shouted, his voice booming over the chatter of the staff setting up.

Heads turned, tools paused mid-air, and the garden fell eerily silent except for the sharp clip of Valerie’s heels as she tried to keep up with him and the sound of the soft instrumental music, which was quickly deafened by somebody pausing the music from the DJ booth.

“Nicholas, please!” she called after him, her voice desperate but still laced with that performative sweetness that grated on my nerves. “Can we talk about this inside?”

“No, we’re talking about it now,” he snapped, spinning around to face her. His dark eyes burned with anger as he gestured around the lavish setup. “You expect me to stand here and smile for a fucking gender reveal when you’re not even fucking pregnant? Are you out of your goddamn mind?”

Gasps rippled through the staff, whispers breaking out like wildfire. I felt my stomach drop as Valerie froze, her face draining of color before twisting into something uglier — rage and fear warring beneath her perfect façade.

“Nicholas,” she hissed, her tone sharp and low as her eyes darted around at the onlookers. “You’re making a scene.”

“I’m the one making a scene?” Nicholas shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Valerie straightened her posture, her mask slipping back into place as she tried to regain control. “Where’s this even coming from, Nic?”

Nicholas let out a sharp laugh, the sound devoid of humor. “I called your OB/GYN to ask about the ultrasound. They didn’t even know who the fuck I was talking about!” His voice cracked on the last word, the raw betrayal evident in his tone.

Valerie’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she quickly composed herself, adopting an air of indignant disbelief. “You must’ve called the wrong office or—“

“Cut the bullshit, Valerie!” Nicholas roared, his voice booming and echoing off the garden walls. His fists clenched at his sides as he took a step closer, his dark eyes blazing. “You’re not fucking pregnant. You let my family do all of this shit for you over a fucking lie!”

The staff froze, their eyes darting between Nicholas and Valerie, the tension so thick it was suffocating. Maria tugged lightly on my arm, silently urging me to step back, but I was rooted to the spot, my pulse thundering in my ears.

Valerie faltered, her perfect composure slipping as her gaze flickered toward the staring crowd. Then, like a cornered animal, she turned the blame outward. “You want to talk about lies?” she spat, her voice trembling as she pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. “Ask her!”

I froze, my breath catching as every eye turned toward me. Nicholas’s gaze snapped to mine, his expression a storm of anger and confusion.

“What the fuck is she talking about?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

“I—” My throat tightened, my words choking on the sheer weight of the moment.

Valerie pressed on, sensing her opportunity. “(Y/N) knew and didn’t say anything,” she continued, her voice gaining strength. Valerie sneered, turning her venomous glare toward me. “She’s known for days, Nicholas. Ask her why she kept her mouth shut.”

Nicholas’s gaze burned into me, a mix of anger and betrayal flashing in his dark eyes. “(Y/N), tell me what she’s talking about.” His voice was tight, barely controlled, but his tone cut through me like a knife.

The air around me felt suffocating, my chest tightening as Nicholas’s eyes bore into mine. Everyone was watching — Maria, the staff, even Paolo who had stepped out of the kitchen with a tray of hors d’oeuvres, his sharp gaze fixed on the unfolding chaos. I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. From behind Nicholas and Valerie, I could see my mom and Mrs. Chavez embracing each other and clutching at their necklaces as they watched everything unfold.

“She threatened me,” I finally choked out, my voice trembling but clear enough to cut through the silence. “She said she’d have my mom and I fired if I said anything… if I stayed near you.”

Nicholas’s expression shifted instantly, his jaw tightening as a muscle in his cheek twitched. He turned his fiery gaze back to Valerie, his voice low and seething. “You threatened her?”

Valerie flinched but quickly recovered, shaking her head as her voice took on a pleading tone. “Nic, listen—”

“No! Don’t ‘Nic’ me,” he growled, stepping closer to her. “You lied about a pregnancy, manipulated my family, and now you’re fucking threatening (Y/N) to keep your dirty little secret? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Tears welled in Valerie’s eyes as she glanced around, her gaze darting to the stunned faces of the staff. “I didn’t mean for it to get this far,” she said, her voice breaking. “I was scared, okay? You were going to break up with me, and I—I didn’t know what else to do.”

Nicholas laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. “So your solution was to fake a fucking baby? To trap me?”

Valerie clenched her fists at her sides, her perfect composure cracking under the weight of his rage. “You were going to leave me!” she shouted, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I could feel it. You were slipping away, and I—” She faltered, taking a shaky breath before continuing. “I love you, Nicholas.”

“Well, I never fucking loved you!” Nicholas spat, his voice like a whip.

The words hung in the air like a bomb, silencing even the faint whispers of the staff. Everyone froze, the weight of Nicholas’s confession crashing down like thunder. Valerie staggered back a step as if he’d physically struck her, her face pale and tear-streaked.

“What?” she whispered, her voice trembling, her bravado crumbling into raw, exposed pain.

Nicholas’s jaw tightened, his dark eyes cold and unyielding as he took a deliberate step toward her. “You heard me,” he said, his tone low and cutting. “I. Never. Loved. You. This—” he gestured between them with an almost violent motion—“was over a long fucking time ago.”

Valerie let out a choked sob, her carefully crafted image shattering in real-time. She reached for him, desperation etched across her face. “I—I just wanted to keep you, Nic. You don’t understand. I owe money. I—”

“I don’t give a shit about your excuses,” Nicholas snapped, stepping back out of her reach. “You don’t get to manipulate me or the people I care about. That's disgusting.”

Her face twisted with anger, the tears on her cheeks glistening in the sunlight. “And what about you, huh? Don’t think I didn’t know what was happening,” she spat, spinning around and pointing at me again. “You don’t think it’s disgusting that you were fucking the maid while you still thought I was pregnant?”

Nicholas froze, his body going rigid as the words left Valerie’s mouth. The crowd of staff that had gathered to watch the spectacle collectively held their breath, the air crackling with tension. My heart plummeted, the blood draining from my face as every set of eyes turned to me once more.

Just then, I felt Maria’s hand wrap around mine. Her grip was the only thing tethering me to reality, her presence a small but steady reminder that I wasn’t completely alone in this humiliating nightmare. My throat was dry, my chest tight as I fought to find the words — any words — that could possibly defuse the bomb Valerie had just dropped.

Nicholas’s gaze snapped to her, his eyes blazing with unrestrained fury. “What the fuck did you just say?” His voice was low and dangerous, the kind that made even the boldest person think twice.

“You heard me,” Valerie spat, her lips curling into a venomous smile despite the tears streaking her face. “You think you’re so fucking righteous, Nic, but you’re just as bad as I am. Fucking the help while I was here, pretending to build a life with you?”

Nicholas took a slow step toward her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His entire body radiated fury, the kind that felt like it might explode at any second. “Don’t you fucking dare talk about her like that,” he said, his voice a deadly calm that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Oh, please,” Valerie sneered, taking a step back but refusing to back down completely. “She knew exactly what she was doing.”

“That’s enough,” Nicholas growled, his voice rising as his self-control started to slip. “You’re not fucking dragging her into this because you can’t handle the fact that you’re a manipulative, lying piece of shit.”

Valerie laughed bitterly, her mascara smudging as the tears continued to flow. “Oh, so now you’re defending her? After everything? God, you’re fucking unbelievable.”

Nicholas closed the gap between them, his face inches from hers. “You’re done,” he said coldly. “Pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house.”

Valerie’s face twisted in rage, her tear-streaked cheeks flushed with anger. “You don’t get to just kick me out like that!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “I’ve been here for you through everything, Nicholas! Your career, your fucking family drama—”

Nicholas’s laugh was cold, sharp as a blade. “Spare me the goddamn speech. You didn’t give a fuck about me. Now, get the fuck out before I call the police.”

Valerie blinked, her bravado faltering for the first time. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You wouldn’t—“

“Try me,” Nicholas interrupted, his voice low and lethal. His dark eyes were unyielding, daring her to push him further. 

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the sound of the breeze rustling through the garden seemed to fade as everyone watched the scene unfold. Valerie stood frozen, her hands trembling as they instinctively moved toward the massive diamond ring on her finger.

Her face crumpled, a sob escaping her lips as she fumbled to pull the ring from her finger. It slipped off easily, catching the evening sunlight as she held it out to him with trembling hands.

Nicholas didn’t even glance at it. “Keep it. Pawn it. I don’t give a shit. Just get the fuck out.”

Her hand dropped to her side, the ring clenched tightly in her fist as tears streamed down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Finally, with a trembling breath, she turned and stalked toward the house, her heels clicking against the stone path like gunshots in the heavy silence.

Nicholas watched her retreating figure, his chest heaving as he tried to rein in his emotions. The tension in his shoulders was palpable, his fists still clenched at his sides. When she disappeared through the doors, he turned, his dark eyes immediately finding mine.

My stomach twisted as his gaze bore into me, an unspoken storm of emotions swirling in his expression—anger, frustration, hurt. He took a step toward me, and I instinctively stepped back, my breath hitching. Maria quickly squeezed my hand then before leaving my side and joining Paolo outside the kitchen door.

“Nicholas, I—”

“Don’t,” he said sharply, his voice cutting through the thick air like a knife. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a bitter laugh as he paced a few steps away before turning back to face me. “I asked you point-blank if you knew anything. You fucking knew this whole time, and you didn’t tell me.”

My breath hitched as I met his gaze, the weight of his anger like a physical blow. “I—I wanted to,” I stammered, my voice shaking. “But she—“

“Threatened you,” he finished, his voice dripping with disdain. “I heard that the first time. But so what? That was enough to stop you? After everything we’ve been through, (Y/N), you didn’t think you could trust me enough to tell me the fucking truth?”

His words hit me like a slap, and I felt my eyes sting with tears. “It wasn’t just about me,” I said, my voice breaking. “She threatened my mom, Nic. Her job — everything.”

Nicholas’s jaw clenched, and he looked away, his hands on his hips as he took a deep, shaky breath. “You should’ve come to me,” he said finally, his voice quieter but no less strained. “I could’ve protected you.”

“I didn’t want to put you in that position,” I said softly, my voice trembling. “And I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“Worse?” Nicholas turned back to me, his dark eyes filled with raw frustration. “How the fuck could it have been worse than this?” (Y/N), I could’ve handled this days ago if you’d just told me!

My chest ached, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe under the weight of his words. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging as if the fight had drained out of him. “I can’t do this right now,” he muttered, running a hand down his face. 

The staff remained frozen, their eyes wide as they processed what had just unfolded. Nicholas looked around, his chests heaving. “Everybody, go inside please,” he closed his eyes and lazily waved his hand at his side.

Maria, standing near the kitchen door, nodded sharply and began ushering the others inside, herding them like sheep. Paolo shot me a look—concern and something else, maybe pity—before clearing his throat sharply. “You heard him. Let’s move,” he barked, his voice brisk but professional, cutting through the tension like a knife. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, their footsteps echoing against the stone paths as they filed back into the house.

Nicholas’s gaze stayed locked on me. His gaze was cold, unrelenting, and it made my chest ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for. The last time I’d seen that same look in his eyes, the same mixture of pain and anger, was on the night he left for Los Angeles, when we had argued in this very spot.

The garden was bathed in the warm glow of golden hour, the sunlight filtering through the treetops in soft beams. It was the same garden where Nicholas and I had shared stolen moments, whispered dreams, and a hundred quiet kisses. But it felt different. The world felt too still, too calm, considering the storm brewing between us. I could hear the distant hum of crickets, the rustling of leaves in the breeze, but it all felt muted—like my senses were dulled by the ache in my chest as I stared at him.

Nic stood in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest, his posture tense. His jaw was tight, his dark eyes unreadable, and for the first time since I’d known him, he felt like a stranger.

“So, that’s it?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady. “You’re just… ending things?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, his shoulders sagging slightly. “(Y/N), this isn’t easy for me. You think I want to do this?”

“Then don’t!” I snapped, the words bursting out of me before I could stop them. “If it’s so hard, then don’t fucking do it, Nic! We can make this work.”

His gaze softened for a moment, but then he shook his head, his expression hardening again. “I can’t. I’ve thought about this a hundred different ways, and it always ends the same. If I stay, I’ll end up resenting you. And if I go and we try to hold on, I’ll end up hurting you. Either way, you lose.”

“Let me decide that!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “God, Nicholas, don’t you get it? I don’t care about the risk. I want to try. I want us to work.”

He closed his eyes, exhaling sharply as if trying to steady himself. “You think I don’t want that too?” he said quietly, his voice low but laced with frustration. “I do, (Y/N). I want it so fucking badly it hurts. But I can’t give you what you deserve right now. Not when I’m about to dive headfirst into… all of this.”

“Into what?” I demanded, my chest heaving. “Into auditions and callbacks and God knows what else? Nic, you don’t have to go through that alone. I’m right here. I’m always right here.”

“That’s the problem,” he muttered, almost to himself. He looked at me then, his eyes burning with a mix of anguish and determination. “I don’t want you waiting around for me while I figure my shit out. You deserve more than that.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what I deserve!” I yelled, the tears I’d been holding back finally spilling over. “You’re not doing this for me. You’re doing it for yourself. So don’t stand there and act like you’re some kind of martyr.”

His jaw clenched, and he looked away, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “Maybe I am doing it for myself,” he said finally, his voice quiet but firm. “But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

I laughed bitterly. “You’ve spent all summer acting like everything was perfect, like—like what we had actually mattered, and two months ago, you told me that I should go with you and now you’re just walking away? Why the fuck did you even bother with me, Nic? Was I just some good fuck to you? Just some hometown fling before you head off to bigger and better things?”

His face twisted with hurt, and he ran a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable. “Don’t you fucking say that,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You know that’s not what this was. You know you mean more to me than that.”

“Do I?” I challenged, stepping closer until we were inches apart. My chest heaved with anger, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Because it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it. It feels like you’ve been stringing me along all summer, letting me fall for you, just so you could rip the rug out from under me when it was convenient.”

Nicholas’s jaw tightened, and he looked away, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of my words had physically hit him. “That’s not what I was trying to do,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Then what the fuck were you trying to do, Nic?” I demanded, my voice cracking as the tears I’d been holding back spilled over. “Because I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can look at me like I’m your whole world one minute and then tell me you’re leaving the next.”

He sighed, his hands raking through his hair as he took a step back. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said finally, his voice filled with raw emotion. “That’s why I can’t do this. I can’t give you what you deserve right now, (Y/N). Not while I’m chasing this dream. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Fair?” I echoed, my voice trembling with disbelief. “You think this is fair? Breaking my heart the night before you leave?”

“I’d rather break it now than let you waste your time on someone who can’t give you what you need,” he said, his voice tight. “I can’t be what you need right now, (Y/N). I can’t be here. And you deserve better than that.”

“I don’t want better,” I said, my voice breaking as I stepped closer to him, my hands trembling as I reached for his. “I want you. I don’t care if it’s hard or messy. I want to make this work, Nic. Why won’t you let me?”

His hands closed over mine, his grip firm but trembling as he looked down at me, his dark eyes filled with a pain that mirrored my own. “Because you deserve someone who can give you all of himself,” he said softly. “And right now, I can’t. Acting is all I’ve ever wanted, and if I stay here — if I try to juggle this and you — I’m going to end up failing at both.”

I shook my head, the tears streaming down my face as I tried to pull my hands away, but he held on, his grip tightening as if he couldn’t bear to let go. “You don’t get to decide that for me,” I said, my voice trembling with anger and heartbreak. “You don’t get to tell me what I deserve.”

“Maybe I don’t,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “But I’m doing it anyway. Because I love you too much to half-ass this, (Y/N). And I’m scared that if I try to hold on to you while I’m chasing this, I’m going to lose you anyway.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt my knees buckle beneath the weight of them. “You’re already losing me,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Nic’s jaw tightened, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he cupped my face in his hands. “I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “And it’s killing me.”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against mine as his thumbs brushed away my tears. For a moment, we just stood there, the silence between us filled with everything we couldn’t say. And then he kissed me, soft and slow, like he was trying to memorize the feel of me before he walked away.

When he pulled back, I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. He let go of my hands, stepping back as if putting distance between us was the only way he could follow through with what he’d just said.

“I hate you,” I mumbled.

Nic flinched as if my words physically hit him, his shoulders sagging under the weight of them. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just stood there, his dark brown eyes locked on mine, filled with a mixture of regret and anguish. “I hate me too,” he finally whispered, his voice barely audible but laced with raw honesty.

The admission twisted something inside me. I wanted to scream at him, hit him, anything to make him feel a fraction of the pain that was tearing me apart. But instead, I just stood there, trembling and broken, watching as he turned and walked away.

I stayed in the garden long after he disappeared, the warmth of the summer night doing little to thaw the icy grip around my chest. When I finally found the strength to move, I felt hollow, like he’d taken a piece of me with him when he left.

The sound of Nicholas clearing his throat pulled me back to the present. “You, too, (Y/N),” he spoke softly.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. None of this was. I wanted to scream, to plead, to explain. But I couldn’t. The words stuck in my throat, choked by the weight of everything I hadn’t said when it mattered most.

I nodded once, my movements stiff and mechanical. “Okay,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. I turned on my heel and began walking toward the house, the sound of my footsteps on the stone path feeling unnaturally loud in the heavy silence.

And just like that, the party was over before it even started.

As I reached the threshold of the French doors, I hesitated, glancing back over my shoulder. Nicholas was still standing there, his back to me, his hands on his hips as he stared at the ground. He looked… broken. And I hated that I was part of the reason why.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words died in my throat. What could I possibly say that would make any of this better? So I turned away, stepping inside and letting the door swing shut behind me.

The air inside the house was tense, the energy crackling with the weight of what had just transpired. Staff members bustled about, their voices hushed as they pretended not to glance in my direction. I quickly ducked my head and made my way to the supply closet at the base of the stairs, desperate for a moment of solitude.

Once inside, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, my chest heaving as I fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over. The small, dimly lit space felt like a sanctuary — a place where I could finally breathe, even if just for a moment.

I sank to the floor, my knees pulling to my chest as I buried my face in my hands. My mind raced with everything that had just happened, every word Nicholas had thrown at me, every ounce of his anger and betrayal. It played on a loop, each moment stabbing at my heart like a knife.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to storm out of this house and never look back. But more than anything, I wanted to go back in time and undo everything that had brought me to this moment.

My head jerked up as a faint knock came through the door. For a moment, I froze, my breath caught in my throat.

“Cara mia, are you in there?” Paolo’s voice muffled through.

I hesitated, wiping at my face. I planned on standing, but the door slowly cracked open before opening fully. I looked up to see Paolo, Maria, and my mom all at the door.

Their faces were a mix of concern and quiet understanding. My mom crouched down immediately, her arms opening as she settled on her knees in front of me. I didn’t even hesitate — I crumpled into her embrace, the dam finally breaking as the tears spilled over.

She wrapped me up tightly, her hand cradling the back of my head as I sobbed into her shoulder. “Shh, it’s okay,” she murmured softly, rocking me gently. “Let it out, sweetheart. I’m here.”

Maria crouched next to her, her usually bubbly demeanor replaced with a rare seriousness. “(Y/N), you did the best you could,” she said quietly. “You were trying to protect your mom, protect yourself. Nobody can blame you for that.”

Paolo leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed, but his expression wasn’t stern. It was softer than I’d ever seen it, his sharp features etched with something almost like sympathy. “That bitch,” he muttered, shaking his head. “She’s vile. Manipulative. None of this is on you, sweetie.”

I tried to speak, to explain, but the words got lost in the overwhelming tide of emotion. My mom held me tighter, her voice a soothing murmur as she whispered reassurances I barely registered through the sound of my own sobs.

“I didn’t want this to happen,” I finally choked out, my voice muffled against her shoulder. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“You didn’t,” my mom said firmly, pulling back just enough to look me in the eyes. Her own were glassy with unshed tears, her expression fierce. “You didn’t hurt anyone. That woman did. She’s the one who lied and threatened and created this mess — not you.”

Maria nodded, placing a hand on my knee. “She’s right. You’re not the villain here, (Y/N). You’re just caught in the middle of something none of us could’ve seen coming.”

Paolo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “And Nicholas,” he added, his tone softening. “He’s hurt and angry now, sì, but he’ll see the truth eventually. Give him time.”

I wiped at my eyes, sniffling as I leaned back against the wall. My mom reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, gently dabbing at my cheeks like she used to when I was little. Her touch was so tender, so grounding, that it almost made me cry all over again.

“Take a breath, sweetheart,” she said softly. “You’ve been carrying so much on your shoulders. Let us help you carry it now.”

I nodded weakly, taking a shuddering breath as I tried to calm the storm raging inside me. They stayed with me in the small, cramped closet, their presence a quiet reminder that I wasn’t alone, even in the middle of this nightmare.

After a few minutes, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by the distinct voice of Mrs. Chavez. “Where is she?” she called out, her tone brisk but tinged with worry.

Paolo stepped out into the hall. “In here,” he said quietly, gesturing to the door.

Mrs. Chavez appeared a moment later, her usual grace and composure slightly shaken. Her gaze softened the moment she saw me huddled on the floor, and she crouched down beside my mom, her hand resting gently on my shoulder.

“Oh, darling,” she murmured, her voice warm and soothing. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea she was putting you through this.”

I shook my head, wiping at my eyes again. “It’s not your fault,” I whispered.

Mrs. Chavez’s expression tightened, her jaw clenching as she glanced toward the hallway where the chaos had unfolded. “It is my fault,” she said firmly. “I brought that woman into our lives, and I didn’t see her for what she really was. But that ends today.”

Her words carried a weight, a promise of action that I hadn’t realized I needed to hear. She turned her gaze back to me, her eyes filled with a fierce protectiveness. “You’re not going anywhere, (Y/N),” she said firmly. “You and your mom are part of this family, and no one — not her, not anyone — will take that away from you.”

I nodded, the lump in my throat too big to speak around. My mom squeezed my hand, her own eyes shimmering with gratitude as she glanced at Mrs. Chavez.

“Thank you,” my mom whispered.

Mrs. Chavez offered a small, kind smile before turning back to me. “Take as much time as you need to collect yourself, sweetheart. We’ll handle everything else.”

Her words were a balm, a lifeline in the middle of the chaos. I nodded again, my chest loosening just a fraction as I realized I wasn’t as alone in this as I’d thought.

For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe, to lean into the support being offered to me. My mom’s hand remained on mine, steady and warm, while Maria gave me a reassuring nod, her bright eyes filled with quiet determination. Paolo lingered by the door, his sharp gaze scanning the hallway as though ready to intercept anyone who might disturb this fragile moment of calm.

Mrs. Chavez’s presence was a surprising comfort. I hadn’t expected her to take my side so firmly, especially given everything that had just unraveled. But her unwavering resolve gave me the strength to nod, to whisper, “Okay.”

She straightened, smoothing down her blouse as she glanced back at Paolo. “Gather the staff and let them know they’re dismissed for the evening,” she instructed. “They’ve worked hard enough for tonight; they can come back tomorrow to get rid of everything.”

Paolo nodded curtly, already stepping into the hall to carry out her orders.

“Maria,” Mrs. Chavez continued, her voice softening as she turned to her. “Could you help Mrs. (L/N) with some tea for (Y/N)? I think we all need a moment to regroup.”

Maria gave me a small smile before standing and gesturing to my mom. “Come on, let’s get you both something warm,” she said gently.

My mom hesitated, her grip on my hand tightening slightly as though reluctant to leave me. But I managed a faint smile, squeezing her hand back. “I’ll be okay, Mom,” I said softly. “I promise.”

She searched my face for a moment before nodding, brushing a stray strand of hair from my forehead like she used to when I was a child. “We’ll be right back,” she murmured before standing and following Maria out of the room.

That left me with Mrs. Chavez, who remained crouched beside me, her eyes soft but steady as she studied me.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Chavez,” I whispered.

She gave me a sympathetic smile, “For what?”

I wiped away the salty mucus running down my nose with the collar of my uniform, “Nicholas and I…we were—“

Mrs. Chavez raised a hand gently, stopping me mid-sentence. Her expression remained calm, though her eyes softened with understanding. “Darling, stop,” she said quietly, her voice steady but kind. “I’m not here to judge you or demand explanations. I know my son, and I know his heart.” She paused, her gaze holding mine. “Whatever happened between you two, I can see it’s complicated. But I also see the way he looks at you. That’s not something I can ignore.”

My breath caught in my throat as her words sank in. I searched her face, expecting disappointment or anger, but found neither. Instead, there was only warmth and something that almost looked like pity.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, my voice trembling. “I didn’t mean for it to happen this way.”

She let out a soft sigh, reaching out to take my hand in hers. “Life is messy, (Y/N). Love is messy. And sometimes, people find themselves in situations they never intended. That doesn’t make them bad people.” Her thumb brushed over my knuckles in a comforting gesture. “You’re not a bad person, (Y/N).”

Tears welled up in my eyes again, and I looked down at our joined hands, the weight of her words almost too much to bear. “I didn’t want to hurt him,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Or you, or anyone.”

“I know you didn’t. Trust me, this house has always been full of whispers, lies, and drama. This isn’t the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last,” she said softly.

I nodded slowly, though her words didn’t erase the ache in my chest. “He hates me now,” I whispered, the tears threatening to spill over again.

Mrs. Chavez shook her head, her hand moving to gently tilt my chin up so I’d meet her gaze. “Nicholas doesn’t hate you,” she said, her tone steady and certain. “He’s angry, yes. Hurt. But hate? That boy has loved you for far too long to ever hate you.”

Her words soothed the raw wound inside me. But they also felt like a double-edged sword, a reminder of the complicated, messy love I shared with Nicholas.

“What do I do now?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mrs. Chavez sighed softly, her thumb brushing against the back of my hand in a reassuring gesture. “You give him time,” she said simply. “Time to process everything, time to heal. And when he’s ready, you show him that you’re still the same girl he fell in love with all those years ago.”

I nodded, unable to speak as the lump in my throat grew tighter. Mrs. Chavez gave my hand one last squeeze before standing, her usual grace and composure returning as she smoothed her blouse once more

“Take as long as you need, okay?” she said, her tone gentle but firm.

I nodded again, my voice still caught somewhere between my chest and my throat. She offered me a small, reassuring smile before turning and leaving the room, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor.

I stayed on the floor for a while after Mrs. Chavez left, her words replaying in my mind. The knot in my chest loosened slightly, replaced by a strange, quiet determination. If she believed in me, if she thought I still had a place here, maybe — just maybe — I could believe it, too.

But it didn’t change the fact that Nicholas was still furious with me. And rightfully so. I had betrayed his trust, whether out of fear or misplaced loyalty to my family, and I couldn’t take that back. All I could do was hope that time, as Mrs. Chavez suggested, might help heal some of the wounds I’d caused.

I pulled myself to my feet, my legs shaky but steady enough to carry me back to the kitchen. The house was quieter now, the hum of activity from earlier replaced by an uneasy calm. When I stepped into the kitchen, my mom and Maria were waiting for me with steaming cups of tea, their expressions a mix of concern and relief.

“Here,” my mom said, pressing a cup into my hands. “Drink this. It’ll help.”

I nodded, taking a sip and letting the warmth spread through me. The tea did help, if only because it gave me something to focus on other than the turmoil swirling inside me.

Maria leaned against the counter, her arms crossed as she studied me. “What now?” she asked, her tone softer than usual.

I shrugged, setting the cup down and wrapping my arms around myself. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I guess I’ll just… stay out of his way for a while. Give him space.”

Maria nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered my words. “Maybe. But don’t let him push you away completely. Nicholas is stubborn, but he’s also human.”

My mom reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear like she used to when I was a child. “You’re stronger than you think, sweetheart,” she said softly. “And you’re not alone in this.”

I smiled weakly, grateful for their support even if I didn’t feel entirely deserving of it. “Thanks, Mom,” I murmured.

Paolo poked his head into the kitchen then, his expression as sharp as ever. “No sign of that cagna,” he announced. “I think she left.”

“Good,” Maria muttered, her lips curling into a smirk. “About time she slithered out of here. I never liked her.”

Paolo’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at me. “You okay?”

I nodded, managing a small smile. “I’ll be fine,” I said, though the words felt more like a hope than a certainty.

He gave me a curt nod before disappearing back into the hallway, leaving me alone with my mom and Maria. I took another sip of tea, the warmth settling in my chest like a fragile shield against the storm that still raged inside me.

The next few days were a blur. The grand estate, usually so full of life and activity, felt quieter, the atmosphere heavy with tension. It seemed everyone was tiptoeing around the aftermath of the blowout, from the staff to Mrs. Chavez. Even Paolo had gone unusually silent, though his protective glares whenever someone mentioned Valerie were hard to miss.

I kept my head down, focusing on my tasks and doing my best to avoid Nicholas. I couldn’t face him—not yet. Every time I passed through the garden or the library or even the kitchen, my heart raced, half-expecting him to appear and demand answers I still wasn’t sure how to give.

Maria, ever the bright spot in my day, kept a close watch on me. She had a way of easing the tension with a quick joke or a simple squeeze of my hand when no one was looking. My mom, too, had become even more attentive, her concern etched into her features as she checked on me constantly.

But Nicholas? He was nowhere to be found, on the estate at least. He had gone back to Los Angeles, back to his place. And it didn’t take long for Valerie to end up winning in the end. She had ended up going to every tabloid that would hear her side of the story, and I bet she was paid pretty well for every single one.

“Valerie: ‘Nicholas Alexander Chavez Cheated On Me’”

“A Broken Engagement: The Truth Behind Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s Secret Affair”

“Hollywood Star Nicholas Alexander Chavez Caught in Love Triangle with Fiancée and Maid”

“Inside Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s Explosive Breakup”

The headlines were relentless, splashed across glossy pages and plastered on every celebrity gossip website. Photographs of Nicholas and Valerie at charity galas and red-carpet events were juxtaposed with grainy, invasive shots of the estate, Nicholas looking rough while out running errands, and exclusive images courtesy of Valerie. 

Her version of events dominated the headlines, painting herself as the tragic victim of a heartless actor and his manipulative fling with the “help.” The stories twisted every detail, skewing the truth into a salacious narrative that catered to gossip-hungry readers. The stories even dragged me into the spotlight, labeling me as everything from a conniving gold digger to an innocent pawn in Nicholas’s supposed “games.”

The narrative was clear: Nicholas was the cheating fiancé, Valerie the heartbroken victim, and I — the villain.

I avoided looking at the articles, but it was impossible to ignore the whispers among the staff, the way Paolo slammed down his phone and ranting in Italian in the kitchen after scrolling through social media. My mom banned any newspapers from the house, her protective instincts going into overdrive as she tried to shield me from the worst of it. Even Mrs. Chavez’s normally serene demeanor had shifted into something more fraught, her jaw tight as she made calls and spoke in hushed tones to her lawyer.

Maria, on the other hand, kept tabs on the media frenzy with a quiet determination. “Look, people are starting to turn on her,” she said one morning, setting her phone on the kitchen counter and showing me some tweets.

Apparently, Valerie’s attempts to gain sympathy were backfiring. Social media sleuths dug up old interviews and photos, piecing together a narrative of a woman who had been desperate for fame and willing to do whatever it took to keep it. Even some of the hired staff that were sub-contracted for the gender reveal had come out saying that Valerie was a liar. That’s when comments began flooding in, questioning her story and calling her out for her lies.

“Can’t believe she lied about her pregnancy!”

“Nicholas doesn’t owe her anything if she was faking a baby.”

“Team Nicholas all the way. She’s sketchy AF.”

Still, the damage was done. Nicholas’s name was dragged through the mud, and so was mine. He disappeared from the estate entirely, no doubt retreating to wherever he could escape the relentless glare of the media.

As for me, I kept my head down and worked as much as I could. I stayed out of sight whenever Mrs. Chavez entertained guests, avoided the staff gatherings, and did my best to pretend I wasn’t the unwitting center of a media circus.

But no matter how hard I tried to move on, the weight of it all lingered. Nicholas’s absence was a constant reminder of everything that had gone wrong, every choice I’d made that led to this moment. And every time I glanced at the empty garden where it all came to a head, my chest tightened with a familiar ache.

It wasn’t until almost three weeks later that I finally saw him again. Mrs. Chavez had arranged for Nicholas to return to the estate to finalize some of the logistics with the family lawyers away from the paparazzi stalking him in Los Angeles. I didn’t know if it was intentional on her part or just sheer coincidence that she mentioned it while passing me in the hall, but either way, it felt like my last chance.

By the time his car pulled up to the driveway, the air outside was heavy with the promise of rain, clouds rolling in and casting shadows across the estate. I watched from the kitchen window as Nicholas stepped out, his movements stiff, his shoulders squared like he was bracing himself for a battle. My heart clenched at the sight of him, his face sharper, more guarded than I remembered. He looked tired in his plain white t-shirt and sweatpants, worn down by everything that had unfolded since that disastrous evening.

I stayed frozen as he disappeared into the house, my pulse thundering in my ears. I hadn’t thought beyond this moment — hadn’t planned what I’d say, how I’d approach him. I only knew I couldn’t let him leave again without trying to make things right.

I found him that night sitting by the pool, just as we both liked to do that entire summer all those years ago.

The night air was thick with humidity, the kind that clung to your skin and made every breath feel heavy. The estate was quiet, save for the soft rustling of the trees and the occasional chirp of a cricket. I hesitated at the edge of the garden, the faint glow of the pool lights illuminating Nicholas’s silhouette as he sat at the edge, his feet dangling over the side. A beer rested on the ground next to him, untouched.

I didn’t know what I was expecting — to find him pacing in frustration, to hear him yell at me again, to be met with indifference. But this? The quiet, vulnerable stillness of him caught me off guard.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, the sound of my footsteps muted by the damp grass then shuffled across the concrete. My footsteps were quiet, but he must have heard me because his head tilted slightly, though he didn’t look back. I stopped a few feet away, the pool’s reflection dancing on his face.

“Can I sit?” I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nicholas didn’t answer right away. He sat there, staring at the rippling water as if the answer he wanted might emerge from its depths. His jaw tensed, his dark eyes unreadable, but eventually, he nodded once, the movement barely perceptible.

I took it as permission and sank down beside him, keeping a careful distance. The concrete beneath me was cool, the faint smell of chlorine mingling with the earthy scent of petrichor. My heart pounded in my chest as the silence stretched between us, heavy and unyielding.

“I’m sorry,” I said finally, the words trembling as they left my lips. “For not telling you. For all of it. So much could’ve been avoided if I just…” the words died on my tongue.

“Stop,” he interrupted, his voice quiet but firm. He turned to me then, his dark brown eyes piercing in the dim light. “You don’t have to keep apologizing.”

“But I do,” I insisted, my chest tightening as I looked at him. “You’re right. I should’ve told you. I should’ve trusted you, and I didn’t. I let her scare me, and I—”

“Baby,” he said softly, the word wrapping around me like a lifeline. His voice was strained, but the sharp edge it had carried before was gone. “I get it. Okay? I understand why you didn’t tell me.”

I blinked at him, my breath catching. “You… do?”

He nodded, running a hand through his hair, his fingers tugging at the strands as if trying to ground himself. “She’s a fucking piece of work,” he muttered, his gaze flicking back to the water. “And she knew exactly what to say to keep you quiet. She’s done it to me too, in her own way. Let’s just say there was a reason I was gonna break up with her before she…” he paused. “I just didn’t see it until it was too late.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak. “That doesn’t excuse what I did,” I whispered. “Or what I didn’t do.”

Nicholas turned to me again, his gaze softer now, though still heavy with emotion. “I’m not saying it does,” he said quietly. “But I also know you were trying to protect your mom, yourself.”

I nodded, my eyes stinging as I tried to hold back tears. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Nic. I swear I didn’t.”

He exhaled sharply, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he reached through the space between us and raked his fingers through the back of my hair, his thumb repeatedly brushing back the hair near my temple. “I know, baby,” he murmured. “And I shouldn’t have screamed at you like that. Especially in front of everyone. Fuck, I was just…”

I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of his touch and the quiet intimacy of the moment. For the first time in what felt like forever, the tension that had weighed on my chest began to ease.

I bit my lip. “You had every right to be angry, Nic,” I said. “I kept something from you that I shouldn’t have. And I’m sorry.” When I opened my eyes again, Nicholas had scooted closer, closing the distance between us, and was watching me with a tenderness that made my heart ache.

He shook his head, “I’m the one who should be apologizing,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t deserve that, (Y/N). Not after everything. I was never mad at you, not really. I was mad at myself. For letting her… I don’t know, take over my life. For letting her manipulate me for so long. I’m mad at her, at this whole fucking situation. But not you, baby. Never you.”

His words broke something inside me, and the tears I’d been holding back spilled over. I let out a shaky breath, leaning into his touch as my chest ached with a mix of relief and regret. “I’m so sorry, Nic,” I whispered. “It’s not your fault,” I said softly. “She’s the one that lied about being pregnant in the first place. It’s not your fault you chose to step up when it mattered.”

Nicholas let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head while brushing away the tears that spilled out of me with his thumb. “Yeah, well, I should’ve known better.”

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. He pulled me into his arms then, holding me close as I buried my face in his chest. The steady beat of his heart beneath my ear was a balm to my frayed nerves, a reminder that no matter how messy or complicated things got, we still had each other.

For a moment, neither of us spoke, the silence between us heavy but not unbearable. I could feel the warmth of his presence, the steady rhythm of his breathing as he.

“No offense, but I never liked her,” I mumbled, wiping away my boogers, “Even before the fake pregnancy thing.”

His chest rumbled beneath my ear as he let out an audible laugh then, a genuine one. “You don’t say,” Nicholas replied, his tone light but with an edge of teasing. His laughter warmed me, a sound I hadn’t realized I missed so much. His hand stayed on my back, tracing slow, calming circles as he added, “What gave it away? The constant passive-aggressive digs or the terrifyingly fake smile?”

I pulled back slightly, my tears drying as I looked up at him. “Both. And the way she treated everyone like shit.” I sniffled, a wry smile tugging at my lips despite everything. “She wasn’t exactly subtle.”

Nicholas smirked, shaking his head. “You should’ve told her off way sooner.”

“I thought about it,” I admitted, letting out a soft laugh. “But I couldn’t defy the soon-to-be lady of the house now, could I?”

His smirk faltered, his expression softening as he cupped my cheek. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with any of that, baby. Especially not because of me.”

“It wasn’t just because of you,” I said quickly, placing my hand over his. “I stayed because of my mom and Mrs. Chavez. And…” I hesitated, looking down before meeting his gaze again. “And maybe because I wasn’t ready to let go of this place. Of… you.”

Nicholas’s dark eyes searched mine, his thumb brushing softly against my cheek. “You don’t have to let go,” he murmured. “Not of us. Not anymore.”

I blinked up at him, my heart swelling with a fragile hope I hadn’t dared to feel before. “You mean that?”

He nodded, leaning down so his forehead rested against mine. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, (Y/N). But letting you go back then? That was the worst one, and I’m not making it again.”

My breath caught, the sincerity in his voice and the closeness of his touch grounding me. “I love you, Nic. So much. I never stopped. Never.”

Nicholas exhaled deeply, his fingers sliding into the hair at the nape of my neck as he pulled me closer, his lips brushing softly against my forehead. “I never stopped loving you, too,” he murmured, his voice low and raw with emotion. “But you already knew that,” he smirked ever so slightly.

The rain began to fall in gentle droplets, cool against the humid air, but neither of us moved. The world around us seemed to fade, leaving only the sound of his breathing, the warmth of his body, and the truth we had both been too afraid to confront until now.

Nicholas tilted my chin up with his fingers, his dark brown eyes searching mine. “Can we start over?” he asked finally, his voice soft but filled with quiet hope.

My heart ached at the tenderness in his words, the vulnerability in his gaze. I nodded slowly, a small, shaky smile tugging at my lips.

Nicholas let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing as a faint smile crossed his lips. “Good,” he said softly, his hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my face.

His lips found mine then, soft and tentative at first, as though testing the fragile bond between us. But when I didn’t pull away, he deepened the kiss, his hands tightening around my waist as he pulled me flush against him. I melted into him, my fingers clutching at his shirt as the rain grew heavier, soaking us both.

The cool droplets mixed with the heat of his touch, the contrast igniting something wild and desperate within me. Nicholas groaned against my lips, his hands roaming over my back before settling on my hips, pulling me onto his lap. My skirt bunched around my thighs, the wet fabric clinging to my skin, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. All that mattered was him — his lips, his hands, the way he made me feel like the only person in the world.

His hands moved up, gripping the sides of my waist as he kissed me like it was the only thing tethering him to this earth. I shifted in his lap, straddling him, the fabric of my soaked skirt bunching between us. His mouth left mine to trail down my neck, his hot breath sending shivers through me despite the cool rain cascading over us.

“God,” Nicholas murmured against my skin, his voice rough and low. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed this? Missed you?”

I didn’t trust my voice to reply, not when his lips were doing things that made coherent thought impossible. Instead, I tilted my head to give him better access, my fingers threading through his damp hair. His hands roamed down, sliding beneath the hem of my shirt and brushing against the bare skin of my back, sending electric jolts straight to my core.

“You’re soaked,” he whispered, his lips pausing just below my ear.

I let out a breathless laugh, threading my fingers through his damp hair as his teeth grazed the sensitive spot on my neck. “Right back at you, baby.”

He pulled back at the word, his hands gripping my hips tighter. “Say that again.”

“Baby,” I whispered, leaning in to press a teasing kiss to his jaw.

He chuckled, low and throaty, the sound vibrating against my skin. I grabbed his face and pulled his lips back to mine. The kiss was urgent now, full of pent-up desire and weeks of tension finally snapping.

His hands gripped my thighs, sliding upward beneath the wet fabric of my skirt until his fingers found the edge of my panties.The sound of the rain grew louder, the rhythmic patter against the pool’s surface blending with our labored breathing and soft moans.

He shifted, guiding me back until I was lying flat against the wet concrete, the cool surface a stark contrast to the heat radiating from both of us. His body covered mine, his weight pressing me down in the most delicious way as his hands continued their exploration, finding every inch of skin he could reach.

“Fuck,” he muttered against my lips, his voice raw with need. “I’ve been dying for this—dying for you.”

My fingers dug into his back as he kissed me with a hunger that felt almost feral, his hands tugging my soaked panties down my legs and tossing them aside. His lips found my collarbone, trailing wet kisses down my chest as his hand slid between my thighs, his touch igniting sparks everywhere he went.

I gasped, my head falling back against the concrete as his fingers explored, teasing and coaxing reactions from me that left me trembling. The rain kept falling, the cool droplets mingling with the heat of our bodies, and the world beyond us faded away.

“I need you to promise me something,” he murmured, his voice low as his lips returned to mine.

“What?” I breathed, my voice shaky as I looked up at him. His dark brown eyes burned with intensity, his face inches from mine.

“Promise me you’ll never keep anything from me again,” he said, his tone soft but firm. “I don’t care what it is. If something’s wrong, if someone’s fucking with you—I need to know.”

My chest ached at the raw vulnerability in his voice, the weight of his words settling heavily between us. “I promise,” I whispered, my hands framing his face. “I won’t keep anything from you ever again. You mean too much to me, Nic.”

His lips crashed into mine again, his relief palpable as he kissed me with a passion that left me breathless. “Good,” he murmured against my mouth. “Because I’d fucking move heaven and earth for you, (Y/N). Do you hear me? You’re my everything.”

My breath hitched at his words, the sheer intensity of his confession leaving me speechless. His forehead rested against mine, his breath mingling with mine as the rain continued to fall in a relentless rhythm around us.

“You’re my everything, too,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion.

His hands slid down my body, tracing every curve and hollow as if memorizing me all over again. When his fingers slipped between my thighs, I let out a soft gasp, my hips instinctively rising to meet his touch. He groaned against my lips, his breath hot and ragged as he murmured my name.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby,” he whispered, his forehead still resting against mine as his fingers moved in slow, torturous circles. “Missed the way you feel. The way you taste. The way you look at me like I’m the only man in the world.”

“You are,” I breathed, my voice trembling as I clung to him.

Nicholas froze at my words, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. His fingers stilled for a moment, resting against me as he let out a shaky breath.

My hand came up to cradle his face, my thumb brushing over the sharp line of his jaw. “You’ve always been.”

A low, guttural sound escaped him, and he captured my lips in a searing kiss that left me dizzy. His hands gripped my hips, pulling me flush against him as his mouth claimed mine with a hunger that sent sparks of heat coursing through my body.

The rain fell harder, soaking us both to the skin, but neither of us cared. The world around us disappeared, leaving only the sound of our ragged breathing and the feel of his body pressing against mine. His hands roamed my body, exploring every inch of me as if rediscovering a treasure he thought he’d lost.

He leaned down, his lips trailing over my neck, my collarbone, leaving a fiery path in their wake. My back arched against the wet concrete, and he took the opportunity to push my shirt higher, exposing my damp skin to the cool night air. His lips followed, pressing kisses to my stomach, my ribs, his breath warm and teasing.

“I don’t deserve you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion as he looked up at me. His hands slid beneath my thighs, spreading them as he knelt between my legs. 

Before I could respond, his mouth replaced his fingers, and a cry escaped my lips as he teased me with his tongue. The intensity of his touch, the way he seemed to worship me, made my head spin. My hands tangled in his rain-soaked hair, pulling him closer as he sent wave after wave of pleasure crashing through me.

Nicholas’s hands gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my skin as he pulled me even closer, as if he couldn’t get enough. His mouth moved with a deliberate slowness that drove me wild, each flick of his tongue, every soft, teasing suck a reminder of how much he had missed me, how much he wanted me. The rain blurred my vision, mingling with the tears that slid down my face, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was him and the way he was unraveling me with every touch.

My breath hitched, my thighs trembling against his shoulders. I tried to push up, to chase the feeling building inside me, but his hands held me down firmly. “Not so fast,” he whispered, his lips brushing over my sensitive skin.

I whimpered, my fingers gripping his hair as he continued his slow, torturous rhythm. My body writhed against the slick concrete, a desperate plea for more, for release. But Nicholas took his time, savoring every moment, every reaction he pulled from me.

“Please,” I gasped, my voice breaking as I tugged at his hair. “Nic, I need—”

He lifted his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine. The sight of him—his rain-drenched hair, the water dripping down his sharp jaw, and the raw hunger in his gaze—made my stomach flip. “You need what, baby?” he asked, his voice a low growl. “Tell me.”

“You,” I breathed, the word slipping out before I could think. “I need you, Nic. Please.”

He sat on his knees then, his body towering over mine, rainwater dripping from his hair onto my flushed skin. His wet white shirt clung to every peak and valley of his sculpted muscles, his nipples visible through the soaked fabric.

Nicholas’s gaze darkened as his hands moved to the hem of his soaked shirt, peeling it away and revealing the smooth, golden skin beneath. The rain traced rivulets down his chest, following the sharp contours of his muscles. His body, damp and glistening, hovered over mine like a storm ready to break.

I reached for him, my hands trailing up his arms and across his chest as if grounding myself to him. My fingers skimmed over the moles on his torso — marks I’d memorized long ago. His breath hitched when I touched him, and for a moment, the raw vulnerability in his eyes was almost too much to bear.

I sat up, planting kisses near his naval and working my way upwards. He embraced me then, lifting us both and moving to a nearby chaise lounge so we could escape the unforgiving concrete beneath us.

The rain continued to fall, heavier now, soaking every inch of us as he settled me onto the lounge. He slipped my skirt off and wrapped my legs around him, tugging the waistband of his sweatpants down to reveal his hardened length. His eyes stayed locked on mine as he leaned down, capturing my lips in a kiss that was both tender and full of unspoken urgency.

The rain fell around us, creating a rhythm that matched the rising tension between our bodies. Nicholas pressed his forehead against mine, his hand sliding between us to guide himself to my entrance.

“Slow, please,” I whispered but still audible over the heavy patter of the rain.

Nicholas stilled, his dark eyes locked on mine as he nodded, the raw emotion in his gaze making my chest tighten. He shifted closer, his hands framing my face as if grounding himself. “Slow,” he repeated, his voice hoarse, reverent. “I promise, baby.”

His lips found mine again, softer this time, the urgency giving way to something deeper, more deliberate. I felt the tip of him press against me, a teasing pressure that sent a shiver down my spine. He groaned against my mouth, his hands trembling slightly as he moved with painstaking care, entering me inch by inch.

My breath hitched, my fingers clutching at his shoulders as the stretch filled me, the sensation overwhelming but perfect and everything I needed — what we needed. Nicholas buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breath warm against my rain-soaked skin as he whispered my name, over and over.

I gasped, my body arching into his as he pushed further, his movements slow and deliberate. His lips never left my skin, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses along my neck, my collarbone, as if grounding himself in the moment. Each kiss was laced with quiet apologies, murmured words of regret and reassurance that made my heart ache and swell at the same time.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, his voice rough and trembling as he stilled inside me. His hands gripped my hips, anchoring us together. “I’m so fucking sorry for not fighting for you then, for now.”

Tears mingled with the rain on my face, my fingers threading through his wet hair as I pressed my lips to his temple. “I’m sorry, too,” I whispered back, my voice breaking.

Nicholas groaned softly, his hands trailing up my sides, brushing over my ribs as if trying to remind himself I was real, that we were here. I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me, to see the sincerity in my eyes.

His lips crashed into mine, the kiss tender but filled with a desperate need that made my heart race. Slowly, he began to move, his hips rolling against mine in a rhythm that was agonizingly slow, deliberate, and full of love. Each thrust was a reminder of everything we’d been through, every moment that had brought us to this point. It wasn’t just physical — it was emotional, a reconnection of souls that had been lost in the chaos.

I clung to him, my nails digging into his shoulders as he filled me completely, his movements steady and unhurried. The rain soaked us to the bone, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the way he made me feel — seen, cherished, loved in a way that words couldn’t capture.

Nicholas’s forehead pressed against mine as his rhythm stayed slow, deliberate, and tender, his lips brushing against my temple as though grounding us in the moment. Each stroke sent a shiver through me, a soft gasp escaping my lips as I clung to him. The rain was relentless, but the cool droplets against my overheated skin only heightened every sensation.

“Baby,” he murmured against my ear, his voice raw with emotion, “Do you feel that? How much I fucking love you?”

I nodded, unable to form words, my hands trailing up his rain-slicked back to tangle in his hair. His pace remained torturous, each thrust measured and purposeful. His lips found mine again, soft and searching, and I felt the unspoken apologies in every kiss, the promises in every caress.

His lips claimed mine again, slow and deep, as though trying to pour every ounce of his love and regret into that single kiss. The world around us faded away, the storm intensifying as the rain fell even harder, soaking our bodies as we moved together.

Every roll of his hips, every kiss, every whispered word was a balm to the wounds we’d both carried for far too long. There was no urgency, no desperation — only the deliberate, unyielding connection between us. His hands roamed over my body, his fingers tracing patterns on my skin that made me tremble beneath him.

Our movements were unhurried, each touch, each kiss, deliberate, as though we were weaving the pieces of ourselves back together. Nicholas held me like I was something sacred, his hands cradling my face, his lips brushing over mine with a tenderness that made my chest ache. The rain continued to fall, the steady rhythm against the pool blending with our breaths, our sighs.

He whispered my name like a mantra, his voice thick with emotion. “I love you,” he murmured, his forehead pressing against mine as his hips moved against me in a rhythm that felt like poetry.

Tears blurred my vision. “I love you, too,” I whispered, the words spilling from my lips like a vow. “Always.”

His pace quickened slightly, the pressure building between us as his movements became more purposeful, more insistent. The heat pooling in my core grew, spreading through my body like wildfire as he pushed me closer to the edge. Nicholas’s hand rested on the one I had curled around his hair, intertwining his fingers with mine and pinning my arm above my head.

His lips hovered just above mine, his breath mingling with mine as the rhythm of his hips grew firmer, more insistent. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” he murmured, his voice thick and raw, every word vibrating through me. “I can’t believe I almost lost you.”

“Nic…” I gasped, my voice trembling as my body arched beneath him, seeking more, craving everything he had to give. The rain poured down around us, the sound a backdrop to the symphony of our breaths, our moans, the quiet gasps that escaped every time he moved inside me.

A groan tore from his throat, his lips crashing against mine as if he couldn’t stand the distance between us for another second. His tongue swept into my mouth, desperate and demanding, as his pace quickened, each thrust more deliberate, more consuming.

“Fuck, (Y/N),” he growled against my lips, his voice ragged and trembling with restraint.

Nicholas pressed deeper, his grip on my hand tightening as he brought his other hand to my waist, holding me firmly beneath him. His movements grew more purposeful, each thrust sending a jolt of pleasure radiating through my entire body. His control was slipping, and I could feel the tension coiled within him, the sheer effort it took for him to keep his pace measured and deliberate.

“I’m yours,” he growled, his voice low and guttural, each word punctuated by the steady rhythm of his hips. “I’ve always been yours, baby.”

I moaned in response, unable to form coherent words as he pushed me closer to the edge. The rain was relentless, soaking us both as it blurred the lines between where he ended and I began. My fingers curled into his hair, pulling him closer, needing him closer, as if the mere inches between us were unbearable.

Nicholas shifted, his weight pressing into me as he lifted my leg over his shoulder so he could hit deeper and reach that spongy spot inside me until I cried out. His lips moved to my neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin.

“Right there, baby?” Nicholas growled against my neck, his voice thick with desire as his teeth grazed my skin.

“Yes,” I gasped, my hands clutching at his damp shoulders, nails digging into his slick skin. “Oh, my God, Nic. Don’t stop.”

His hips snapped harder, the rhythm deliberate yet overwhelming as he drove into me again and again. The rain hammered down, but the heat between us only grew. Nicholas leaned back just enough to look into my eyes, his face intense and wild, water dripping down his sharp cheekbones.

“You like it when I fuck you like this, baby?” he rasped, his free hand trailing down my waist to grip my thigh. “When I make you scream my name?”

“Yes!” I cried out, my voice raw as my body arched beneath him. Every nerve in my body was alive, every touch, every word pushing me closer to the edge. “Nic, I’m so close.”

“I’ve got you, baby,” he said through gritted teeth, his lips capturing mine in a brutal, possessive kiss. “I always do.”

My nails raked down his back as he thrust harder, deeper, each movement building the pressure inside me until it was unbearable. His growls mixed with my cries, the sound of our bodies moving together in the rain echoing into the night.

“I love watching you like this,” he whispered, his breath hot against my lips as he gazed down at me. “Taking me so perfectly. Fuck, you’re incredible.”

His words pushed me over the edge, my body tightening around him as I shattered. A scream tore from my lips, and he swallowed it with a searing kiss, his own movements growing erratic as he chased his release.

“Baby,” he groaned, his voice breaking as his hips jerked against mine. “Fuck, I’m gonna—”

“Do it,” I gasped, pulling him closer, my legs tightening around him. “I’m yours, Nic. Always.”

With a guttural growl, he buried himself deep, his body shuddering as he spilled inside me, filling me completely. The tension in his shoulders melted away as he collapsed against me, his forehead resting against mine as he fought to catch his breath.

Nicholas wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as we lay tangled together on the lounge chair. For several minutes, neither of us moved, the rain cascading over us like a curtain, shielding us from the world outside as it refused to let up. The weight of everything — the fight, the lies, the media circus — seemed to fade, leaving only the steady rhythm of his breathing and the way his chest rose and fell against mine.

Nicholas’s hands traced gentle patterns along my back, his touch soothing as he pressed a lingering kiss to my damp forehead. “I’m not letting you go again,” he murmured, his voice low and resolute.

I tightened my grip around him, my fingers tracing the curve of his shoulder. “Me neither,” I whispered back. “Not this time.”

He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his dark gaze searching mine for any hint of doubt. Whatever he saw there must have reassured him because a soft, almost shy smile tugged at his lips — a glimpse of the Nicholas I had fallen in love with so many years ago.

“Good,” he said, his hand coming up to brush a strand of wet hair from my face. He rested his chin atop my head, his fingers trailing down my back in soothing strokes. “We should probably get inside,” he said after a while, his voice tinged with reluctant amusement. “Before we catch pneumonia.”

“Five more minutes,” I sighed, burying my face in his chest and hugging him tighter.

He chuckled softly, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Seriously, baby, you’re shivering.”

I hadn’t even noticed until he mentioned it. The wind was beginning to pick up, and there was only so much warmth Nicholas’s body could provide in the weather. I nodded, reluctantly pulling away from him slightly. With a grunt, Nicholas pushed himself to his feet, lifting me with him. My legs felt unsteady beneath me, but his arms stayed wrapped securely around my waist, steadying me as he bent down to pick up our discarded clothes.

Nicholas draped his wet shirt over his shoulder and handed me my skirt and panties. I took them silently, my cheeks warming as the reality of what had just happened settled over me. I slipped my panties back on, the damp fabric clinging to me uncomfortably, and stepped into my skirt.

He shrugged on his wet shirt, the fabric clinging to his chest, and bent down to pick up my soaked blouse, carefully opening it by the collar so the fabric wouldn’t drag on my hair as I slipped it on. His touch lingered on my arms for a moment, his dark eyes searching mine. I could see the softness there now, a quiet tenderness that made my chest ache.

Nicholas’s lips quirked into a half-smile, though his concern didn’t waver. “Come on. Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”

He kept an arm wrapped around my waist as we made our way back toward the house, the rain continuing its relentless downpour. My shoes squelched against the wet stone path, and I winced at the uncomfortable sensation of cold fabric clinging to my legs.

“You okay?” he asked, glancing down at me.

I let out a shaky laugh, wrapping my arms around myself. “I’ll survive.”

Nicholas’s arm tightened around me, his body warm against my side despite the chill. “You’re a trooper, baby. But next time? We’re doing this somewhere dry.”

I laughed softly, the sound shaky but real, and leaned into him as we approached the door. We kicked off both of our shoes and socks, leaving them to dry outside.

Nicholas held the door open for me, his hand lingering on the small of my back as I stepped inside. The warmth of the house enveloped us immediately, and I let out a relieved sigh as the shivers that had wracked my body began to subside.The faint hum of the staff’s voices carried from the kitchen, but otherwise, the house was quiet.

The second we stepped inside, dripping wet and shivering from the rain, Mrs. Chavez’s voice cut through the air as she approached us from the kitchen. “Maria, grab some towels and clean clothes!” she called out, her tone brisk but not unkind. “Oh, my god, you two look like a pair of drowned kittens,” she said as she took in our soaked clothes and disheveled appearances.

Maria appeared within a minute or two, thick, fluffy towels in one arm and clean clothes in the other.

“What in the world were you two doing out there?” Mrs. Chavez asked, her eyes wide.

He let out a soft chuckle, reaching for a towel and slinging one towel around his neck, “Just talking.” He grabbed the other towel, unfolding it and holding it open with both hands, and turned his attention to me. “Here, baby,” he spoke softly as he carefully patted my face dry before draping the towel over my back and proceeding to dry my arms.

I stood still, letting Nicholas dry me off, his touch tender and unhurried. He worked his way down my arms and over my shoulders, his brow furrowed in concentration as if this simple act was the most important thing in the world. The towel was warm and soft, a stark contrast to the icy fabric clinging to my skin.

Mrs. Chavez’s eyes lingered on the way Nicholas’s hand rested protectively against me. Her expression softened, and she let out a quiet sigh. There was a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and I swore I saw a glimmer of relief in her eyes. “Well, I hope you’ve managed to sort things out,” she said, her tone gentler now. “But next time, perhaps consider talking indoors,” he sighed before walking off.

Maria smirked as she handed me some dry clothes. “Here, sweetheart. You two better warm up before you catch colds. Paolo has some soup on the stove if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Maria,” I murmured, clutching the clothes to my chest.

Nicholas gently tugged on my damp blouse. “Here, let me help you.”

I hesitated, my cheeks flushing under Maria’s watchful gaze, but she waved me off with a wink. “I’ll give you two a minute,” she said, turning on her heel and disappearing back into the kitchen.

The room felt quieter without her, the hum of the rain outside the only sound as Nicholas carefully peeled off my wet blouse. His fingers brushed against my skin, and I shivered — not from the cold this time, but from the heat of his touch. His dark eyes stayed locked on mine, and I could see the unspoken emotions swirling in their depths — concern, affection, and something deeper that made my stomach flutter despite the chill.

“You don’t have to,” I murmured, clutching the dry clothes tighter against my chest.

“I want to,” he said softly, his voice low but firm. “You slipped through my fingers once; I’m not letting it happen again.”

The way he said it, so tender and unyielding, left me breathless. He reached for the dry shirt and slipped it over my head, his hands lingering at my waist as he adjusted the hem.

Nicholas crouched in front of me, his hands sliding down to hook themselves around the waistband of my skirt. He pulled it off with care, leaving me standing in just my damp panties. His eyes flicked up to mine, his dark gaze soft but intense.

“Underwear, too?” he hummed.

I hesitated for a heartbeat, my cheeks burning under his gaze. But there was no judgment in his eyes — only concern and a quiet, unwavering devotion that made my heart ache. I looked around to see if anybody was lingering and nodded, my voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah.”

Nicholas’s hands moved with deliberate care, his fingers brushing against my hips as he slid my soaked panties down my legs. The air between us felt charged, every movement laden with unspoken emotion. He kept his eyes on mine, his touch tender and unhurried, as if he were handling something fragile.

Once the damp fabric pooled around my ankles, he picked it up and placed it neatly with the rest of the wet clothes. He reached for the dry sweatpants Maria had provided. “Step in, baby.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder for balance, stepping into the sweatpants as he guided them up my legs, pulling the waistband up. His hands rested lightly on my hips, his thumbs brushing against the fabric as he stood, his face inches from mine. The warmth of the dry fabric against my skin was a welcome relief, but it was the quiet intimacy of the moment that left me breathless.

Nicholas reached out, tucking a strand of damp hair behind my ear. His touch lingered, his dark eyes searching mine. “I’ll always take care of you,” he said, his voice low but steady. “You know that, right?”

Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, nodding as I placed a hand on his chest. “I know.” When he reached for the towel again to dry my hair, I stopped him with a light touch on his wrist. “Your turn,” I said, nodding toward his soaked shirt.

Nicholas smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes. “That’s fair.” He peeled off the wet fabric, his muscles rippling with the motion, and my breath caught at the sight of him — the way the light coming from the chandelier above us highlighted every line and curve.

I reached for the towel he’d left draped around his neck, standing on my tiptoes to dry his hair. He bent slightly to make it easier for me, a playful grin tugging at his lips as I worked. “You’re really getting into this, huh?”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at my lips. “Just returning the favor.”

I moved the towel down to dry his arm and torso, carefully working as if I could undo the rain’s lingering touch. Nicholas stood perfectly still, letting me take my time, his dark eyes following my every move. There was a vulnerability in his expression, something unspoken but deeply felt that made my chest tighten.

I grabbed the spare shirt Maria had set aside for him, bunching it up to the collar and shrugging it over Nicholas’s head. As the soft fabric fell into place, I smoothed my hands over his chest, brushing away any wrinkles. Then, I proceed to tug down at his sweatpants, making sure to shield him with my body in case anybody walked in.

Nicholas chuckled softly as he rested his hands on my hips, steadying himself as I worked. His voice was warm and teasing, a soft contrast to the intensity of everything we’d just shared. “If you wanted to undress me again, baby, all you had to do was ask,” he said as he stepped out of his wet bottoms and kicked them off to the side.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the heat that rose in my cheeks. “I’m making sure you don’t catch a cold,” I said matter-of-factly, though my voice trembled slightly.

I crouched down carefully, still wanting to keep Nicholas modest, and held the sweatpants open for him to step into. One leg at a time, he stepped into them. I quickly pulled them up and adjusted the waistband, my fingers lingering at his sides for a moment before stepping back.

His hands settled on my hips as I finished, his touch light but grounding. He looked at me for a moment, and I grew a little bit shy. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

I smiled, a small, lopsided thing. “You’re welcome.”

The playful glint in his eyes was replaced by something deeper, more serious. “You know, I’ve spent nights thinking about this — us taking care of each other.” His voice dropped to a whisper, the weight of his words settling heavily between us. “I thought about what it would be like to have you like this. Not just for a moment, not just for a summer, but always. Waking up next to you. Taking care of you. Letting you take care of me.”

My breath hitched as I searched his eyes, the raw vulnerability in his gaze stealing the words from my lips. I wanted to tell him I’d thought the same thing, dreamed of it, even in the moments when I’d tried to convince myself it was impossible. But the lump in my throat made it impossible to speak.

“You’re all I’ve ever wanted, (Y/N),” he continued, his thumb brushing softly against my hip. “I know I said that I would regret not going to Los Angeles, but I think my biggest regret was ever leaving you behind. And I’m not doing that again. You hear me?”

Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, my hands coming up to rest on his chest. His heart beat steady and strong beneath my palm, a rhythm that grounded me. “I hear you,” I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I couldn’t say.

His jaw tightened, his dark eyes shining with an intensity that made my chest ache. “Okay,” he said softly, his hands sliding up to cup my face. “Because you’re stuck with me now.”

I let out a watery laugh, the sound trembling but real as my hands gripped the front of his shirt as if to anchor myself to him. Nicholas’s lips found mine again, soft and deliberate, as though sealing our words with a kiss. It wasn’t rushed or desperate — it was steady, full of quiet assurance and unspoken promises. The world around us seemed to fall away, leaving only the warmth of his touch and the steady rhythm of our breathing.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead resting against mine, the corners of his mouth tugged into a small, almost shy smile. He pulled me into his arms, his embrace warm and secure. For the first time in weeks, I felt a sense of peace, as though the storm that had raged between us was finally settling.

“Let’s get that soup,” he murmured after a moment, pressing a kiss to my hair.

I laughed softly against his chest, the sound shaky but genuine then smiled, letting him guide me toward the kitchen.

The rain continued to fall outside, but for the first time, it felt like it wasn’t a storm but a fresh start, washing away everything that had come before. And with Nicholas’s hand warm in mine, I felt like maybe we’d finally found our way back to each other — for good.

[klunkcat]

50 VAGUE ANGSTY + HURT/COMFORT DIALOGUE PROMPTS

42. "Tell me what I did wrong! What's wrong with me?!" + rise A Team 🥺

You keep requesting things that I know will hurt ur feelings!!!

TW: panic attack, derealization/dissociation

Waking up in the med bay had been less painful than this. He’d broken fourteen bones and fractured three more, been coughing up blood and some thick substance he was very sure was never supposed to be on the outside but he’d thought, ‘hey, we won’. 

This didn’t feel like winning. This felt like standing on the other side of a very long tunnel and seeing the world from a sideways tilt. 

He’d been allowed out of the med bay for a glorious two days– mostly to lay up on the couch instead of the stiff medical room— and missed somewhere that the world had actually ended. Because when Raph leaned over him to grab his glass of water on the table beside him, Leo flinched. 

It wasn’t him, he decided. Because Leo had never once in his life feared anything from his big brother, not even when Raph had gone through his snapping phase. Because Raph was Raph and that meant the biggest warmest hugs you could imagine, and big wet watering eyes and crying over commercials with kittens that sneezed too hard. It couldn’t be him that saw Raph moving forward and thought of pink, slimy tendrils, and felt his airways closing with a sharp thrum of oh god and I’m going to die, because that didn’t make sense. 

Raph froze, eyes wide. Leo fell further outside himself. 

The other him made his hand move, he didn’t feel it move. The other him spoke. 

“Oh, ha. Sorry, static must have shocked me.” From the blankets, yeah. That made sense. This other him that jumped at things at least had his wits, that was reassuring. 

“Leo,” Raph said very slowly. Some hindbrain red alert crawled all the way up from his heart and right out his mouth, and into that other version of him that was staying very still. 

“I didn’t— I didn’t mean to.” 

Raph put his arm down just as slowly, leaned back like he could telegraph every moment. His eyes stayed wide and locked on to him. “Okay, that’s okay.” 

“It wasn’t you,” the other him said, and Leo couldn’t feel his lips moving but he desperately wanted to be able to shut him up. “It wasn’t um— just. Jumpy. Pulled something funny, you know with the. The bandages.” 

Shit, Leo thought. Stick to the script, pal. 

“Right,” Raph said, without blinking. Like he was thinking something else. 

“Don’t do that,” other him said. “Okay, the big brother voice thing. I don’t need it, let’s just. Watch the movie, right?” 

He was suddenly aware of Donnie by his kneecaps, Mikey staring at him from the mound of pillows he’d made at Don’s legs. He needed this other him to shape up, acting classes were a must. He was flubbing big time, Leo did not flub. 

Raph shifted again, molasses slow, and gave Donnie a look. His twins face twitched with a nod, and he summarily picked up Mikey, blanket and all and shuffled into his lab. Traitor, Leo thought vaguely. Pincer attack, coordinated front. He hated that. That was his and Don’s thing.

Stepping on my turf, he meant to say. Other Leo’s mouth didn’t move, so he was useless. 

“Actually, Raph’s a little worried.” 

Oh, Leo thought, oh no. Fear lanced through him again, in some distant way. He could see his fingers twitching and couldn’t make them stop. “Worried? About what. Can I help, big guy?” 

Raph hummed. “Think you could, yeah. We haven’t talked about everything that happened, have we?” 

Well, Mikey had made him talk a little, about why he thought it would be okay to choose himself without telling anyone else first. Hugged him as tightly as he could with Leo’s broken ribs for three solid hours until Leo’d given in and promised he’d be kinder to himself. Donnie had been furious at him for three straight days somewhere after he’d blearily woken up from his coma, but they hadn’t talked directly about why yet. Suddenly, the look he’d caught clicks.

He was still too outside himself to react the right way. Other Leo looked away and twisted the blanket in his hands. 

Ever so slowly, he felt Raph’s warm hand land on his knee. He could see it, his big brother’s hand, green and normal. No spikes, no pink. He could breathe out— there was a rope somewhere there that guides him closer enough that he can flip his own hand around and squeeze. 

“Nothing to talk about, bro bro,” Leo managed, but it was croaky and lacking all the usual fizz. Fizzless, him. The horror was nearly too much to think about. 

The look Raph gave him was half a wince of apology, half tangled up exasperation. He didn’t like that there was guilt there. That didn’t fit. Raph hadn’t done a single thing wrong. 

“Leo.” 

He made himself swallow. “Raphala.” 

Raph sighed. Flipped Leo’s hand over so he could stare down at the bandages crossing his palm. He’d burnt the inside of his fingers somehow, he couldn’t even say when it happened. Silly, really. He’d laughed when Don had told him. Come to think of it, Dee hadn’t really looked like he’d agreed with the joke then either. 

He watched the way Raph traced his thumb across the white gauze, the way his face twisted and crashed down with mounting horror. 

“I’m so sorry, Leo. You know I love you, right?”

Other Leo made a second appearance, making his hands go numb. “I— of course? I love you too, what does that—?”

Raph’s non bandaged eye blazed when he looked up at him, swimming in the dim movie light. “I hurt you, Leo. I took your trust and I hurt you with it. Raphie’s so sorry.” 

That didn’t— Leo blinked rapidly. The world fell out of focus, clicked free of its puzzle piece board. Out into the ether. “Stop apologizing.” 

“Leo—”

“No!” Other him said it sharp, loud. Too electric behind the words, he winced at himself and didn’t feel his face move. “You don’t— you don’t get to apologize to me. That doesn’t— what are you talking about Raph?” 

Somehow his brother’s face only fell further, it made the panic in Leo’s chest sticky. “I said that wrong, I don’t—” It was so hard to think, why couldn’t he make himself think? “I’m not afraid of you! I’m not.” He wasn’t. Because it was Raph. 

“It’s okay if you are, buddy. Raph understands—” 

“I’m not!” Leo bit out, and blinked rapidly again as the world falls further out to sea. “I put you in danger, I jumped in and— I did something stupid, and you got brainwashed. Because I fucked up. Why aren’t you mad at me? Tell me what I did wrong!”

What’s wrong with me, he thought, vibrant and liquid like toxic sludge seeping down to his core. 

He couldn’t even see right anymore, everything had gone shapes and colors. It wasn’t even Raph in front of him, it was something. It was nothing and— 

“--breathe with me, okay? In. Out, that’s it. That’s perfect, Bug, keep doing that.” 

The Bug snapped him together, pulls all of his strings forward. Raph hadn’t called him that since they were toddlers, when he and Donnie had started insisting being twins and Raph tried to play along. Bug and Boo, he’d said all proud. Donnie had hated it instantly and rebuked any attempt at being called something so sweet by biting. Leo’d tried to make it fit a little better, since Raph seemed to like it so much.

‘S it b’cause I bug you?’ Leo’d said, sad and puddling up but hiding it with a teasing smile he knew would make the hurting less loud. 

Raph had smoothed his hand across his head and grinned. ‘It’s cause you’re my favorite bug.’ But it sounded like a good thing when Raph said it. 

Leo forced in a breath, feels his hands become his hands and his toes firmly plant as his toes. “Sorry,” he managed. “Sorry, went. Um. Somewhere. Back.” 

Raph’s big worried eye peered down at him, he let go of Leo’s hand with a firm squeeze. Leo shook his head, clearing out all the fuzz as much as he could. 

“I need you to hear me, just for a second. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Raph tried, worry making his voice small. “Can you believe me on that one thing? You were brave, and you got us through it, and most importantly you got Leo through it. I’m not mad.”

Leo scoffed, staring down at the blanket instead. Raph carefully scrubs a hand across the top of Leo’s head, warm and calloused the way he knows. 

“Raph wanted you safe. That’s all. And I hurt you, so it’s okay if you— if you need time.” 

Leo snapped his eyes up, grabbing at Raph’s hand again even before he pulled away. “I don’t! I don’t need you to go anywhere, or leave or. Please don’t leave.” 

Raph’s face gentled. 

“Can we just,” Leo couldn’t look at him, he couldn’t. “Can we just stay here for a minute? Maybe talking can be later.” When it wasn’t him and other him preferably, so he could say things the right way.

“Okay.” 

Raph settled back on the couch, slowly lifting his arm free and telegraphing the space underneath for Leo to decide. As if he needed to decide, the best place in the world was in Raph’s hugs. He’d always fit perfect there. 

Raph smoothed his hand across Leo’s head with his thumb, back and forth.The warmth pulled him all the way back into himself, almost with a shudder. Leo squeezed his eyes shut and buried his snout further into Raph’s side. It made him brave. “I’m not scared of you. I’ve never been scared of you, big guy.”

Raph’s thumb paused. Smoothed back again. “It’s okay if you are. That was… pretty scary.” 

Leo shook his head stubbornly. “Wasn’t you. I know my big brother anywhere. That wasn’t him.” 

He pretended kindly not to hear the hitch in Raph’s breathing. The warm chuckle after is like lottery gold. 

“Thanks, bug. I know you, too.” 

[dem0batz]

Apple Spice and Oaths

Caleb x MC // Love and Deepspace

Author's Note: I've been plagued by thoughts of Caleb. My brain has been rotting and frothing since his trailer release. Not as edited as I would have liked but I needed to get this out into the world.

~2400 words || read on AO3

Summary

After years of forbidden moments with Caleb, it all finally comes to a head when he is about to leave for pilot training.

🔞Content Warnings: (adopted) brother/sister kink, virgin MC, yandere Caleb, dubcon, sexual coercion but MC wants it, references to Dawnbreaker Zayne, Dacryphilia, implied oral (—>f), PIV, cum eating, small blood reference

The bed dips behind you, a soft creak echoing through your room. A chill hits your spine, making your bones tremble before warmth presses into your back and the blanket seals the two of you in.

“Caleb…”

“Shhh, you’ll wake Gran.”

Your half-hearted protest dies on your lips when your brother’s arm falls across your waist, pulling you closer to his chest. A strong forearm slides under your neck, searching for a comfortable position for the both of you. His familiar scent of apples and spice hit your nostrils as he snuggles in closer, entwining your limbs together like so many times before.

You really should send him back to his own room. This thing between the two of you has gotten out of hand. It wasn’t normal for siblings to do the things the two of you have and someone needs to put a stop to it before it’s too late. Before you both cross that line neither of you can ever return from. But you can’t bring yourself to tell him to leave when the warmth of his breath hits your ear with a relieved sigh, his body relaxing into yours.

“You know I can’t sleep without you, pipsqueak.”

Caleb buries his nose in your neck, inhaling your scent with a light groan. Warm lips press against the sensitive skin as a large hand slides under your sleep shirt. His fingers are chilly as they dance across your abdomen, teasing around your navel on their path upward. Just as they reach the swell of your breasts, you press down on his hand to keep it from going higher though your nipples were tingling with desperation.

“That’s not sleeping,” you whisper.

“Can’t help it,” Caleb whispers back, his lips continuing to brush your neck even as he speaks. “You smell so good. So pretty. Feel so good in my arms. I need you, pip. Always need you. You plague my every thought ‘til there’s no space for anything else. ’m fucking crazy for you, pretty girl.”

A lump tightens in your throat. Though he doesn’t try to force his way to your chest, you can feel his fingers twitching against your ribs with the need to move. You would be lying to yourself (which you do often) by saying that you didn’t want it to. That you didn’t crave him the way he craves you. After you lost Zayne, Caleb was the only you had left and you had clung to him like a life line. The only reason he felt so comfortable crawling into your bed in the middle of the night is because you didn’t tell him to leave the first night he did it.

Agonizing dreams of an adult Zayne, bitter and lonely, kept infiltrating your peaceful sleep, morphing into nightmares that left you whimpering and trembling with overwhelming grief. It took a week of suffering these dreams before you were brave enough to tell someone. Dismissing it as exam exhaustion was enough to Gran worked well enough and she didn’t question you much after, but Caleb didn’t buy it. His thumbs had swept over the circles under your eyes, a frown on his face telling you without a single word that he didn’t believe you. Though he didn’t say anything in front of Gran, Caleb wasn’t one to let things go.

He crept into your room that night to find you tangled and sweaty in your sheets, crying in your sleep as visions invaded your dreams of sharp black ice piercing through Zayne’s body while you were frozen in place and unable to go to him. Caleb shook you awake and held you while you cried, babbling incoherently until you fell back into a deep, calm sleep in his arms.

So while Caleb claims to be unable to sleep without you, it was the opposite. Any night you had to sleep alone was spent tossing and turning until you gave up all together, the insomnia taking it’s place. You had no idea what you would do once he leaves next week for pilot training, something you were both dreading but didn’t speak of. This is why you had to learn to be without him and why this needed to end.

As much as it pained you to, you begin to pry his arm from your torso.

“Please don’t. Don’t push me away.” His voice cracks on your name, cracking your heart with it.

Caleb was your rock, so strong and sturdy to lean on. It wasn’t often he showed vulnerability, typically only in these quiet moments you shared in the dark. It was enough to make your resolve waver. Sensing your hesitation, he presses up against you, his erection digging into your lower back.

“But you’re leaving me,” your own voice trembles with the sting of tears on your lashes.

His other hand grips your jaw from it’s position, twisting your neck toward him until your breathing mingles, lips grazing one another. It’s hard to see in the dark, but there’s just enough light emitting from a soft night light nearby to see the hardening in his eyes.

“It’s not my choice!” he hisses. Your eyes widen at his outburst, so unlike the calm, loving brother you had come to known. Realizing himself, his eyes soften. “I’m sorry, pipsqueak. I just… can’t have you thinking I’m leaving because I want to. There are things I can’t explain to you right now but I promise, one day it will all make sense. Forgive me?”

With only a moment of hesitation, you nod. You would always forgive him. There was nothing he could do to make you hate him when he looked at you like this. His lips brush over each of your eyes, collecting the tears that had began to build on your lashes. They move down to press against your own, softly at first, then more insistent as his tongue prods at the crease until the salty flavor of your tears bursts on your tongue.

Your grip no longer tight around his wrist, his fingers begin to trail lightly upward once more until his now warm palm grazes your nipple with a light squeeze of your breast. A soft sigh escapes your lips at the sensation and you find yourself moving against his tented sleep pants. Taking that as permission, Caleb moves you to your back without breaking the kiss, locking your ankles together at his lower back as he settles between your thighs.

His kisses turn more aggressive, nipping at your lips and inhaling every little moan and sigh, imprinting them in his memory to use when things inevitably got difficult at the base. It would have to be enough to keep him sane until he was able to come back home to you.

Before long, Caleb’s lips make their way down your body, tugging and pulling at your clothing until you’re naked and writhing beneath his tongue, not for the first time.

“Caleb!” You whisper-hiss. “Caleb, I’m gonna—”

“Come for me, pretty girl,” he whispers against your clit while his fingers work against the soft spot inside that makes you see stars. With his encouragement, you fall apart on his smooth face, body trembling from the effort as you bite the corner of your pillow in an effort to suppress the shaking moans wanting to burst free. Caleb works you through it, licking and nipping until overstimulation has you pushing his head away.

He crawls his way back up your body with eyes dark and hungry, your essence glistening on his chin. Your body quakes with the intensity of the look on his face and when he settles above you once more as his lips devour yours, a combination of his taste and your own mingling on your tongue. Now naked from the waist down, himself, Caleb’s stiff cock presses against your inner thigh, the tip swollen and sticky with pre-cum.

Reaching down between the two of you, he firmly graps himself in his hand to slide between your drenched folds. In a panic, your palm finds his chest, pushing against your brother though his weight doesn’t budge.

“What are you doing?”

“What we should have done a long time ago.”

The tip presses inside, making the both of you groan probably a little too loudly as your slick insides clench around him, inviting him in against your will. He slides in a little further but you press against his chest again.

“Wait, wait. This is going too fast.”

His head falls to your shoulder in frustration, the soft tendrils of his dark hair tickling your sensitive skin.

“Where did you think all these years were leading to, pip?” his muffled voice sounds in your ear.

Though he stopped moving, the first couple inches of his cock rest inside of you still.

“We’re siblings, Caleb,” you say, trying to be the reasonable one though you want nothing more than for him to finish what he started.

“Not by blood. Besides,” he pauses, one hand wedging between your bodies to allow his thumb to start circling your clit, renewing the delicious feeling in your abdomen. “It’s kind of hot, right? Doing something forbidden.”

Your insides quiver and you clench around him with a slick gush at the dirty words.

“Yeah, you like that, don’t you, pipsqueak?” he chuckles darkly in your ear, beginning shallow thrusts. Not enough to be all the way in, but enough for the anticipation to start building again. “Is my little sister gonna let me fuck her, hmm? Has anyone else ever been inside of you before?”

Face growing hot, you shake your head in denial, unable to say the words out loud.

Caleb’s body trembles above you as he presses in a little further. You can feel him right there.

“Good,” he growls in your ear. “I probably would have had to kill anyone else who touched you first and the only blood I want right now is this.”

In one thrust, Caleb pushes past your barrier, swallowing your cries with a possessive kiss as he tears through your hymen. It hurts at first, but not in a way you would have expected. It was more of a quick pinch, and while the first few thrusts were a little uncomfortable as you adjusted to the intrusion, your slick walls begin to welcome him.

“Knew you would feel good, fuck. That’s my cunt, isn’t it, pip?” Caleb moans, holding one of your legs at the knee and keeping you open for him as he grinds roughly into you.

“Caleb…” you whine, arms tightening around him while your nails find purchase on his bare back.

He hisses through the sting your nails cause, hoping like hell that you’re leaving marks behind that will take weeks to disappear. He wanted to feel you on him weeks from now, back sore with every movement during drill training. His thumb never let up from your clit, sending you higher and higher with every thrust. His cock twitches inside with the need to release inside of you, to claim you, but he won’t allow himself to let go until he gets one more from you.

“That’s it, pretty girl. Hold onto me. I’ve got you. Come for me. Come all over your brother’s cock.”

You can’t bring yourself to admit that his dirty words aided in getting you there, but before you can stop it, a tightness pulls in your lower stomach almost painfully before releasing. Spots dance behind your eyes in blinding flash of light. For a moment, you fear your heart might give out and that you’ll have to be rushed to the hospital, left to explain why you a cardiac event while naked with your brother. But the feeling passes as you start to float down, still half-blind with your ears ringing. Caleb ruts into you a few more times with curses on his tongue as you clamp down around him, ropes of hot cum splashing around your inner walls and painting them with him.

He collapses on top of you, his weight heavy and making it difficult to breathe, but you just pull him closer while your heart rates sync to a steady pace. You lay there together for several quiet moments, each of you soaking in what just happened and how this changes everything and nothing at the same time with him leaving soon.

Those thoughts are pushed away as he lifts up his head, dark hair laying on his brow as a boyish smile peeks out from beneath. His lips find yours, more bold now than ever before, like it’s his right to do so, but you don’t push him away, instead meeting him halfway. You feel his length twitch inside and he pulls away, shaking his head and mumbling against your lips.

“Don’t get me going again, pretty girl. You’re going to be sore enough as it is.”

With a final peck, he rises to his knees, pulling out of you slowly as you both watch. His flushed cock is shiny with both of your fluids, the sight making your heart stutter back to life. Caleb looks entirely too smug as he swipes through your folds, gathering some cum tinged pink with the loss of your virginity on his fingers. He brings them to his mouth, sucking them in and humming with satisfaction as the taste of both of you fills his mouth. With another swipe of your pussy, he does it again, this time bringing his fingers to your mouth. When you don’t immediately open for him, he traces his wet fingers across your lips.

“Come on, pipsqueak. Memorialize this moment with me. It will be just like when we were kids. Remember? When your hurt yourself because we were messing around, showing off our Evols.” You nod hesitantly.

“I remember ending up with a wound on my hand from the blast of our Resonance sending us both flying. I cut my hand when I landed on the pavement.”

Caleb nods too, confirming your story.

“Right. Then I cut my hand with a rock and we made an Oath to never tell Gran what we were doing because she would have kicked our asses. This will be like that, except now we’ll swear to never forget one another.”

“I could never forget you, Caleb. I don’t need an Oath to know that.”

Something painful, yet unreadable flickers across his face before the playful smile returns, making you wonder if you imagined it.

“Yeah, well how about you just entertain me for a while longer? What do you say, pretty girl?”

He offers his fingers again and this time you open your mouth to accept them.

Taglist: @comatosebunny09

[scoutofmymind]

Saw that someone said Luigi’s Reddit had a post where he eluded to a pretty heavy drinking habit in college, which then makes me think about drunk ex!luigi. I’m sorry, but you write angst too well

Unlearn Me — { Luigi x Reader}

Content: SFW, angst, yearning, slight pining, mentions of canon back pain, ex’s reminiscing, heartbreak all over again.

W.c: 4,336 (holy shit)

Notes; Two semesters of carefully crafted distance crumbles at 3AM in the computer lab when your final project implodes hours before the deadline, leaving you with no choice but to seek help from the one person you've been avoiding since the breakup.

Before we continue, I cannot ignore that wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, countless families have lost their homes and livelihoods. I urge you to consider supporting those affected through any of these donation links, additionally, Roadogs on Instagram is looking for fosters for mass evacuations of shelter dogs in California.

Foster or donate if you can. xo.

Now, let’s go.

"Mother fucker," you curse, attacking your keyboard with increasingly desperate keystrokes.

Each combination might be the one to salvage this disaster, but deep down you know it's hopeless — your software has corrupted itself into oblivion, taking six months of work with it.

"You can ask for an extension," Emma suggests, her voice carrying the weight of exhaustion that matches your own. Your roommate had burst into the media center still wearing her pink silk pajamas, immediately launching into a nervous tirade about after-hours permissions and potential expulsion risks.

Her constant hovering and worrying grates on your last nerve, and you tell her to leave.

Predictably, she refuses.

"Listen, I'm not just gonna leave you here on your own." She leans across your workspace, her body pressing against your laptop screen until it tilts halfway closed. You freeze, fingers suspended above the keys, terrified of losing what little progress you've made in this digital archaeology expedition. "There's - like - a murderer on campus."

"One girl said she was followed home," you gently remind. Under normal circumstances, Emma's mother-hen routine would be endearing — charming, even. But right now, with your project in shambles and deadline looming, her protective hovering feels suffocating. "Not murdered, Em."

"May as well have been." Emma fixes you with that look — the one that screams why am I the only rational person here? While her nails tap nervously against your desk. "Probably hasn't left her room since. And you know what? Smart girl.”

You scrub your hands over your face, your eyes fixed on the projector's word vomit — an endless stream of error messages and unintelligible code painting the drywall from a tired projector like some twisted modern art piece.

Not exactly what you were going for.

Emma stands mesmerized, "How did you even do this?" She watches the cryptic display crawl across the wall, her eyes tracking each line as if she could decode it. "This reminds me of-" she catches herself, the name hanging unspoken between you. She's learned that lesson the hard way. "This is wild.”

You can't help but notice.

Notice how she almost speaks his name, how these meaningless strings of letters and numbers somehow bridge the gap to memories you've tried so hard to bury — promises whispered under star-sprinkled skies, fingers intertwined beneath the cosmic glow.

Moments that felt eternal then, ephemeral now.

Your gaze drifts to your phone, lying face-down like a surrender.

You blink several times, trying to clear the ghosts from your vision before speaking, your voice emerging barely above a whisper, as if the words themselves might shatter something in the air, "Should I text him?" You ask, offering the idea as if it was something too controversial to be spoken aloud.

Emma shifts her weight, both from exhaustion and the sudden weight of responsibility.

Your night's trajectory now rests in her hands — she who has witnessed every shade of you, from triumph to devastation. Her own memories of him surface: the way he'd raid her ice cream stash only to replace it with a premium pint the next day, how he'd tackle the dish mountain without prompting, those small gestures that made him feel like family.

"He was my favorite boyfriend of yours," she'd told you once, in a moment of wine-honest conversation. "He was a good boy."

A good boy who made a couple mistakes.

But those mistakes had compounded like interest on a debt you never agreed to pay, until the rift between you and Luigi widened into an ocean.

Everything good had been pulled out with the tide — your trust, your shared future — swept away to depths where no light could reach.

"I-" Emma's hand finds the back of her neck, her expression cycling through a slideshow of conflicted emotions. You can see her internal struggle; the desire to crawl into her bed warring with her loyalty to you. And she knows you well enough to realize you'd stay here until sunrise if necessary. "I mean — babe, I love you, but you can't fix this." The admission seems to pain her, as if acknowledging your limitations feels like betrayal. "We aren't techies."

You stare helplessly at your gutted gallery, stripped bare by your own accidental digital vandalism. Your artwork, your portfolio, your future — all reduced to incomprehensible strings of code projected onto an indifferent wall.

"Do you think he'd come?" The question escapes before you can stop it, your eyes magnetized to your phone as if your stare alone could resurrect that old text thread, buried beneath months of careful silence.

"Of course he would."

A soft, defeated whine escapes you as you turn back to glare at your corrupted work, as if you could intimidate it into fixing itself through sheer force of will.

Emma's voice softens, "Hey, he's mature enough to understand you've exhausted your options."

A violent shudder runs through you at the thought of Luigi being your last resort.

You'd managed to exile the visceral memories — the heated arguments that left you gasping for air, the promises that turned to vapor in the morning light.

"Which are?"

Emma looks down at her Pokemon-clad self, then back at you. "Me." She gestures vaguely in your direction, "and you."

The campus sleeps around you, everyone else lost to their dreams or late-night calls home. Just the two of you remain, trapped in this dimly-lit purgatory on a Wednesday night, while error messages mock your existence with their endless scroll.

"Slim pickin's," you mutter as your fingers betray you, finding Luigi's contact with muscle memory that refuses to die.

How many times had you pressed these same digits before?

But this is different.

Different because you haven't spoken since that night in your kitchen, when you stood with your back to him, voice steady despite the trembling in your hands, "So, we aren't going to try to figure this out?" You asked, and he’d responded with some pretentious comparison about your relationship being like corrupted code, fundamentally flawed, destined to fail its own quality test.

The irony isn't lost on you — the very metaphor he used to end things is now the thread that might pull you back into his orbit. Your only connection besides the elaborate dance of avoidance across campus, treating each other's paths like holy ground neither dares to tread.

Opening the thread, you're greeted by your last exchange — your final words to him blazing across the screen in angry blue bubbles: "I want my fucking shit back or I'll make your life a living hell." Such poetry. Your new message hovers in the text box, simpler, desperate in its brevity.

Hey need help with somethin. U up??

You thrust your phone at Emma like it's burning your fingers, watching her eyes widen as they catch on those months-old texts — digital artifacts of your rage that should have been scrubbed before tonight's desperate plea. "Jesus," she whispers, amusement dancing in her expression. "I'd still be licking my wounds if I were hi-"

The familiar buzz cuts through the air, a notification chime that once made your heart leap but now makes it sink.

"What'd he say?" You mumble, gaze fixed on the mocking projection that bathes the room in its sickly digital glow, code continuing its relentless march across the wall.

Emma settles into a chair, hunching over your laptop's makeshift altar. "Said he's at Ruddy's." She squints at a fresh message. "He said 'what do you want?'" She deepens her voice into a cartoonish baritone, making him sound like a caveman discovering text messaging for the first time.

You can't blame him for the cold response — you’d scorched that earth thoroughly.

But a selfish part of you wants to delete the whole exchange, pretend this moment of weakness never happened, go back to the careful choreography of avoiding each other's existence.

But you can't.

The corrupted gallery looming on the wall is a stark reminder that pride is a luxury you can't afford right now.

His icy reception is the natural consequence of your scorched-earth campaign, those venom-laced messages sent in the throes of heartbreak and confusion.

You'd played the role of the woman scorned perfectly, even though you'd written your own tragic script.

"Just send him a picture." You wave listlessly at the wall, where your work continues its digital decomposition, folding in on itself like a dying star. The error messages stretch into an endless serpent of nonsense, each iteration making less sense than the last.

The artificial shutter sound of Emma's photo breaks the silence, followed by the soft swoosh of sending. The wait feels eternal until-

Ding

Emma's attention snaps to your phone resting on her thigh, her eyes widening. "He's typing like he-"

Sorry;m,, I’m fucked uo

Up

I am

fucked up

Emma clicks her tongue and rises, crossing the room to lob your phone into your lap, screen up. "Guess some things don't change." You manage a weak half-grin, memories flooding back unbidden — Luigi stumbling into your dorm in the small hours, wrapped in whiskeys warmth, all soft edges and desperate hands.

"Well, make up your mind." Emma's yawn threatens to unhinge her jaw, arms wrapping around herself like armor. "Are we done here, or are you gonna have him come take a look?"

I’n be there son

I’ll be rherw soo

I’ll be there soon

You stand to wrap your arms around Emma’s shoulders who reluctantly curves her arms upward to squeeze your shoulders. “Go home.” She seems reluctant to listen, staring at your phone screen as if it would take her home itself. “I promise, I’ll be just fine.”

The space between you pulses with that unique warmth reserved for someone who shares your roof, your darkest secrets, and the monthly struggle with Con Edison. "Just don't make any brash decisions."

"Oh, Em." You press a kiss to her forehead. "You think I'm so much cooler than I am."

Emma's laugh follows her as she spins toward the door, collecting pieces of herself like breadcrumbs — the scarf draped over a chair, the coat hung forgotten, the backpack abandoned when the day still held promise.

Each item a marker of how long this digital nightmare has stretched, from sunshine to moonlight.

And as if summoned by cosmic irony, the lab door swings open to reveal Luigi. "Oh - hey, E." The surprise flickers across his face before he schools his features back to neutral.

"Hey, Lu." Her greeting carries the easy familiarity of their old routine, like NPCs in a cozy game exchanging preset dialogue, their paths crossing exactly as programmed.

"You g'na help me with this?"

Emma shakes her head, patting his shoulder as she passes — a gentle handoff. "I did my time." You want to protest, but words fail as you absorb the sight of him, eight months of careful avoidance crumbling in an instant.

"Ahh-" Luigi waves, feigning disappointment through the druken haze. "Need a walk back home?"

Ever the shepherd, guardian of late-night wanderers.

It didn't matter who you were — friend, stranger, ex-lover’s best friend and roommate — his self-appointed mission to ensure everyone's safe return never wavered.

You'd once wondered if it stemmed from some deeper anxiety, his mind unable to rest until every sheep was accounted for in its fold.

Tonight though, the alcohol has mercifully dulled that protective instinct. Emma's potential disappearance into the night ranks lower on his list of concerns than usual, although Emma herself had been the one earlier to warn you of the murderer on campus.

"You still got my location," Emma reminds him — a callback to conversations past, to the day she'd granted Luigi permanent access to her whereabouts, a level of trust you'd wisely withheld.

"Right."

She presses a kiss to her fingers, flashing you a peace sign with the same hand before it briefly lands on Luigi's shoulder. Then she's gone, disappearing into the snow-globe world he'd just stumbled in from. He stands before you now, arms hanging like dead weight, his eyes somehow both wide and narrow.

"Hey," you whisper.

"Hey."

You gesture weakly at the wall where your work writhes in digital agony. "So, uh — remember that time you salvaged Professor Wren’s entire thesis when her drive crashed?"

Luigi's eyes follow your hand, professional interest temporarily overriding the awkwardness. He steps closer, squinting at the corrupted display, "Jesus," he mutters, "what did you do to it?"

"Would you believe me if I said nothing?" The laugh that escapes is more nervous than you'd like. "It just. - it started disintegrating during final checks."

He's already pulling out his laptop, muscle memory from countless late-night tech rescues. The familiarity of it hits you in the chest — how many times had you watched him do this same thing, hunched over his keyboard, bottom lip caught between his teeth in concentration?

"I can try," he says finally, not quite meeting your eyes. "But no promises. When's this due?"

"Tomorrow at nine."

"Of course it is." He drops into the chair beside you, close enough that your elbows almost touch, but enough of a distance to still feel far away. “Okay, walk me through what it's supposed to look like when it's not — uh - whatever this is."

For a moment, Luigi stares at the corrupted display where red pixels bleed and stutter across the wall. His fingers hover over his keyboard, then pause. "Wait. This is your circulatory modeling project? The one you were-“ He cuts himself off, remembering this was before the eight months of silence.

"Yeah." You swallow. "It was working perfectly until an hour ago. Real-time hemodynamics, pressure differentials, vessel elasticity. Everything." Your voice cracks slightly on the last word, feeling more helpless when you verbalize it.

He nods, already typing with uncanny precision despite the slight sway in his posture. "Show me the base code. Did you save any backups?"

"Three. All corrupted." You lean forward, careful not to crowd him as you pull up the mangled files. "It's like something got into the core simulation and just - I dunno - started rewriting them."

"Hm." His eyes scan the screen with that laser focus he somehow maintains no matter how much he drinks, that familiar furrow appearing between his brows. "These values are cascading. One corrupted variable triggering a chain reaction through the whole system." He glances at you, slightly overshooting before correcting. "When's the last time it ran correctly?"

You check your phone. "6:43 PM. I have a screen recording from then."

"Good. That's good." He pulls up a second window, his typing still flawless even as he reaches with his free hand to steady himself against the desk. "We can compare the execution logs, maybe isolate where it started going wrong." His fingers fly across the keys with a precision that seems to mock his clearly inebriated state, and for a moment, it feels like those eight months never happened. "I'm going to need coffee for this." He looks up at you from where he sat, “Or more booze.”

You land on coffee, your feet carrying you down the familiar path to the kitchenette.

The fluorescent lights flicker dimly at this hour, casting strange shadows across the linoleum, the lab's overpriced espresso machine hums to life under your touch, its gentle whirring a counterpoint to the distant sound of Luigi's typing.

Suddenly you're back in that first year, both of you hunched over at 3 AM, him teaching you the proper way to pull a shot: “You're murdering it, stop torturing the beans”, your quiet laughter echoing through empty halls.

"Got it.” His voice carries down the corridor, slurred but triumphant, snapping you back to present.

You return to find him illuminated by screen-glow, his tie loosened and dark hair disheveled. The paper cup lands in front of him — double shot, one packet of raw sugar.

He doesn't stir it, never has.

Instead, he tips the cup back, and you hear that familiar crunch of sugar crystals between his teeth, a sound that used to drive you crazy, until somewhere along the way it became endearing.

Still, the jumbled code taunts you from the screen, though its chaos seems less threatening now. Under Luigi's touch — steady despite the alcohol —- your final project is slowly remembering its original shape.

"You should have texted sooner," Luigi murmurs, tilting his head back to collect the last sugar crystals from his cup. The movement exposes his throat, his collar wrinkled where he's been tugging at it all night.

"Well," you say, watching the way his fingers dance across the keys, each stroke precise despite his obvious intoxication, "takes a minute to swallow something as big as my ego."

The corners of his mouth twitch upward, eyes never leaving the screen where broken code is knitting itself back together under his attention.

"Oh," he huffs out a laugh, the sound low and dangerous in the quiet lab, "I've seen you swallow far bigger things before."

It strikes like summer lightning — quick, bright, and leaving the air charged in its wake. The innuendo lands with no real bite, yet you find your jaw slack, a startled laugh shaking loose from your chest.

"Kidding," Luigi says, his eyes flicking from screen to you and back again. There’s a ghost of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, softened by the alcohol but still sharp enough to cut. You wave him back to his work, grateful for the blue glow of monitors that hides your flush. "You kinda set that up perfectly, though."

He squints up at the projection where your broken code still bleeds across the wall, letting out a soft grunt of frustration at some digital roadblock. "Just mean — ya know, you could have caught me two beers deep instead of seven."

You shrug a shoulder, watching as the projection slowly crystallizes into something recognizable. "Seems you work better under such conditions."

The lie tastes metallic.

You both know the truth.

Luigi would have come if he was sober as sunrise or drowning in bourbon. Would have come with broken ribs or pneumonia or his heart barely beating. Would have traced these familiar hallways blind, deaf, or dying — because that's what the two of you do.

Have always done.

You've seen him at rock bottom, curled into himself on cold bathroom tiles at midnight, trembling hands pressed against his mouth as if he could physically hold back the pain that wracked his body. Watched him try to explain to puzzled doctors how someone so young could hurt so constantly, the frustration in his voice when they suggested it was all in his head.

You were there through the trials of medications, the nights when existence itself seemed too heavy to bear.

And you've seen him soar; standing tall in that charcoal suit that made him look older, more polished, shaking hands with tech giants who saw in him what you'd always known was there, his future spreading out before him like a golden road, brilliant and boundless.

Now he sits here, seven drinks deep but coding like he's never been clearer, and you realize that maybe both versions are equally true.

Maybe that's what makes him Luigi — the ability to contain multitudes, to be simultaneously broken and brilliant, wounded and wonderful.

He catches you watching him and raises an eyebrow, the gesture slightly delayed, which means you must have been a bit too obvious. "What?"

"Nothing.”

His fingers pause on the keys, and even through the alcoholic haze, his gaze pins you like a butterfly to cork. "No, really. What?" The words have a slight blur around their edges, but his focus is knife-sharp.

You could deflect again, but there's something about 4 AM and code that glows like dying stars that makes honesty feel less dangerous, perhaps you’re finding comfort in the fact that Luigi is drunk, although you’re stone cold sober.

"Just thinking about that time in the Thompson building bathroom." Your voice comes out softer than intended. "When you couldn't stand up, and I had to convince the janitor you had food poisoning."

He doesn't flinch from the memory like he used to.

Instead, his mouth curves into something caught between a smile and a grimace. "You told him it was from the cafeteria." His fingers resume their dance across the keyboard, but slower now. "Got the whole place investigated by health services."

"Yeah, but got us three days off while they checked fucking everything.” you remind him.

"Got me through that week," he corrects quietly, and for a moment, the mask of that brilliant-drunk-techie slips, showing the man underneath who still remembers what it feels like to be held together by nothing but someone else's faith in you.

Then he blinks, and the vulnerability is gone, replaced by that familiar crooked grin. "Though I maintain the cafeteria deserved the inspection anyway."

The projection flickers, another section of code healing itself under his touch, and you wonder if he knows you'd do it all again.

Every bathroom floor, every late-night crisis, every moment of putting him back together - you'd choose it every time.

"Speaking of which," you venture carefully, watching his hands move across the keyboard. "How's the new treatment working?"

His right shoulder shifts in what might be a shrug, but there's a shadow of a real smile playing at his mouth.

Not the sharp, defensive one he wears like armor, but something softer, more genuine. "Six months post-op and I actually slept through the night last week. First time in -“ he pauses, considering, "Fuck, I don't even remember how long."

The admission hangs in the air between you, weighted with the two years of 2 AM phone calls, of nights spent pacing, of pain medications that never quite touched the core of the problem.

Watching him try to code through hands that wouldn't stop shaking.

"Still hurts sometimes," he adds, almost absently. "But it's different now. More like background noise than a scream." His fingers still on the keyboard, and for a moment he looks almost surprised by his own words. "Guess that's what normal people feel like all the time, huh?"

The question carries an edge of wonder, like someone who's lived in darkness suddenly discovering dawn.

You watch him roll his shoulder — a gesture that used to be followed by a wince but now flows smooth and unconscious — and think about how strange it must be, learning to live without constant pain after it's become part of your identity.

"Though I kind of miss having an excuse to drunk-code at 4 AM" he adds, but you both know it's a lie.

The code blurs on the projection as silence settles between you, charged with something that's been building for ages — through bathroom floors and hospital visits, through triumphs and failures, through pain and healing.

The alcohol has stripped away Luigi’s careful boundaries, leaving raw honesty in their place.

"You know," Luigi says slowly, finally turning from the screen to face you fully, "I never thanked you properly. For all of it."

"You don't need to-"

Your diagram pulses back to life, the holographic heart rotating lazily against the wall.

Its red glow bathes the room in a surreal warmth, catching on the sharp angles of Luigi's face, softening them into something almost dreamlike.

The light flickers across his cheekbones, turns his eyes to amber, makes the whole moment feel suspended between reality and imagination.

"I do." His voice is quiet but firm, steadier than someone seven drinks deep should manage. "Because I've been thinking — now that I can actually think clearly without-“he gestures vaguely at his back, at all the years of pain, "I've been thinking about how you're the only constant. The only person who never-“ He trails off.

You lean a little closer, drawn by the vulnerability in his voice. "Never what?"

"Never saw me as broken." He turns himself toward you, and there's something desperate in his eyes, something the alcohol has finally given him the courage to show. "Never treated me like I needed fixing. Just stayed. Through everything."

Your lips part, but the words catch in your throat. He takes your silence as a sign, turning back to the screen with a sharp exhale that might be resignation or relief — you're not sure which would be worse.

"Lu,” you say softly, and something in your voice makes his fingers still on the keyboard. "Look at me."

He does, slowly, like he's afraid of what he might find.

The neon bathes half his face in crimson, leaving the other half in shadow, and you see the moment his carefully constructed walls start to crumble.

"Time hasn’t changed that much about me.” you say, each word deliberate, heavy with meaning.

His breath catches audibly. You watch the impact of your words ripple across his face — surprise, understanding, and something else, something that makes your heart race against your ribs.

"Hasn’t it?” Luigi is focusing on you now, the reason he really came here now practically completed but pushed aside until further notice. “Eight months is a long time to hold onto -“ he gestures vaguely between you, as if he can’t quite say what it was. Hopeless devotion, the right person, wrong time.

“Not long enough to forget.”

“Forget what?”

“You.”

His breath catches again, a sharp inhale that seems to pull all the oxygen from the room. When he speaks, his voice is rough and ragged, “Maybe that’s the problem.” His gaze drifts down to watch as you lick your lips, and back up again. “Maybe you should have.”

[mattsobvimyfav]

neighbor (matthew sturniolo)

pt 11

When we finally made it home, Matt parked the car, and everyone piled out sluggishly. Chris and Nick bumbled their way inside, clearly still drunk, with Charlie trailing behind them, her shoes in her hand. Matt and I hung back for a moment, letting the others disappear into the house.

As soon as the door closed, Matt wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “You ready for bed, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice low and full of warmth.

I nodded, leaning into him. “More than ready.”

We headed inside, quietly making our way upstairs to my room. I kicked off my boots, tossing my bag onto the chair in the corner. Matt pulled off his shirt, throwing it toward the hamper before collapsing onto the bed. I followed, crawling in beside him, and he pulled me close, his arms wrapping protectively around me.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my forehead.

“Goodnight, Matt,” I whispered back, already drifting off.

The next morning, sunlight peeked through the blinds, gently waking me. I blinked a few times, finding myself completely entangled with Matt. My head rested on his chest, one of his arms draped over my waist, while our legs were a twisted mess beneath the covers.

I tilted my head up to see Matt already awake, scrolling through TikTok on his phone. When he noticed me looking, he gave me a lazy smile. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Morning,” I mumbled, my voice still heavy with sleep. I snuggled closer, resting my chin on his chest. “What are you watching?”

He tilted his phone so I could see. “Just dumb TikToks. Want to join?”

We spent a few minutes scrolling together, laughing at the ridiculous videos. Then, when a fortnite edit came through his fyp, an idea popped into my head. “Hey, Matt,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow.

“What’s up?” he asked, glancing at me.

“Do you think you could help me get a PC? I kind of want to play Fortnite again,” I admitted, biting my lip nervously.

Matt grinned, setting his phone down. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I miss playing.”

“Well, alright,” he said, stretching. “Get ready. We’re going shopping.”

Excitement bubbled up inside me as I scrambled out of bed. “You mean it?”

“Of course,” he replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. “I’ll make sure you’re set up with the best.”

I smiled, practically running toward the bathroom to get ready. 

I quickly slipped into a tight black cropped sports top and a pair of high-waisted biker shorts, tying my hair back into a sleek ponytail. Sliding on my hoka’s, I grabbed my phone and bag, practically skipping down the stairs. When I stepped outside, Matt was already in the car, leaning against the door with a grin on his face.

He looked effortlessly handsome in black sweatpants paired with a bear graphic  pink tee that somehow made him even cuter. As I walked toward him, he pushed off the car and met me halfway, pulling me in for a quick kiss. “You look cute,” he murmured against my lips.

“You’re one to talk,” I teased, smiling as I climbed into the car.

Matt hopped into the driver’s seat, adjusting his sunglasses as he started the engine. “Alright, PC shopping. Let’s get you back to gaming glory.”

The drive was filled with light banter and music, Matt occasionally glancing over to check on me. My excitement was contagious, and I could tell he was enjoying how thrilled I was about the idea of building a setup. When we pulled into the parking lot of the PC store, he parked quickly and turned to me with a smirk.

“Ready to spend all my money?” he teased.

I laughed, opening the car door. “No, I have my own money Matthew.”

“Hey, so I actually dont give a fuck.” He said as he pushed me into the store by my lower back.

We stepped into the brightly lit store, rows of tech and PC parts stretching out before us. “Alright, let’s build you the ultimate Fortnite machine,” he said, and I couldn’t help but beam at him.

We wandered the aisles of the PC store for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only about thirty minutes. I was like a kid in a candy store, pointing out all the cute setups and asking Matt’s opinion on every piece. Finally, I decided on a pink-and-white PC tower with a tempered glass side panel to show off its RGB lighting. Matt helped me pick out two matching monitors, a light pink mechanical keyboard, and a sleek white mouse to complete the setup.

“You sure you don’t want the whole store while we’re at it? Lets get you a camera for streaming” Matt said as we approached the checkout counter.

“Yes!” I said, grinning ear to ear.

After paying, Matt hauled the bulky boxes out to the car, his biceps flexing as he balanced everything effortlessly. Meanwhile, I was bouncing up and down like I had just won the lottery. “Matt! We need a desk and chair now! This setup has to be perfect!”

“Let’s get this loaded first,” he chuckled, maneuvering the gear into the trunk.

Once he closed the trunk, I couldn’t hold back my excitement any longer. I grabbed his face with both hands and started peppering kisses all over it—his cheeks, nose, and even his forehead. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I squealed between kisses. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist to steady me. “Oh so now I am your boyfriend?”

“Who knows what you are,” I said, pulling back to look at him with a big grin. “This is the best day ever.”

“Let’s make it even better,” he said, smirking. “Next stop—desk and chair shopping.”

“Let’s go!” I cheered, practically skipping to the passenger seat as Matt shook his head, smiling at my excitement.

We pulled into the IKEA parking lot, and I was practically vibrating with excitement as we walked in. “Okay,” I said, grabbing Matt’s hand and tugging him toward the desks section. “I know exactly what I want.”

After wandering through the maze of furniture, I found it: a sleek, white L-shaped desk with built-in drawers on one side. “This is it,” I said, running my hand along the surface. “It’s perfect.”

Matt nodded, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of the tag so we could find it in the warehouse section. “Alright, what else do we need?”

I grinned and dragged him over to the chairs. “A gaming chair, obviously.” After trying out a few, I settled on a white-and-pink chair with a reclining feature and cushioned armrests. “This one matches the PC perfectly!”

Matt chuckled. “You’re really going all out, huh?”

“Absolutely,” I said, already imagining how the setup would look.

Once we loaded the desk and chair into the car, I looked over at Matt. “One more stop.”

He groaned playfully. “Where now?”

“Walmart,” I said, smirking. “I need a headset, a PS5 controller, and… a Fortnite V-Bucks gift card.”

Matt sighed but couldn’t hide his smile. “Fine. But this is the last stop.”

At Walmart, I darted straight to the electronics section, grabbing a white wireless headset, a pink PS5 controller, and a shiny Fortnite V-Bucks gift card. “Done!” I declared, holding up my haul triumphantly.

Matt shook his head, laughing. “You’re lucky im inlove with you, you're breaking my bank.”

“Ill pay fo-” I started but Matt quickly put his hand over my mouth.

“Shut the fuck up” He said putting his card into the machine.

We finally made it back to my house, where we started setting everything up in my room. Matt assembled the desk and chair while I organized the PC, monitors, and accessories. By the time we finished, that part of the room looked like a gamer’s paradise. The pink and white setup glowed softly under the dim lighting, and everything was perfectly arranged.

I spun around in my new chair, grinning up at Matt. “This is amazing. Thank you for helping me.”

He leaned down, brushing a kiss against my forehead. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

Matt leaned against the doorway, watching as I made the final adjustments to my new setup. The Fortnite download screen was prominently displayed on one of my monitors, the progress bar slowly crawling forward.

“Well,” he said, pushing off the doorframe, “I think I’m gonna head home while this downloads.”

I spun around in my chair, a pout forming on my lips. “What? You’re leaving me already?”

He chuckled, stepping closer and leaning down to cup my cheek. “We’re gonna stream, remember? You, me, and Chris. Only for a bit. I’ll be back tonight, though. ”

The mention of streaming made my face light up. “Oh my god, that’s going to be so fun. You’re going to regret it when I carry the team.”

Matt smirked, brushing a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll see about that, gamer. Text me when it’s ready, and I’ll join you and we can go over streaming rules.”

I got up jumping into his arms giving him a slow and sensual kiss “Thank you Matthew”

Matt kissed me one more time before putting me down, as he walked toward the door. “Your welcome sweetheart”

As he left, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and appreciation for the man Matt had become.

By the time Fortnite finished downloading, my entire setup was glowing in soft hues of pink and white. The room felt cozy and vibrant, exactly how I’d imagined it. I adjusted my headset, checked the camera angle for the stream, and smiled at my reflection on the monitor. It was finally happening—my first Fortnite stream with Matt and Chris.

At exactly 7 p.m., I texted Matt letting him know I was ready and I joined their discord.

“Ready,” I replied confidently, as Matt clicked the “Start Stream” button.

The chat immediately flooded with messages:

“Matt’s live!!!” “Wait, who’s the girl??” “She’s cute omg” “Not y/n 🙄”

Matt rolled his eyes at some of the negative comments but didn’t say anything. Chris plopped down on his chair finally in frame, already laughing. “Alright, Y/N, you better not hold us back. We’re going for wins tonight.”

“I’ll carry both of you,” I teased, readying up for the first game.

As the game loaded, the three of us bantered, with Matt explaining the stream rules like keeping the chat friendly (a rule that was immediately broken) and not leaking anyone’s location. The chat continued to blow up:

“Chris is hilarious, as always.” “Matt and Y/N are so cute together!” “Why is she playing? We miss the old streams.” “I love this dynamic, stop being haters.”

The first couple of games were a bit chaotic. Chris accidentally blew up our cover by throwing grenades too early, I fell off a cliff trying to build, and Matt had to clutch a victory for us by taking out the last three players on his own.

“You’re welcome,” Matt said smugly as the victory screen popped up.

“Whatever,” I replied, leaning toward my mic. “Chat, he’s only good because I revived him earlier. Don’t let him fool you.”

The chat lit up again:

“She’s hilarious, I love her.” “No way she’s taking credit for Matt’s win 💀.” “Chris is just here for fun.”

By the third hour, the energy was at an all-time high. We had a good rhythm going—Matt was the strategist, Chris was the chaos, and I was surprisingly decent as the sniper. During one game, I knocked two players from a ridiculous distance.

“Okay, sniper,” Chris said, impressed.

Matt laughed. “Guess she really is carrying us now.”

The chat loved it: “She’s cracked, omg.” “Finally someone who can make Matt humble.” “Chris needs to stop throwing grenades lol.”

Of course, not everyone was thrilled. “This feels like a couple's stream now, ew.” “Why is she even here? Chris deserves better teammates.”

Matt finally addressed the negativity after seeing my face scrunch up at one comment. “If you’ve got a problem with her being here, fuck off,” he said bluntly, pointing at the camera. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“Yeah suck it,” I said flipping off the camera as I knocked another player.

By the end of the night, we’d played for four hours, won three games, and spent the rest laughing at Chris’ terrible aim and Matt’s competitive streak. As we wrapped up the stream, the chat was a mix of love and chaos:

“Best stream yet!” “Chris and Y/N’s dynamic is gold.” “Matt’s defending her like his life depends on it, I’m crying.”

As Matt was wrapping up the stream, he leaned into the mic. “Alright, guys, we’re gonna end it soon, but Y/N’s gonna join us for a bit before we go.” He smirked, “Come on, sweetheart. Walk over.”

I quickly turned off my setup, tossed my headset onto the desk, and grabbed an oversized hoodie from my chair. Pulling it on over my outfit, I slipped into my sneakers and ran downstairs. Charlie was sprawled on the couch, watching the stream on her phone.

“NICE STREAM!” she shouted, making me laugh as I bolted out the door.

The cool night air sent a chill down my spine as I jogged across the yard to the triplets’ house. The shadows from the streetlights made everything seem a little eerie, and I picked up my pace. By the time I reached their front door, I was nearly sprinting.

“Ok, it’s actually scary as fuck out,” I announced, slightly out of breath as I walked into Matt’s room.

Matt was sitting at his chair with Chris behind him on the bed, both watching the stream comments roll in. Matt grinned when he saw me, Chris patting the space next to him. “Get in here.”

I stepped into the camera’s view and plopped down next to him. Chris threw an arm over my shoulder. “The real MVP has arrived,” he said, pointing at me.

“Obviously,” I replied, smirking at the camera.

The chat went wild:

“Y/N!!!” “Wait, she lives next to them?” “Not her being scared of the dark lmao.” “Chris looks so proud of her right now.”

We spent the next few minutes reading comments and answering questions. One user asked, “Y/N, what’s it like being with these two?”

“It’s like babysitting,” I replied without hesitation, earning a loud laugh from Chris and a look from Matt.

“Babysitting?” Matt repeated, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. I don't know how you two survived without me for the last four years” I teased, leaning forward.

Another comment read, “Matt, you were so defensive of her earlier. Protecting your girl, huh?”

Matt smirked, resting his arm behind me on the bed. “Look at her, and tell me you wouldn't” he said simply, making me roll my eyes as the chat exploded with hearts and “he's mine.” comments.

Chris decided to take over the mic for a bit, answering a few random questions about his grenade mishaps and future stream plans. Meanwhile, Matt and I shared a quiet laugh about a particularly funny comment: “Chris, stop blowing stuff up!”

After a few more minutes, Matt addressed the chat. “Alright, guys, we’re calling it a night. Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you next time.”

Chris leaned into the mic one last time. “Peace out!”

As Matt ended the stream, he turned to me with a grin. “You did good tonight, sweetheart.”

“Thanks,” I said, smiling back. “Now, where’s my victory snack?”

Chris stretched and gave a tired groan "Snacks it is," he announced, dragging himself up.

Matt stood and offered me a hand. “Come on, let’s raid the kitchen.”

We made our way to the kitchen, Chris pulling out a bag of chips while Matt grabbed cookies and a couple of sodas. I found a bowl and dumped some popcorn in, adding a sprinkle of salt. Together, we carried everything back to the living room and piled onto the couch.

Matt picked out a movie—an action flick that Chris had been raving about—and we settled in. Halfway through the second movie, I started scrolling through my phone absentmindedly. Chris had fallen asleep against my shoulder, his soft snores occasionally breaking the quiet. Matt had shifted during the film, and now his head rested in my lap, his even breathing telling me he’d fallen asleep too.

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair from Matt’s face. The moment felt peaceful, like everything in the world was just as it should be.

When the credits rolled, I nudged Chris gently. “Hey, sleeping beauty. Time for bed.”

He groaned but eventually sat up, stretching and mumbling something about needing his own pillow.

“Matt,” I said softly, running my fingers through his hair. His eyes blinked open, and he looked up at me sleepily.

“Bed?” he murmured, sitting up slowly.

“Yeah, come on,” I said, helping him stand.

Chris shuffled off to his room, muttering a simple “Now i'm wide awake”

Matt made his way to his bed, collapsing onto it without even pulling the covers up. Within seconds, he was fast asleep again.

I laid next to him, feeling strangely restless. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through TikTok and Instagram. The quiet of the house was soothing, but for some reason, sleep wouldn’t come. So I stayed up, enjoying the solitude and the hum of the night.

Unable to shake the restless feeling, I grabbed my phone and padded quietly into Matt’s room. The soft glow from his bedside lamp illuminated his peaceful face as he slept, his chest rising and falling steadily. I smiled faintly, but the moment was interrupted by his phone vibrating on the nightstand.

I ignored it at first, assuming it wasn’t anything important, but when it buzzed again, and again, worry crept in. Nick was at a friend’s house, and a small part of me panicked, wondering if it was an emergency.

Carefully, I reached for Matt’s phone, glancing at the screen. The name "Abbie" flashed repeatedly, with at least ten unread messages. My stomach twisted. I hesitated, but curiosity and concern won out. I entered Matt's password and opened the messages.

The texts from Abbie weren’t what I expected.

"Wow, so you’re just going to ghost me now that you’re with her? Classy." "Matt, I deserve an explanation. You can’t just act like nothing happened between us." "Does she even know what kind of guy you really are? Maybe I should tell her." "You’re such a coward. At least be man enough to admit it."

Each message was angrier than the last, dripping with bitterness and accusations. My heart started racing as I reread them, trying to process what I was seeing. Who was Abbie? What was she talking about?

I glanced over at Matt, still fast asleep, completely unaware of the storm building inside me. My hand gripped his phone tightly as my mind reeled. I needed answers, but waking him up now didn’t feel right. Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the screen, trying to figure out what to do.

I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I rushed out of Matt’s room, his phone still clutched tightly in my hand, and made my way down the hallway to Chris's room. The emotional overload was too much, the weight of everything crashing down on me. As soon as I pushed open the door, the sight of Chris sitting up in bed caught my attention, but all I could do was burst into tears.

Chris’s face instantly shifted from confusion to concern. “Hey, hey, what’s going on?” he asked, his voice soft and steady.

Without saying a word, I flashed Matt's phone in front of him, my tears blurring my vision. I didn’t need to say anything more — Chris’s face dropped as soon as he saw the texts. His eyes softened with sympathy as he quickly opened the blanket, motioning for me to come in.

I didn’t hesitate. I crawled into the bed, burying my face into the crook of his neck, unable to stop the tears that had been building up for so long. Chris wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close, offering me the comfort I desperately needed.

“Who is she, Chris?” I choked out, my voice muffled as I held onto him tighter. “Why would he do this? Why didn’t he tell me about her?”

Chris didn’t answer right away. His hand gently rubbed my back as I cried, unsure of what to say, probably trying to figure out how to make it better. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but firm. “I think you should sleep on it, Y/N. Get some rest. You’re not gonna find all the answers right now.”

I looked up at him, sniffling as my eyes searched his. “But, I need to know, Chris. I can’t just pretend it’s okay.” My voice wavered as I said the words, but it felt like the weight of everything was too much to carry alone.

Chris sighed deeply, his gaze softening. “I get it, Y/N. But, it’s not my place to tell you what happened with Matt and this girl. He’s the one who needs to explain it. You can talk to him in the morning, okay?”

I nodded, even though my heart felt heavy with doubt and hurt. All I wanted was to understand why things had turned out this way, and why Matt hadn’t been upfront with me. But for now, I was exhausted — emotionally and physically. I buried my face back into Chris’s chest, allowing myself a few moments of peace, hoping sleep would bring some clarity, or at least some calm.

Chris continued to hold me, his warmth offering me the only comfort I could find at that moment. We lay there in silence, me trying to gather my thoughts, him quietly offering me the safety of his presence. And slowly, despite the pain, my tears began to subside.

The sunlight filtered through the curtains, but it didn’t matter. My mind was racing, still reeling from the emotions of last night. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to drift back to sleep for a few more minutes of peace, but it was then that I heard the voices.

It started with a low murmur, but soon escalated into raised voices. Matt. Chris. They were yelling at each other.

I froze, not knowing what to do. My heart hammered in my chest. I pretended to stay asleep, but my ears were wide open, listening intently to every word.

“I told you, Matt, she found the fucking texts!” Chris’s voice was filled with frustration and anger.

“I don’t need you to tell me that!” Matt snapped back. “I know what happened, okay? She’s pissed, and she’s gonna be pissed at me, but I don’t need you making it worse!”

“You’ve already made it worse, man,” Chris shot back. “You can’t just hide shit from her like that. She deserves to know what’s going on. You’ve fucked up.”

Matt let out an exasperated sigh, followed by the sound of him running his fingers through his hair. “Fuck.” His voice was a mix of anger and stress. “I can’t deal with this right now. I just… I don’t know what to say to her.”

“Then don’t say anything at all until you figure it out,” Chris retorted. “But don’t act like you didn’t know what you were doing, Matt.”

There was silence for a moment, and then the bed shifted as Matt’s footsteps approached. I felt my body being lifted gently, and before I knew it, I was placed on the soft bed, I knew it was Matt’s.

I heard Matt sigh heavily. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. But I need you to stay here for a bit.” He paused. “Chris is right. We need to talk… but not right now. I need to figure out what the fuck to say to you.”

I stayed perfectly still, pretending to be asleep, but inside I was unraveling. What the hell had I just heard? What was Matt hiding? Why didn’t he tell me about Abbie, and why was Chris so angry about it?

The weight of the situation was pressing down on me, and I could feel the sting of betrayal, even though I hadn’t said a word yet.

Matt’s footsteps faded as he left the room, the door closing behind him with a soft click. I lay there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing. But no matter how hard I tried to fight it, my emotions were a tidal wave, crashing over me with no sign of stopping.

Matt’s footsteps returned, and the door creaked open softly. My heart skipped a beat, my emotions still in turmoil from everything I had overheard. I stayed still, pretending to sleep, but I could feel the tension in the air.

“Y/N?” Matt’s voice was quieter now, almost regretful. “Can we talk?”

I didn’t respond right away, letting him stew in the silence. Finally, I sat up, rubbing my face with one hand and looking at him. His face was a mixture of guilt and frustration, like he was trying to figure out how to make things right.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands in his lap. “Look… I owe you an explanation.” He took a deep breath, the weight of what he was about to say heavy on his shoulders. “Before you and I really started… well, before this… I was with someone else.”

I blinked, trying to process his words, but he didn’t give me a chance to speak. He continued.

“There was this girl, Abbie. We were in a relationship, and it wasn’t perfect, but I was with her.” His voice cracked slightly, as though admitting this was a weight he hadn’t carried before. “Then, I found out you lived next door, and everything changed.”

I stared at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

He ran his hands through his hair again, his frustration evident. “I tried to ignore it, Y/N. I tried to pretend like I didn’t feel something every time I saw you, but I couldn’t. And when we went on that trip together… everything just came to a head. I realized I didn’t want to be with her anymore.” He looked at me with pleading eyes. “I told her it was done. I ended things with her, but I never expected her to act the way she has.”

His gaze fell, and I could see the guilt on his face. “I never meant to hurt you. especially after seeing the TikTok Charlie accidentally posted. She’s been bombarding me with texts ever since.”

I sat there, speechless, processing what he was saying. A mix of emotions flooded over me—betrayal, anger, and confusion. I felt like I had been in the dark about something important, and now, I left just how I did in college.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, the hurt in my voice evident.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he answered quickly. “I thought I could handle it without dragging you into it. But I realize now… I should’ve been upfront with you from the start. I’m sorry. I’ve been a fucking idiot.”

I was still reeling from the shock of everything he had just confessed. I wanted to be angry, but I didn’t know where to direct it. At Matt? At myself for trusting him after everything he had already put me through?

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my voice shaking slightly. “I don’t know if I can trust you. Its fucking annoying, you couldve told me you had a fucking girlfriend. You told me you loved me before you ever broke up with her”

Matt’s face fell, and for the first time, I saw real regret in his eyes. “I get it. You don’t have to trust me right now, Y/N. But I swear to you, I want to make this right. I want you, and only you.”

I didn’t answer immediately, too lost in my thoughts. 

I stood up, feeling the weight of everything. “I need time to think, Matt. I really do.”

He nodded, standing up slowly. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be here when you’re ready. I swear.”

I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Instead, I turned away, walking out of his room. 

I walked out of Matt’s room, holding back the tears threatening to spill over. The moment I shut his door, I let out a shaky breath, my chest tightening. Without a second thought, I made my way to Chris’s room, my feet moving on autopilot. I needed someone, and Chris had always been my safe space before.

I pushed the door open, and Chris looked up from his phone, concern flashing in his eyes the second he saw me. “Y/N?” he asked, sitting up quickly.

Before I could say anything, the dam broke, and tears streamed down my face. Chris was on his feet in seconds, pulling me into a tight hug. “Hey, hey. What happened?” he murmured, guiding me to sit on the bed.

I wiped at my face, trying to catch my breath, but the words tumbled out in a rush. “I just feel like everything started with a lie, Chris. It hurts. After everything we went through in college, all the toxicity, I wanted this to be different. I thought it was different.”

Chris sighed, sitting down next to me and keeping a comforting hand on my back. “I get it, Y/N. I really do. But can I say something?”

I nodded, sniffling, unable to meet his eyes.

“I’m not sticking up for Matt,” he started carefully. “But I’ve seen him these past few years. He missed you so much, Y/N. For years, he didn’t even look at another girl. I think when you came back, he was just so desperate to get it right this time. He wanted to make it perfect. He didn’t want to mess it up again.”

His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I stared at him, my mind racing. “Then why didn’t he just tell me? Why did he think lying, or hiding this, was the way to make it perfect?”

Chris shrugged. “Because he’s Matt. He overthinks everything, and when it comes to you, he’s always been a mess. He doesn’t know how to handle the fact that you’re his weak spot.”

I let out a shaky laugh, despite myself. “His weak spot?”

Chris smiled gently. “Yeah, and honestly? You’ve always been his biggest strength, too. Even when things were bad, you brought out the best in him. I think that’s why he panicked. He didn’t want to lose you again.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, letting Chris’s words sink in before I stood up. My legs felt unsteady, but I knew what I needed to do. “Thanks, Chris,” I murmured, giving him a small smile. He nodded, his eyes full of understanding as he watched me walk out of his room.

I hesitated outside Matt’s door, my hand hovering over the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it open.

Matt was lying on his bed, his arm draped over his face, but the redness around his eyes made it clear he’d been crying. His head turned toward me, surprise flashing in his teary eyes before he sat up slightly. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance.

Without a word, I walked over and crawled onto the bed, positioning myself on top of him. His arms instinctively wrapped around me tightly, holding me as if he were afraid I’d vanish. The tension in his body melted slightly, but I could still feel the heaviness of his guilt in the way he held me.

“I get it,” I whispered, my face pressed against his chest. “I’m sorry for not hearing you out earlier.”

Matt’s grip on me tightened. “No, Y/N, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you everything from the start. I just… I didn’t know how to. I’ll answer any questions you have. Anything. I swear.”

I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. His eyes were earnest, full of both regret and hope. I nodded, and we sat up together, his hands never leaving my waist.

“Okay,” I said softly, looking at him with a determined expression. “Then I have some questions.”

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