Chapter 73 – Epilogue 2
Two years later.
Daven’s POV
I was pissed. So fucking pissed, and I tried to calm my blood down a little by breathing out harshly through my mouth as I glared straight at the door, a door which I expected Nicolas to walk through any moment from now.
It was currently some minutes past two in the midnight, and the idiot still wasn’t home yet, because he was out partying once again, like he’s been doing continuously for the past few months.
I wouldn’t have been bothered about it, because Nicolas ass obviously an adult who knows what’s right for him, and didn’t need me worrying about him- but after what Auden had informed the both of us a couple of days ago on the phone, I had automatically thought he was going to put a break to his night shinanagans. But Nicolas continued to go out. I had thought last night’s outing was going to be the last one for now, at least until Auden declares everywhere safe, but Nicolas went out tonight again.
And apparently, I’ve arrived at my breaking point.
Nicolas moved across the company, into a rented apartment, since we both now go to the same university, although I was two classes above Nicolas. The plan was to live a lowkey life, hence the basicnes of the apartment, compared to our mansion back at home. Ever since the incident that happened two years ago, that managed to leave a mark in our lives, we’ve all learnt to be more careful and at alert, which was why I didn’t understand Nicolas’ anymore.
Our friendship somehow grew less intimate and speacy, some time after that incident happened, and I didn’t try to fight it, because I felt it was for my own good, because I might have developed a crush on Nicolas back then, and I hated myself for it. It wasn’t just because he was straight, it was because he was a minor then, and also because of how Auden and Tristan refer to me as their little brother, which automatically makes Nicolas and I brothers.
So, that was enough to make me do nothing but watch helplessly as Nicolas’ friendship with me got distanced and tense. When we both moved into this apartment, I had felt like my friendship with Nicolas was going to be repaired a little at least, since I was pretty sure I had killed that crush which i once developed for him– but our friendship was still pretty much the same. Sometimes we go days without coming across each other in the apartment, which I liked and hated at the same time.
I loved seeing his face, love seeing him with his cute bed next with his dark hair which had been cut short, framing his forehead softly, love seeing his dressed up really hot while leaving for school, like he’s a high paid model…
Which is what made me start to question myself if that crush which I was had on him was completely gone, or if it was still lurking around somewhere.
My thoughts got interrupted by the sound of the keys turning in the door, and I fingered my gun on the spot beside me, just as the door got pushed open as Nicolas walked into the house and locked the door behind him. I watched as he switched the lights on and blinked a couple of times in surprise as soon as he noticed me on one of the single couches in the sitting room.
“Uh, you’re awake.” He mumbled as he pushed away from the doorway, and I remained silent while watching him with a blank expression on my face.
“I’m heading to bed, good night.” He called out after a few seconds when I still remained silent and I scoffed at that, my face hardening in that moment.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re heading to?” I called out to him in a voice that was roughened from how angry I currently was, and I watched the way Nicolas blinked in surprise once again.
“To my bed?” He responded tentatively.
“You’re not going anywhere, Nicolas.” I informed to him in a low voice as I pushed myself to my feet and began to make my way towards where he was standing in.
“Why the fuck not?” He demanded, a scowl making its way to his face and I let out a small scoff.
“Because you’ve been acting like a freaking child, and I think it’s high time we talk about your late nights habits.”
His mouth fell open a little. “Are you kidding me?”
When I remained silent after stopping a few feet away from hin, he continued. “Who the fuck are you? My father? Who thinks he can dictate how I live my life?”
I took a step closer to him. “I’m Daven, someone who obviously have a whole lot of brains compared to you.”
He spluttered. “My IQ is freaking higher than yours, man.”
“That doesn’t matter since you barely act like someone with a really low IQ. Do you not think before deciding to do some things?” I snapped the second sentence to him as I took another step closer to him, watching as his face hardened as he glared at me.
“What brought up this? Where is this coming from?” He demanded instead.
“You tell me, since you’ve chosen to ignore the fact that Auden asked us to lay really low for now because of what’s currently happening around where they reside in.”
“Well, I’m laying freaking low.” He pointed out to me with an eye roll.
“Not with the ridiculous late nights you keep, you’re not.”
“Well, what’s it to you? It’s not your freaking business, now is it?” He snapped out this time and I took another step closer to him.
“It’s none of my business, yes. But we’re here on our own, it’s my duty to ensure you’re safe.” I pushed out and he scoffed irritatedly.
“Fuck duty, I’m not yours to protect from harm, I can take care of myself, I’d have you know that.”
“By keeping late nights like a freaking child?” I demanded.
“That’s none of your business, Daven. I don’t know why you’re suddenly interested in something that concerned me, you were never interested in any of that for years.”
I lifted one of my hands and dragged it over my face. “That’s not true-”
“Yes, it is. It fucking is. When was the last time you held an actual conversation with me?”
I let out a small sigh on realizing that i don’t remember when.
“See? We don’t talk anymore, or meddle in anyone’s business, so I am confused as to why you’re suddenly concerned about me.”
“We not talking was your fault, remember? Yo suddenly stopped talking to me except when it was really important.” I reminded him, feeling my chest tighten in the amount of hurt I’ve trapped in there.
“What? That’s on all you! You started ignoring me first, remember? So I stopped bothered talking to you because it was obvious to me that I was being a bother to you.” He accused and my eyes widened in shock, some of the anger leaving my face in that moment.
“What?” I whispered in confusion. “I never did any of that!”
Even though a part of me remembered doing that at a point, because it was getting harder for me to not pull him into my arms or brush my lips against his, or confess my crush to him, and nothing more.
“You ignored me, a lot. I’d be excited to talk to you and you’d run out of a secluded room as soon as I enter it, and it hurt me so much… because– because, I thought you were disgusted with me because of what happened to me when I got kidnapped, so I took the hint and stayed away.” He whispered the last two words and I felt my heart constrict painful in my chest.
“What? Fuck, no! No. I’d never do that, I can’t ever get disgusted around you, what happened to you back then wasn’t your fault and there was no way I’d ignore you because of that.”
Nicolas only scowled at me. “Yeah, right, sure.”
“I’m serious, Nick.”
“Oh, so it’s ‘nick’ now? You know, you haven’t called me that in years.” He reminded me in a voice that sounded mocking.
“I just remembered it right now, and I’m being honest here, I’d never ignore you because of that.
“Why did you ignore me then?” He questioned and I breathed out a deep sigh.
“I can’t really give you an exact answer, but it’s not because of what you thought.” I responded after about a minute and the look on Nicolas’ face was blank, and angry, but there was an undertone of hurt on his face as well, and that expression made my heart hurt because I wasn’t sure there was a thing I could do about it, without revealing my actual reason to him, which might make his hate me or something.
“Yeah, no. I’m not buying that, but ok.” He finally snapped out and I winced a little.
“Ni-”
“No, don’t go all ‘you have to protect me’ and shit because I’m going to punch your face.” He warned in sn angry voice. “Fuck you and your duty to protect me.”
He turned away from me and threw out. “Good fucking night, and please go back to referring to me as Nicolas and not ‘nick’, thank you.” His voice was cold and angry as he spat those words out, and he was barely two steps forward before I was grabbing his wrist and halting his movement.
“Let go of me my wrist, Daven.” He ordered without turning around, and I used that opportunity to finally close the distance between us.
“No.” I responded, already sending thst the night had head into a completely different turn than I had in mind when I waited for him to get home.
“What do you mean by that? I’m going to freaking punch you in the face, Daven.” He spat out angrily and I felt his hand tremble against my grip slightly.
“No… Nick.” I responded after a minute, already preparing myself for the punch that he threw directly at my nose, catching it in my other hand and tugging it down, leaving his hands trapped in mind and only a little bit of space between our bodies.
Puberty didn’t fully hit me until when I was nineteen, making me buff up drastically when it finally arriving, which made me slightly tower over a tall and slender Nicolas, and made it not hard to hold his hands firmly despite all his attempts to tug them free. His face was angry and red as he spluttered out.
“Let go of me, you fucker, you suddenly aren’t disgusted with me, huh?” He spat out as he stared up at me.
“I was never disgusted with you, Nicolas, I swear.”
“Okay, now let go of me.”
“No.”
“No?” He demanded incredulously and I nodded my head at him before slowly pressing myself against him, obviously not thinking about what I was currently doing before carrying it out.
He squirmed when I pressed him into the wall behind him.
“Let go of me.” I whispered this time, and I dropped his hands, while pressing more against him.
“Uh, I’m heading to bed.” He pointed out as he licked his lower lip, while making zero attempts to get out of his current position.
“Okay.” I murmured in response, and perhaps it was my imaginations, but it felt like he pressed back against me a little. I pressed against him completely until there wasn’t any space between us, and I watched as a little color flamed his face.
I lifted my hands and cupped his face, throwing cautions to the wind and going for what my heart wants for once. I leaned down a little as I tilted his face upwards, floored and overwhelmed by the want that flashed over his face for a few seconds.
I closed the distance even more, giving him a lot of time to pull away if he wanted to – but his eyes slide close to my shock, and I felt a thousand emotions rush into my heart in that moment.
I was about to brush my lips against his lips when a phone started to ring really loudly, shattering the fragile and intimate that had engulfed us, some time ago, as Nicholas’ eyes flew open as he jerked his face away from my hands and dug his hands into his pockets for his still ringing phone.
I swore a little, feeling my heart still beating fast as I pushed away from his to put a lot of distance between us, as I began to ask myself what he was that had been about to happen some moments ago.
“What? Is she ok?” Nicolas demanded of whoever was on the other side of the phone loudly, making me focus my attention on him, noticing a little trace of color still in jor cheeks.
“Fuck, ok. We’ll leave right this instant.”
As soon as those words left his mouth I knew something was definitely wrong.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
He finally pulled his phone off his ear to blurt out. “You were right, the club I had left is currently on fire. The house got attacked, and Aria got shot, and you know how critical her condition would be, seeing as she’s pregnant. Auden asked us to exit this apartment right now, because he felt…
The sound of a gunshot going off outside our apartment made Nicolas trail off for a few seconds.
“… like I’ve been followed from the club, and might be ambushed here in the apartment.”
My mouth parted to say something, but only a small sound came forth when two gunshots sounds echoed off one of our windows.
“We’re so fucked.” I whispered just as Nicolas turned off the lights with the flick of a switch.
“Yeah, we really are.” Nicolas echoed after me, just as another round of shots echoed out, from the doorway this time.
THE END!
Let me know if you want a story of Daven & Nicolas.
With love, Josephine Ivy. 🙂