Chapter 130: Teasing the Heart

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Teasing the Heart ~Evric’s POV~ The final draft is finally out today, and the shoot is scheduled for tomorrow. Coincidentally, tomorrow was supposed to be the day we flew back home. But right now, I don’t think that will be possible. Zayn’s birthday is only four days away, and I’m not even sure I’ll be able to make it. After the shoot and the presentation, we still have to wait for the launch, which might take a few extra days. Honestly, I don’t know how to tell Zayn that I might not be able to make it to his birthday. Just then, Mr. Karl knocked on my door. I opened it, and he said, "The way things are going now, you might not make it to Zayn’s birthday." I looked at him and sighed. "That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. I don’t even know how to break the news to him." Mr. Karl frowned. "This is terrible. He’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing you there." Then he asked, "But have you at least told him you won’t be back tomorrow?" "Yes," I admitted. "I told him I wouldn’t make it tomorrow, but I didn’t mention his birthday." Karl sighed. "Maybe you should book him a ticket, and you can celebrate here together." I looked at Karl. "Honestly, I never thought of asking him to come here before. Not until Nicki reached out to me a few days ago. Nicki wanted to visit, and that made me realize... true, I could actually fly Zayn here instead." "That makes sense," Karl said. "So, did you ask him?" "Yes, I did," I replied. "But he turned me down. He said he’d rather wait for me to come back than travel here. So, you see, there’s no way he’ll accept coming." Karl nodded slowly. "Then in that case, I’d advise you to tell him the truth, that you might not make it to his birthday." I hesitated. "Won’t he be upset?" "Someone like Zayn will understand," Karl reassured me. I nodded. "Alright... I’ll talk to him later." We kept talking for a while, then suddenly Karl said, "That reminds me, you said Nicki reached out to you. What exactly does he want from you?" I smirked playfully, "He wants to spend time with me... in bed." Karl raised an eyebrow. "You mean like play around or spread the bed sheet?" I chuckled. "Yes, maybe even clean the room." I teased. Karl gave me a look, and we both burst out laughing. Then, after a brief silence, his tone grew more serious. "Be honest with me," he asked. "Do you have any interest in spending time with Nicki like that?" I studied him for a moment. "You mean, do I want to sleep with Nicki?" He nodded. "Yes. Be sincere with yourself." "Honestly? No," I replied without hesitation. Karl studied me. "Are you serious?" "Yes," I said. "It’s not even about loyalty to Zayn or anything like that." "Then what’s the reason?" Karl pressed. I explained, "I have this thing, once I get addicted to one person, I find it really difficult to be with someone else. I might feel tempted, but I won’t actually be able to do it." "But you’ve slept with Nicki before," Karl reminded me. "Your body could have already gotten used to him." I shook my head. "No. Nicki belongs to my past. To my body, he’s just another stranger who’s trying to reconnect. But with Zayn..." I looked at Karl with playful, mischievous eyes. "With Zayn, I could go for hours. I could do it for seventy-two hours straight, in every possible position, and never lose the fire in me." Karl burst out laughing. "Just go easy on him." "Easy? No way!" I grinned. "When I get back home, I don’t care if his friends are around or even listening, I’ll cling to him twenty-four seven. Zayn is just too sweet. I can’t wait to go home and be with my man!" Karl shook his head, laughing. "You really are a lover boy." I laughed along with him. "You can say that again." After my conversation with Karl, after the laughter and the playful teasing, he finally left my room. The silence that followed felt heavier than before, because now it was time for me to face the truth: I had to tell Zayn I might not make it to his birthday. The thought alone made my chest narrow. The last thing I wanted was to see him disappointed, to feel like I had let him down. I sat on the edge of the bed, debating with myself. Should I write to him? Should I call instead? Either way, I had no idea how to break the news without hurting him. I gathered my courage and called him. The phone rang only twice before his warm voice came through the line. "Hello, baby." A smile tugged at my lips. "Hi, love." We exchanged the usual questions, how he was, how his day had gone, and for a while we talked about everything and nothing, until the conversation slipped into a comfortable silence. My heart beat faster. It was now or never. "Babe," I said softly. "Yes?" His voice was gentle, curious. "I want to tell you something up front," I began. "Okay," he replied. "What is it?" I swallowed hard. "The thing is... I might not make it back in time for your birthday. I’ll arrive during your birthday week, but not on the day itself. I..." Before I could finish, he cut in. "It’s okay, babe. We can always celebrate together when you’re back." "Are you upset with me?" I asked carefully. "No," he said with quiet honesty. "Just a little sad, maybe. But your work comes first. We can celebrate my birthday anytime, I still have plenty of birthdays ahead." I knew he wasn’t angry, but something in his tone unsettled me. It wasn’t pain I heard, it was relief, as if my absence somehow spared him. The gentleness in his voice made me wonder if he was secretly glad I wouldn’t be there. A part of me wanted to press him, to ask why, but I held back. Instead, I said quietly, "Do you miss me, baby?" "Yes," he said without hesitation. "I miss you." My chest constricted with longing. "I miss you too." He suddenly sounded lighter, almost cheerful. "Baby, let me call you later. I have something I need to handle, okay?" "Okay," I murmured, though disappointment clung to my words. Just like that, he hung up, without waiting for me to tell him I loved him. I sat there, staring at my phone, my thoughts racing. Did he not want my love anymore? Was he relieved that I wouldn’t be there for his birthday? I knew deep down none of this was true, but with Zayn, I always craved reassurance. So I typed out a message, my heart aching for his reply: You’re happy I won’t make it to your birthday, aren’t you? You sounded relieved... like you don’t love me anymore. ~Zayn’s POV~ I received Evric’s message on my phone and suddenly burst out laughing. What the hell... I had left the message unread on purpose, just to shake him up a little, to let him feel the silence. He needed to know I wasn’t arguing, not because I had no words, but because I knew exactly how to draw him closer. Then another message came through: Just tell me if you’re angry or if you don’t love me anymore. I was sitting with Nuala at the time. She caught the way I kept smiling at my phone and raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?" "Yes," I answered lightly, trying not to laugh. A new message buzzed in: Now I get it, you already have someone else to replace me, right? Fine. Enjoy. Still, I didn’t reply. I liked teasing him, letting him squirm just enough. Another notification popped up almost immediately: Baby, I love you. Why won’t you reply to me? Then, as if to punctuate his frustration, he sent a picture of himself pouting with a so-called sad face. But honestly, the expression wasn’t sad at all, it was hilarious. "God, Evric," I muttered under my breath, shaking my head with a grin. Just as I was about to put the phone down, the screen lit up again. This time, it wasn’t another message... it was a video call.