Page 16 of Nicky

We drank in silence for a while, the only sounds the occasional pop of the fire and the faint hum of wind outside.

I leaned back, letting the firelight flicker between us. “You want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer. But then he exhaled, a long, shaky breath that seemed to deflate him. “I couldn’t sit in the house anymore. It felt... loud.”

He didn’t mean loud in the traditional sense, and I knew better than to ask for an explanation. I just nodded.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Sharon called even though she saw me—us—earlier. She wanted to check on me.”

“That was kind of her.”

“Yeah.” His voice was tight, brittle. “She kept asking if I was okay, and I couldn’t—I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make her feel bad for asking, but I didn’t want to lie, either.”

I waited, watching the way his hands gripped the fabric of his hoodie.

“So I told her I was fine.” His laugh was short and bitter. “She didn’t believe me.”

“Would it have been so bad to tell her the truth?”

His gaze shot to mine, sharp and defensive, but then it softened just as quickly. “I don’t know what the truth is anymore.”

“That’s okay.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my knees. “Sometimes, just saying that is enough.”

He looked down at his lap, his fingers fidgeting with the strings of his thin hoodie. “Why are you always so calm?”

“I’m not always calm.”

“You seem like it.”

“Maybe because I’ve been where you are.”

His hands stilled, and his eyes met mine again, searching. “How do you deal with it? The... noise.”

“By letting people in. It’s not easy, but it helps.” I kept my tone gentle, steady.But aren’t you one to talk, Markus? You’ve been running away since the breakup with Josh, closing people out.

Nicholas didn’t respond, but the tension in his shoulders eased just a fraction.

When he finished drinking the cocoa, he rested the empty mug on the table. I stood and extended my hand to him.

He blinked up at me, startled. “What?”

“You’re staying here tonight.”

“No, I?—”

“Yes, you are. It’s late, and I’m not letting you drive home in this weather.”

“I drove to get here.”

“Come on, let’s go,” I said, ignoring his retort. “You can stay in the guest room.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t argue as he stood and followed me to the guest room.

“I don’t have anything to wear,” he muttered, hovering in the doorway like he didn’t trust the space.

I opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a warmer hoodie than the one he had on. “These should fit well enough for tonight.”

His nose scrunched, a grumpy expression that only made me want to ruffle his hair. “I’m not wearing your clothes.”

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