Page 95 of The Casting Couch

Just raw honesty in a tone that made my chest twist.

I didn’t overthink.I didn’t text back some dumb meme or ask what was wrong or try to sound cool.

To Nico:

On my way.

Then I grabbed my bag, nodded at Liam—who gave me a “go get him, tiger” thumbs-up I chose to ignore—and bolted for the door.

* * *

Nico’s door opened before I could knock a second time.

He looked like a ghost of the guy I’d kissed senseless just this morning.Same face, same clothes, but drained.Dull in the eyes.Wound so tight he looked like one good gust of wind might snap him in half.

I said nothing, just pulled him into my arms.

He didn’t resist.Just folded into me like gravity finally caught up with him.His arms wrapped around my waist, his face pressed into my neck, and his breath came out in this jagged sigh that sounded way too close to breaking.

I kissed his temple.Then his cheek.Then his mouth.

The kiss was slower this time.Not like the sleepy morning ones we’d exchanged a few hours ago—these were needier.A little unsteady.Like we were holding each other up with our mouths.

I couldn’t get enough of him lately.Still couldn’t believe he let me touch him, much less kiss him like this.Like we weren’t both disasters pretending to be people.

When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine.“Thanks for coming.”

“Of course,” I said.“You okay?”

He stepped back and waved me in.

I’d been here before—hell, I’d woken up in his bed this morning—but the apartment felt different now.The comfort was still there, but so was something else.A weird, sour tension in the air.Like the ghost of an unwanted visitor, still lingered in the corners.

We sat down on the couch and Nico sank back into it like his bones hurt.He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

“My mom is in New York,” he said.“Floris in the flesh.Haven’t seen her in years, and she just shows up out of nowhere with a redneck boyfriend and an urge to sightsee.”

I leaned in.“What happened?”

He snorted.“We walked the city.Or tried to.They didn’t want to eat anywhere that wasn’t serving fried meat and Jesus.Thom kept saying he couldn’t understand anyone’s accent.My mom acted like this was some kind of mother-son vacation we forgot we planned.It was embarrassing, weird, and awful.”

He stared at the ceiling for a moment before continuing, his voice quieter now.“I don’t know why they’re here.We’re not close.She threw me out when I was seventeen.Now she’s knocking on my door and acting like we’re the goddamn Gilmore Girls.”

I hesitated.“Do you think… maybe she wants to make amends?”

Nico shook his head slowly.“It didn’t feel like that.There was no apology.No recognition of what she did.Just passive-aggressive compliments and weird fake smiles.And Thom?He barely said a word.Just watched everything.Like he was casing the place.”

I reached for his hand and took it gently.“You don’t have to make excuses for how you feel.I’d be pissed too.”

He looked at me, really looked at me, and something in his expression softened.Like he was letting himself lean into the comfort.Trust it.

“You ever just want to burn your entire past down?”he asked quietly.

“All the time,” I said.“But then I remember it’s the reason I found this version of my life.And you’re in it.So maybe it’s not all bad.”

He blinked like that hit him in the sternum, and I had to look away for a second just to keep from blurting something embarrassing like I think I might actually be falling for you.

After a long silence, I gave his hand a little squeeze.“Mind if I use the bathroom?”

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