CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272: SIBLING ADVICE AND STARK TRUTHS

~Nantam’s POV~

Nicki came around this morning, thankfully bringing coffee, which I desperately needed after that whole Evans drama dump. I told him everything about my coerced dinner with Evans, including the kiss and the absurd friend-zoning attempt.

The first thing Nicki did was practically choke on his latte. He burst into laughter, loud and obnoxious, until he had to set his cup down.

"Wait, wait," he gasped, wiping a tear from his eye. "Is Evans actually serious about you? Like, not in a ’just a one-night stand’ way, but in an ’I want to hold your hand in public’ way?"

I shrugged, feeling heat creep up my neck. "I don’t know. He made it sound like I was this fascinating new puzzle he had to solve. And he was very clear that he likes me."

Nicki sighed, his humor fading slightly into that familiar brotherly seriousness. "Well, I’m going to give you two pieces of contradictory advice. I will advise you to give it a try, because Evans is ridiculously well-connected and annoyingly attractive. And, I will also advise you not to give it a try for reasons that are frankly hilarious, but mostly dangerous."

He leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Look, Nantam, I didn’t exactly have a good record in his brother’s history. And beyond that, I didn’t exactly possess any ’good qualities’ in front of his father when I was with Evric. So tell me, how will that work for you?"

Nicki shuddered dramatically. "I don’t want to sound bitter, but seriously, if you actually try to date Evans, you might not survive the experience. His father would put you through the most mind-numbing tests before you even got a chance to pass one. By the time you finished the preliminary three-week exam on ancient Draeven trading protocols, you’d already have died from sheer boredom and stress. And I’m not ready to lose you, Nantam."

He grabbed my arm for emphasis. "The Draeven family is not an easy place, Nantam. Look at what Zayn went through! He had to prove himself over and over before Evric’s father finally accepted him. And you? You’ve never even tried dating before. You’re going from zero to Draeven-level difficulty. I’m telling you, Evans is definitely not the right option to start with. You need to practice on someone less likely to require a background check and a notarized life plan."

He leaned back, a smug look on his face. "Assuming you are like me, Nantam, I would tell you to have a taste of him once, and then act like you never knew him from anywhere."

"What ’taste’ do you mean?" I asked, completely lost. I honestly couldn’t decipher his slang sometimes.

Nicki rolled his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "See? You can’t even understand this. You are just my elder brother, Nantam. You need to learn first. Take a lesson from me before you start dating."

"Just say what you mean by a ’taste’ of him," I insisted, getting impatient.

"What I mean," Nicki said, dropping his voice as if he were revealing a great secret, "is that you will sleep with him once without hard feelings or thinking much about it. It’s just a one-time thing, you know."

"Nicki!" I exclaimed, calling his name in a warning tone.

"What?" he responded, perfectly innocent.

"Then I don’t need a teacher like you," I told him flatly. "A teacher like you will destroy me."

"I’m trying to make things easier for you, so you can learn to be ruthless like me," he said, standing and pacing the room. "You won’t get your heart broken. You’ll be the one breaking hearts. Look at me, I’m the perfect example. If I like someone but I know I can’t be with them, I just sleep with them once and walk away. No attachments. No regrets."

"That’s not cool, Nicki," I said, keeping my tone gentle so it wouldn’t sound harsh.

"I know," he shrugged. "But at least I’m saving myself from unnecessary stress and drama."

"You should get serious with someone, you know," I challenged him.

He smirked, turning back to me with a twinkle in his eye. "I’m thinking of having a girlfriend." He paused, watching my face intently for my reaction.

"Are you for real, bro? I will be so happy!" I laughed, the image of Nicki navigating a heterosexual relationship being instantly comical.

"You will be happy, but any girl who dates me will be sad and regretful," he teased.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused about why he was so certain of his own failure.

"Are you asking me why?" Nicki scoffed. "Nantam, I date men and I never succeed in keeping any. Do you think I will be able to keep a woman?"

"It’s not like you don’t have someone you like, Nicki. You’re just afraid to give love a real chance. You’re scared of getting your heart broken... Scared someone might break your heart the same way you broke theirs."

"That’s nonsense! I’m not scared of anybody," he insisted, though his eyes looked away briefly.

"Okay, I understand, brother," I conceded.

Nicki stood up, then returned to sit beside me, resting his head on my shoulder. The sudden vulnerability was a sharp contrast to his usual bravado. "Nantam, I know you’re a better person than I am. You could probably pass every Draeven test, no matter how ridiculous they are. But if you don’t feel anything real for Evans... then let him go."

He stopped talking for a moment, his tone turning gentle. "But if there’s something real in your heart for him, don’t push it away. Just give it a chance. Don’t let fear hold you back. Heartbreak is part of living, and Evans isn’t the kind of man who would ever use your feelings against you."

"Thank you, bro," I said, leaning my head against his.

He smiled. "I’m glad you’re finally talking about someone who isn’t Zayn," Nicki murmured. "I’m rooting for you, bro. Whoever your heart chooses, I’ll support you, like always."

"I smiled. ’Thank you, Nicki. And you should also try to give love a chance, okay? My brother is handsome, tall, and all-around great—well, except for that sharp tongue of yours but don’t worry, I’m praying for you about that too.’"

We both laughed, the sudden moment of seriousness broken. Just then, the doorbell rang, loud and insistent.

Nicki stood up to open the door. The person standing there, looking stressed and his eyes heavy with sleeplessness, despite his clean clothes, turned out to be Zayn.

Nicki, ever the comedian in crisis, immediately teased him. "Are you just coming back from a war? Why is your face like this?"

Zayn didn’t answer, just walked past Nicki to collapse onto the couch next to me. Nicki, sensing the seriousness underneath the dishevelment, quickly grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Nick," Zayn mumbled. He took a small sip, put the bottle down, and turned to me, his hands gripping his knees. He briefly, flatly, explained everything: the public scene, the physical attack, Meera’s final, desperate ultimatum to choose between his son and Evric, and the horrifying discovery that her three-day deadline was the same Saturday Evric had chosen. Zayn finished, his voice raw.

I said, "But... why is Meera acting like this?"

"I don’t know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why is she so desperate to have you back? She knows she’s losing you, but using the one thing she has that can really affect you... That’s just not acceptable."

Nicki cut in, leaning over the back of the couch. "Can I talk now?"

Zayn nodded, "Go on."

"Zayn, I’ll tell you exactly what I just told my brother a few minutes ago: You don’t have to be nice all the time. Sometimes, you just have to be ruthless—like me."

He continued, his tone sharp and critical. "Your first mistake is that you accommodate Meera. Even though she has a child for you, what is she doing in your house? She’s not even with the child; she’s there alone, manipulating you! And seriously, I hate this version of you and Nantam. You are too simple for my lifestyle."

He paused, then added a jab at Evric. "And Evric just allowed her to stay in your house without saying anything? Seriously, you’ve really changed Evric, but that’s not the case right now."

Nicki got back to his main point, pacing the floor like a drill sergeant. "If she has a child for you, then she should bring the child to live with you, not her coming to manipulate you with the child! What nonsense patience are you having with her? Someone is trying to ruin your relationship, and you are being patient just because of your child. I understand your child is important... but she should bring the child to you, not herself. Tell her you don’t need her; all you want is your child. And if she refuses to do that, tell her you will support her and she should keep taking care of the child. With time, if you are truly the father, your child will come find you."

"Nicki!" I warned.

"What?" Nicki threw his hands up. "You should all stop acting too simple. I hate it."