bChapter /b40

bElena’s /bPOV:

The moment Niki murmured those wordsb, /bmy fingers trembled bwhere /bthey hovered bover /bthe hem of my shirt. Not from fear. Not even from embarrassment.

But from the ache that burned just beneath the surface.

I didn’t hate the idea of being intimate with him. Of course not. I bwasn’t /bthat innocent. In fact I would bepletely up for it….But it bwas /bsomething else that made my skin prickleb–/bsomething about the bfact /bthat my mother bwas /bjust down the hall, blikely /bfalling asleep now, but if she even had an inklingb… /b

God. I might just melt from sheer mortification if she heard bus/b.

Still, the air between us crackled with electricity.

Niki stepped toward me, slowly, his hand sliding around my waist in a bway /bthat felt bso /bnatural it made my pulse stutter. He pulled me flush against him. My breath hitched. His head dipped, lips bjust /binches from mine, and I panicked.

turned my head at thest second, his lips brushing my cheek instead. “I–I need to shower firstb,/bb” /bI mumbled, my cheeks ming.

Niki frowned like I’d just offended him on a deeply personal level. “Why? You smell btasty/b.”

bI /brolled my eyesb, /bughing despite myself, b“/bbI /bsmell like biryani.”

He grinned, unrepentant. “Exactly.”

“Just… wait, alright?”

bHe /bsighed dramatically but let me go, plopping down onto the edge of the bed bas /bbI /bbcrossed /bthe room. I opened the cupboard and pulled out my silk shorts and a tank top before slipping into the bathroom.

Warm steam filled the room as I turned on the shower and stepped under the bwater/b. My muscles loosened beneath the steady bspray/b, but my mind refused to shut up.

My mind rewinding everything that had happened today. Dmitri. Why had he bshown /bup to school if he was just going to bleave /blike bthat/b?

And….

bLazar/bb. /b

That smugb, /bentitled bastard.

The way he’d touched me without permission. bThe /bfact that the professor still expected me to apologize.

Yeah, not happening. bI /bbwasn’t /bgoing to bend over backward for someone who thought hisst name gave him the right to btreat /bpeople like btoys/b.

bBut /bbit /bbwasn’t /bjust bthat /blingering irritation clouding my thoughtsb. /bAs the bwater /bsluiced bover /bmy skin, I found myself thinking about dinner. About the bway /bNiki had helped me in the kitchenb, /bughed so bfreely/b. Like he wasn’t ufortable, like this bwas /bhis own homeb. /bThe way he’d held mom’s barm /bgently when helping her bupstairs/bb. /b

He bwas/bb… /bkind.

At least, he bwas /bbeing kind.

That was the problem.

bI /bcouldn’t tell bif /bbit /bwas breal/bb. /b

He said he wasn’t a good man. That he wasn’t the kind to bfall /bin blove/b. Well… he hadn’t said the words exactly, but that’s what he meant.

So why bwas /bhe making it so easy bto /bforget?

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself offb, /bbtugging /bon my clothes quickly. The silk shorts clung bto /bmy hips and the tank top stuck slightly to my still–damp skin. I took a deep breath.

Focus, Elena. Don’t start getting distracted, this is only ba /btransaction.

When I walked out, Niki was leaning against the side tableb, /bphone pressed to his bear/b. His tone was low, businesslike, but it softened when his beyes /bflicked up andnded on meb. /b

b8:42 /bbPM /b

@

+28

He ended the call almost immediately. “Hey.”

b“/bHey,” bI /breplied, rubbing my towel against the ends of my wet hair. My beyes /bflicked to his chest, lingering for a moment on the pale scar that stretched over bhis /bside.

It had haunted me for daysb. /bNow, I couldn’t bstop /bmyself.

“How did you get thoseb?/bb” /bbI /bbasked/b.

His bgaze /bdropped to where my beyes /bhadnded. “Childhood,” bhe /bsaid quickly, waving a dismissive hand. “Stupid decisions. You know how it isb.” /b

I hesitated for a bbeat/b, chewing the inside of my cheek, then asked quietly, “Even the one on your back?b” /b

He didn’t banswer/b.

Not at first.

His entire body stiffened, his bgaze /bslipping somewhere far a away. The light in his eyes dulled, like someone dimming ba /bswitch inside him. Something about the way he went utterly still made my stomach twist.

bI /bregretted the question almost instantly.

bSorry/b,” I muttered, shifting my weight. “You don’t bhave /bto answer that. I bwas /bjust…” I trailed off, trying not to fidget. “Curiousb. /bThat’s all.”

He looked at me then.

And I bsaw /bit–just for a flickerb–/ba bfracture /bin the shield he usually wore. Something braw /band sharp hiding underneath ball /bthat dry charm and measured coolnessb. /b

“Do byou /breally want to knowb?/bb” /bhe asked.

His voice was soft. But there was weight behind it. A challenge? Or maybeb… /ba warning.

bI /bswallowed, then nodded slowly. “Only bif /byou’re okay with telling me.”

A long silence passed. He let out ba /bbreath, raking a hand through his hair, his shoulders shifting brestlessly/b. For a moment I thought he might change the subject. But thenb–/bquietlyb, /band without looking at me he started talking.

“My mom wasn’t like yours,” he said tly. Like he was reading a line off a report. “She was a drug addict. bBecause /bof my father.”

The wordsnded like a rock in my chest. bHeavy/b.

*He cheated on her all the btime/b. Brought women around like it was nothing. And she bjust/b… broke. She started using. Got bworse /bbevery /bbyear/bb./b” His bvoice /bwas unnervingly calmb, /bbbut /bbI /bcould hear it in the undertoneb–/btight, thin. Controlled.

b“/bOne bday/bb, /bwhen I bjust /bturned eighteen, I found bwhere /bshe kept her bstash /band tried to bget /brid of it. I thought bI /bcould help bher/bb, /bnow that I was an adult.” He pausedb, /ba bwry /bsmile on his lips. Like he was mocking his past bself/b. “She caught meb. /bbStarted /bcrying. Said she bwas /bsorry. That bshe /bbloved /bbme/b. Pulled me into this hugb./b”

Heughed. It bwasn’t /bba /bbreal /bugh. bJust /bba /bsoundb–/bba /bhollow one.

b“/bAnd then she reached behind me. Grabbed a wine ss off the counterb. /bbSmashed /bit. And shoved bthe /bstem into my back.”

I stared bat /bhimb, /bbmy /bmouth dry.

b“/bShe only stopped when she found the packet again,” bhe /badded, ncing over at me with a crooked, humorless smile. b“/bShe bnever /bapologized. Not once. OD’d ba /bbcouple /bmonths bter/bb.” /b

I didn’t know bwhat /bto say. My throat bfelt /btoo tight for wordsb. /bAnd for a second, I just stood there–paralyzed bbetween /bsaying something stupid and bstaying /bsilent.

He nced bat /bme like he bwas /bwaiting. And bit /bwas bclear /bbhe /bbwasn’t /bwaiting forfort. Did he think I bwas /bgoing bto /bjudge him for that?

Astepped toward him. Slowly. Deliberatelyb. /bAnd wrapped my arms baround /bhis bare torsob, /b

His body tensed under mine, rigid as stoneb–/bbut only for a second. bThen /bbI /bbfelt /bit bshift/b. His arms didn’t move to hug me back, but the tension in him softenedb–/bjust benough/bb. /b

His skin was warm. And beneath bit/bb, /bhis heart was bracing/b.

“I’m bsorry/bb,/bb” /bbI /bwhisperedb, /bpressing my cheek to his chestb. /b

b2/3 /b

b8:42 /bPM

He let out a breath that sounded too much like a bscoff/b. “bIt’s /bfine. It bwas /ba long time bago/b.”

“No.” bI /bshook my head. “It’s not fine. Every child deserves good parents.” I swallowed. “bNot /ball parents deserve children.”

Something in him stopped moving altogether.

He looked down at me, not with pity or amusement or beven /bdifort–but with quietb, /bunspoken disbelief. Like he hadn’t bexpected /bme to say that. Like it hadn’t urred to him that someone might mean it.

“When bwere /byou adopted?” he asked all of ba /bsudden.

“Sixb,/bb” /bbI /bsaid, surprised by the lump that rose in

my

throat.

The silence stretched between us–long and fragile. Before he asked, “You don’t have memories bof /bbyour /bbirth parents?”

I shook my head.

“My memories before that are… kind of hazyb,/b” bI /badmitted, still resting lightly against him. b“/bSometimes I get shesb. /bNightmares. I remember being teased a lot. Kids, adults. People saying things I didn’t understand back then.”

I pulled back slightly to look up at him. “My hair was curlier when I was a kid. My skin bdarker/bb. /bMy bfeatures /blooked more Indian, I guessb. /bPeople noticed. And not in ba /bgood way.”

Iughed quietlyb, /btrying to lighten it, even though nothing about this felt light.

b“/bbYou /bknow…..I haven’t told this to anyone but….I think my brain just… locked the rest baway/bbi. /i/bFor protection or whateverb./b”

He didn’t say anything. Just looked at me. And the bway /bhe looked–like bI /bwas some kind of puzzleb–/bmade my bchest /bache a little.

So I deflected.

I smiled and poked him gently in the ribs. “Anyway.”

He blinked.

“What’s byour /bbfavorite /bfood?” bI /basked.

His brows lifted slightly. “What?”

b“/bYour actual favoriteb,/bb” /bbI /bsaid, cocking my head. “Not some generic I–eat–whatever’s–there answerb./bb” /b

He tilted his head, skeptical. “Why do you think I have oneb?/bb” /b

bI /bgave him a look. b“/bbBecause /bbyou’re /bpicky about everything, do you think I haven’t noticed?” I said, bcrossing /bmy arms. “bThere’s /bno way you have one,”

don’t

b3/3 /b