Chapter 48: #FORTY-EIGHT

Nicholas’s POV

The coughing came out so suddenly that my chest burned.

Mom was on her feet before I could even reach for the glass beside my plate, her brows knitted together as she hurried around the table and placed a hand against my back. "Nicholas, slow down. Here." She pushed the glass into my hands. "Drink some water."

I took a few hurried gulps, forcing the coughing to subside before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. My throat still stung, but at least I could breathe again.

"Are you alright?" she asked, searching my face with unmistakable concern. "You frightened me."

"I’m fine," I answered quickly, managing a small smile. "I just swallowed too fast."

"You don’t look fine."

"I promise, I’m okay."

She didn’t seem convinced, but after studying me for another moment, she reluctantly returned to her seat.

Only then did I realize Gareth had already withdrawn his legs from beneath the table.

He continued eating as though nothing unusual had happened. As though the past few seconds had never existed.

I lowered my eyes to my plate, suddenly unable to taste another bite.

Maybe... Maybe it had been an accident. The table wasn’t exactly small, but people brushed against each other under tables all the time, didn’t they? Maybe I’d misunderstood what happened because it caught me off guard. Maybe he’d shifted in his chair without realizing where his feet were.

That had to be it.

The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I felt for immediately assuming otherwise.

I finished the rest of my breakfast far quicker than everyone else, excusing myself before either of them could question why I was leaving so soon.

"I’ll be upstairs," I murmured.

Mom looked up. "So early?"

"I’ve got... a few things to sort out."

She nodded. "Don’t stay locked in your room all day."

"I won’t." I assured her, eager to get away from there.

She smiled. "I’ll hold you to that."

I returned the smile as best I could before making my way upstairs, and the moment my bedroom door closed behind me, the smile disappeared. I sat down at the edge of the bed and let out a long breath.

No matter how many times I replayed breakfast in my head, I couldn’t settle on one answer.

It had been accidental.

No... Had it?

I squeezed my eyes shut. I was overthinking. That was all.

Ever since the stalker appeared, I’d started questioning everything around me. Every stranger looked suspicious. Every little thing made me overthink. Maybe this was just another example of my mind refusing to relax.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts and I jerked back to reality. "Nicholas?"

That was Elijah.

Without thinking, I stood and unlocked the door.

He remained outside for a second, almost like he wasn’t sure whether he should come in. "Can I?"

I stepped aside without answering.

He quietly entered the room, closing the door behind him before slipping both hands into his pockets.

Neither of us spoke immediately and I wondered why he was here. He had avoided the living room all day, just like his brothers had avoided me too.

"I thought..." I rubbed the back of my neck before sitting on the bed. "...I thought none of you wanted to see me."

Elijah leaned against the wall for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh that held no amusement. "That part’s true."

I looked up.

"We were angry." He admitted.

"Were?" I raised a crow.

"I still am." His honesty caught me off guard as he walked over and sat beside me. "You hurt everyone yesterday, Nick."

My heart jumped at his words and I looked down at my feet. "I know. I’m sorry."

"Cassian barely said a word after you went upstairs. Adrian spent half the night complaining that you’re impossible to protect, and Roman..." He shook his head with a faint smile. "Roman just kept saying we’d all regret the things we said if we didn’t cool off."

I looked up at him, my voice soft. "And you?"

He looked away briefly. "I was angry too."

I lowered my head again. "I’m sorry."

Elijah gave a small scoff. "Of course you are."

"No... I really am."

"I’m just messing with you, I know you’re sorry." He nudged my shoulder lightly. "And besides, being angry doesn’t mean we stop caring."

A small smile pulled at my lips at his words. "I honestly thought all of you hated me."

"If I hated you, I wouldn’t be here."

A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "I guess that’s true."

The room fell quiet again, then, without really thinking about it, I shifted across the mattress until I was sitting closer to him. My body felt strangely tired after the last couple of days, and before long I’d rested the side of my head against his lap, staring absently at the ceiling while he absentmindedly ran his fingers through my hair.

His hand felt so right as it ran through the strands on my head.

This felt so good.

"I keep wondering if I made everything worse," I admitted after several minutes.

Elijah sighed. "You do make our work harder, but it’s fine. We’ll find a way around it as always." He assured.

I traced mindless shapes on his trouser, still relishing the feel of his fingers in my hair. "It feels like everyone is fighting because of me."

"They’re fighting because they’re scared."

I turned slightly to look up at him."Scared?"

He nodded. "You’ve become the center of all this, and considering how you are, we’re very worried. If it was one of us, it’d be easier to manage."

Before I could respond, his phone vibrated and he sighed as he pulled it from his pocket, reading the message before shaking his head.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A bunch of old friends are getting together this afternoon." He muttered under his breath.

My brows furrowed. "You don’t sound excited."

He pinched his brows. "I forgot I’d agreed to it."

"Then don’t go." I suggested.

"I already cancelled twice." He locked the screen again before looking down at me. "You could come."

I blinked. "Me?"

"They’ve been asking to meet you anyway."

I laughed immediately. "I’d look completely out of place."

He shrugged. "You wouldn’t. They’re normal people. So am I."

"You don’t believe that." I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "I’d just spend the whole afternoon standing behind you."

"They don’t bite. But I can’t guarantee that I won’t bite though..." He teased as he leaned down and dragged his teeth across my earlobe, making me shudder.

I stifled a groan. "I’ll pass."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "I think I’d rather stay home today."

He didn’t pressure me any further as he pulled away. "If you change your mind..."

"I won’t." I said firmly.

He chuckled softly. "I figured."

A while later he stood, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "I probably should get ready."

I sat up, watching as he adjusted his clothes. "Thanks."

"For what?" He stretched, turning to me.

"...For coming."

He smiled. "I told you already. "

"What?"

"I’m still angry." His smile widened just enough to soften the words. "But I wasn’t going to leave you alone."

With that, he left the room and I was alone to myself. I wandered around my room for a while before the silence became too much to bear. Nothing I tried doing to keep myself busy was helping. Eventually I gave up and headed downstairs, hoping I’d at least find Mom.

Someone was in the room with mum, and they were talking, so I slowed my steps.

Mom was sitting close beside Gareth on the sofa, laughing at something he’d just whispered. His arm rested comfortably around her shoulders while she playfully nudged him away, only for him to laugh and pull her back again. "...You really are impossible," she said, shaking her head.

He smiled at her, a teasing note in his voice. "And yet you married me."

She laughed again before noticing me standing near the entrance. "Oh! Nicholas."

Both of them looked over and I immediately looked away as I felt Gareth’s gaze burning into me. "Sorry... I didn’t mean to interrupt."

"You weren’t interrupting anything." Mom smiled warmly as she stood. "Come here."

I walked over and she reached up and straightened the front of my shirt like she used to when I was younger. "I’ve been thinking."

"Let me guess, this involves me and I’m not gonna like it." I muttered under my breath with a groan.

She lightly flicked my forehead. "Cheeky."

I grinned, but listened carefully to her.

"We’ve hardly spent any proper time together since I came back, and everyone’s schedules have been all over the place." She glanced toward Gareth before looking back at me. "How about a family dinner tonight?"

Gareth leaned back against the couch properly, spreading his legs slightly to get more comfortable. "A family dinner?"

She nodded. "I’ll cook myself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Everything? You’ll survive the kitchen?"

She gasped dramatically. "You brat."

Gareth laughed and she folded her arms proudly. "So it’s settled."

I shrugged. "I don’t think anyone’s going to argue with free food."

"Exactly." She clapped her hands once before calling one of the maids over. "Could you come with me? We’ll need quite a few things from the market."

"Of course, ma’am." The maid bowed slightly.

Mom picked up her handbag before turning back to us. "Don’t let anyone sneak into the kitchen before I get back."

"Got it," Gareth replied.

"And take care of Nicholas." She pointed a playful finger at him before heading toward the front door with the maid. "I won’t be long."

Then she left.

He turned to me slowly. "Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you before your mum comes back."

I immediately looked away, unsure if I was crazy or if his words has a double meaning to it.

Well— mum was gone. Now it was just Gareth and me.

He remained seated on the sofa, casually reaching for the newspaper lying on the coffee table.

I stood where I was for a moment, suddenly unsure whether to stay or quietly head back upstairs.

For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, an uneasy feeling settled in the depth of my stomach.

Maybe I really was overthinking.

Or maybe... I simply didn’t like being alone with him.