[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 261: Whispers from the Past Encounters

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Whispers from the Past Encounters

~Zayn’s POV~

I turned to see a young woman stepping out of her car. Her face shifted from surprise to shock the moment our eyes met. It was Meera, my ex-girlfriend, the one whose betrayal had been manipulated by Nantam.

Meera quickly ran closer and hugged me. We held the embrace for a few seconds—a reunion charged with old history and recent pain. When we pulled away, her eyes were wide and excited.

"Zayn! Wow, I didn’t expect to run into you," he said excitedly. "I was even thinking of coming to your house either today or tomorrow. I’m really happy to see you, man."

I gave her a genuine smile. Meera moved closer, trying to whisper in my ear, but since she was short and I didn’t bend down immediately, she playfully smacked my chest, the same way she always did when I teased her about her height.

I let out a dramatic, over-the-top shout at the tap. "Oww! What was that for?"

She laughed. "Lean down so I can talk to you!"

"Oh—my bad," I teased as I finally lowered my head. "I forgot you were short."

She whispered something brief in my ear. "Okay," I replied, straightening up.

Meera’s expression immediately became serious. "I’m very serious, Zayn," she emphasized.

"Okay," I confirmed.

"Alright," I said, acknowledging her mood shift.

That was when she finally noticed Evric standing silently beside me. Meera greeted him politely, then turned back to me. "I’ll go inside first."

"Okay," I agreed.

After Meera went inside, I turned to Evric, a soft smile on my face from the unexpected encounter. But the smile faltered when I saw him staring at me with an unreadable expression.

"Babe, is everything okay?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Evric’s face instantly smoothed into a gentle smile. "Yes," he said. "Can we go inside now?"

"Sure," I replied, and we walked into the store together.

Evric looked at me quietly, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes before he masked it. "Even if you planned to pay for everyone in this store, my card would still cover it—and there would be more than enough. Use mine."

Hearing that firm, quiet tone, I knew better than to argue. I took his card without another word, paid for our groceries, and added Meera’s order, which was being bagged separately.

Outside, our driver moved quickly to load the bags into the trunk. Evric was already heading toward the back seat. I lingered for Meera, who was just stepping out of the store.

"Zayn, thank you so much for covering that," she said, her gratitude genuine.

I gave her a quick, friendly side hug. "Don’t worry about it, Meera. We’ll talk soon."

She smiled and walked toward her car. I then quickly went to meet Evric, sliding into the seat beside him. Evric instructed the driver to pull away, and we left the store.

The entire interaction, the running hug, the whispered secret, the shared history, had only taken thirty seconds, but the air inside the car felt different. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Getting home, we found Kai watching TV in the living room. I started pulling out the groceries. Evric helped with the few things he could manage, his attention already elsewhere. Once everything was arranged, he turned to me, with a peculiar tension around his eyes.

"Babe," he said softly.

"Yes," I replied.

"I will be leaving soon."

I stopped arranging the cans and turned to look at him. "I thought you were passing the night here?"

"I’m not," he said, avoiding my gaze for a moment. "I have some things I need to attend to, so I’ll come back again by tomorrow."

I immediately dropped the items I was holding, took his hand, and led him toward the bedroom. I knew that tone. It was the same evasion he used when he was worried about sounding "toxic" or "childish."

Once inside, I guided him to the center of the bed. He leaned back against the pillows, I climbed on top of him and rested my head on his chest. Instantly, his hand began to glide gently over my back.

"Babe, is everything okay?" I asked, my voice earnest.

Evric wrapped his arms around me, letting out a quiet sigh. "Everything is fine," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my neck. "I just... didn’t know what I would say or how I might react that would make you think I’m still childish, or that I haven’t grown up yet. That’s why I stayed silent and decided it was better to go home instead."

I cupped his face gently, meeting his eyes. "Babe, you can say anything to me," I assured him. "I won’t judge. I’m your safe place, right?"

He nodded and hugged me tighter, nuzzling his face against my neck. ’Next week marks three months, baby. I’m really looking forward to it.’"

I smiled, my earlier tension dissolving. "Do you have a plan?"

Evric chuckled, tightening his arms around me. "I’m keeping it a secret."

I started to tickle him gently as I hugged him back. Evric laughed and squirmed. "Stop, baby!"

We both burst into laughter, the sound warm and easy. I inhaled deeply, savoring his familiar, comforting scent. "Babe... you smell so good," I murmured.

He grinned, leaning closer. "I smell like you," he teased. "But you... You smell even better."

We pulled apart slightly, and the mood shifted back to the reason for his tension. Evric looked at me, his eyes now serious. "Who was that lady earlier?"

"That’s Meera, my ex-girlfriend, Evric. The one Nantam..."

Evric quickly interrupted. "It’s okay. I know. What did she whisper to you?"

I hesitated, knowing this was the root of his sudden mood change. "I was silent for a while before answering."

I finally conceded. "She said she wanted to talk about something serious, but she didn’t mention what it was."

"Do you have a guess what it might be?" he asked, his hand pausing on my spine.

"Honestly, not sure," I murmured, thinking aloud. "Maybe it’s about our breakup... the cheating part. She might want to explain that it wasn’t intentional again."

Evric’s voice was cautious. "Now that you know the truth, how do you feel?"

I let out a sigh, eyes fixed on his chest. "I feel guilty. I could have forgiven her back then, but I was still wrestling with my own identity. And her friends... they were all dating wealthy guys. I thought she just wanted the same lifestyle. I didn’t realize I was wrong, that it was Nantam manipulating everything."

"What are you planning to do?" Evric asked, his voice steady.

"I just need to talk to her... clear the air and apologize. That’s it," I replied.

He fell silent for a moment, then gently tilted my chin so I had to meet his gaze. "Do you... still feel anything for her?"

"Babe," I said, caught off guard by the question.

"I just need to know," he pressed, his eyes locked on mine. "Do you still feel anything for her?"