[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice Chapter 137: The Distance Hurts More

~Zayn’s POV~

I stood there, numb. My body refused to move, my throat burned, yet no words escaped. I didn’t even know how to react.

Just then, Liana ca out, cheerful and unaware. "Good morning, bro!" she greeted warmly.

I forced a reply, "Morning," but the tightness in my voice betrayed . She caught the look on my face and stopped, frowning. "Zayn, what happened? Why are you...?"

Before she could finish, I cut in quickly. "It’s nothing to worry about." Then I turned to Nuala, forcing a smile I didn’t feel. "I’ll head back upstairs."

Upstairs, I sank onto the edge of my bed, running both hands through my hair. What did I do wrong this ti? The question clawed at , but I refused to let it consu . I drew a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm, and picked up my phone.

Babe, what is wrong? Are you that busy that you left my ssage unread all since yesterday? I typed, then stared at the screen, waiting.

Nothing.

Minutes passed, still nothing. I tried calling. Once. Twice. By the third ring, he finally picked up.

"Hello," he said. No babe. No sweetness. Just cold, distant. My chest shrank.

I forced my voice into sothing soft, steady. "Hello, babe... How are you?"

"Fine," he replied flatly.

That one word cut deeper than silence. "Are you busy? I could call back later."

"It’s okay. You can speak."

But with the way he sounded, I could hardly breathe. I swallowed and asked carefully, "Babe, what’s wrong? We can talk about it. Please... talk to ."

"There’s nothing to talk about," he said, his tone sharper this ti.

"Babe..." I whispered.

"Yes?"

"Can you just speak to ?"

"Can you stop it already, Zayn? I told you, you did nothing wrong. Why do you keep pressing about it? If you have nothing else to say, let’s talk later."

I smiled weakly at his words, trying to hide how much it hurt. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t argue. I just asked quietly, "What day exactly are you coming back?"

"Once I co, you’ll see ," he said, dismissive.

I tried different ways, different tones, hoping he would soften, but he kept pushing back with his coldness. The weight broke , and my voice finally cracked.

"Is it about going to et my friends? If you don’t want to go, just say it."

Then he said. "I have sothing more important to do. Since you have nothing more to say, I’ll hang up."

"Stop, Evric!" The words burst out before I could stop them. My voice shook. "Just stop it. Don’t hang up on . I’ve tried so hard not to cross any line that would make you act like this toward . If there’s anything wrong, just tell . If you don’t want to go to the resort my friends arranged, just say it and I will..."

He cut off, sharp and cold. "I’m not stopping you. Do whatever you want. I’ll get busy now. Talk to you later."

Before I could respond, the line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly, my hands trembling. For the first ti in a long while, I didn’t know if my heart could carry the weight of his silence.

I stared at the screen for a long mont, my chest heavy, then finally typed out the words that pressed against my heart.

Babe, it’s unfair for you to treat this way. I might not realize what I did wrong, but if you talk to about it, I’ll apologize. There’s no way I won’t apologize to you. Please, babe, talk to .

He read it.

But no reply ca.

The tiny blue tick on the screen mocked . I tried calling again, once, twice... but each ti it rang, he didn’t pick up.

Defeated, I dragged myself downstairs. Nuala was in the living room, scrolling through her phone. "Can you try calling Evric for ?" I asked, my voice low.

She gave a puzzled look but dialed his number anyway. It rang once before he picked up.

My heart clenched. He answered her, but not .

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "You can end the call," I told her softly. "He won’t speak to ."

Before she could say anything, I turned and went back upstairs. I didn’t bother to text him again. Didn’t bother to call. Let him be, I told myself. Maybe he’ll calm down and call himself.

But as soon as I lay on the bed, thoughts crowded my head like shadows creeping in. Did he find out about Evans? Did sothing happen? The questions chased each other until my mind grew restless and unsettled. I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to quiet the storm inside , but nothing worked.

No matter how hard I tried to convince myself, a deep, gnawing fear whispered that sothing was breaking.

*****************

The day slipped by faster than I expected. Before I knew it, my phone buzzed with a call from Nantam and Dean. Their voices carried excitent as they told they were already on their way to the resort. I forced myself to sound cheerful, laughing when needed, replying with okay like everything was perfectly fine.

But the mont the call ended, my phone lit up again. Evans.

I stared at the screen, my chest narrowed, then let it ring until it died. I couldn’t bring myself to answer, not with everything else already weighing on .

Because right now, all I could think about was Evric.

What troubled most wasn’t just his cold voice or the way he’d hung up earlier, it was the distance. He wasn’t here, he was sowhere far away, and that made it impossible for to reach him, to look into his eyes, to get the truth out of him the way I normally could.

Evric was never the type to speak openly. He always held his emotions close, hidden, buried under that guarded exterior. And if he were here, I could have found a way, hugging him until he softened, refusing to let go until he talked. But now? All I had was silence.

I rubbed my hair, frustration mixing with fear. Tomorrow was my birthday. Evric, don’t ruin this day for , I thought desperately. If sothing happened, just tell . Don’t shut out. Give the chance to apologize, if that’s what you want. Just... talk to .

The words stayed trapped in my chest, heavy and unspoken, as the night stretched on and my heart felt more and more like it was carrying the weight of an invisible storm.