[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice Chapter 30: Old Names, New Emotions

I stood up, genuinely surprised. "Excuse , Zayn," I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder before walking away.

Before I could fully step toward the entrance, I heard my na shouted.

"Evric!" Nuala’s voice rang out with excitent.

She practically launched herself at , throwing her arms around my neck. I caught her in a warm hug, the kind that only ca from people who truly knew you, flaws and all.

"I missed you so much," she whispered against my shoulder.

"I missed you more," I replied, holding her tighter.

She pulled back slightly, her hands still on my arms, eyes sparkling. "You didn’t tell you were coming with that," she whispered mischievously, Nuala, ever the gossip queen, tilted her head and asked with a sly smile, "Is that him?"

I chuckled, already bracing myself. "Nuala, you’ll never change."

But I nodded, answering her silent question.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh my God. Bro, he is so hot," she mouthed dramatically. "This one? This one you brought ho? He’s elite."

Before I could respond, Chrisly, always the mood-breaker, chid in with a smirk, "Dear sister, you’re too good at this. Maybe that’s why you’ve gone years without a serious relationship."

He leaned closer and added, "You’ve gossiped every guy away before they even had a chance."

That joke nearly made burst out laughing. But Nuala’s my baby girl, so I tried to hold it in, but a small smile still crept across my face.

I looked at Nuala’s face, mock offence mixed with mischief.

"You’re laughing?" she snapped, though she was smiling too. "That wasn’t even funny."

I wiped the smile quickly from my face. "It wasn’t," I said, straightening up.

"You’re impossible," she muttered, turning her back in mock sulk.

"Ohh, baby sis, I’m sorry," I said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know I love you."

All of this played out while Zayn watched from the dining room. I could tell from Zayn’s eyes that he was curious about Nuala and Chrisly. It wasn’t until they casually ntioned "sis" and "bro" that it clicked for him.

This must be Chrisly and Nuala... Zayn thought. Their father always talks about them on TV, but no one ever sees them in public. So these are all Draeven’s children...

Nuala suddenly turned to , eyes wide. "Evric, if you love , introduce properly now. Before I throw a tantrum."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "You’re always so dramatic."

Still, I took her hand and walked with her toward the dining room.

"Zayn," I said, "et Nuala, my sister."

Nuala gave a bright, slightly flirty wave. "Hi."

"And that grinning idiot over there is Chrisly, my younger brother."

Zayn chuckled and gave a small nod. "Nice to et you both."

Then I turned to Nuala with a grin. "And this is Zayn, myyy..."

Zayn gave a warning look.

"...my friend," I finished quickly.

Nuala raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the ’just a friend’ line, but she kept quiet. For now.

They exchanged polite greetings, and soon after, the maid ca over and offered to help Nuala with her luggage. Chrisly followed her upstairs, too, likely sensing the need to give and Zayn so space.

The rest of the maid excused themselves to resu their duties, leaving just and Zayn in the living room.

The house quieted.

Zayn turned to . "I should get going now."

"Already?" I asked, taking a step closer to him.

"I’ve stayed long enough. Don’t want to overstep."

I stepped closer and pulled him by the waist. "When I call, pick up at once. And when I text, reply imdiately."

He glanced around nervously and tried to remove my hand. "Evric, have so sha. What if your brother and sister see us?"

"So what?" I replied casually. " They’re my family. And they’ll know soon enough."

He grabbed his bag. "Let go of ."

I didn’t move. "I’ll let go if you kiss ."

His eyes widened. "What? Soone might see us!"

"No one’s here," I assured him.

Zayn’s head snapped to face . "Evric..."

"Just one kiss," I murmured.

He looked around nervously, scanning the hallway. Seeing no one, he leaned in and gave a quick peck on the lips.

"That’s it?" I asked, raising a brow. "I want a longer one."

He stared at like I was impossible, but then his shoulders softened. He stepped in closer and kissed properly, hands gripping my waist. His mouth was soft but demanding, his kiss deep and slow, like he ant every second of it.

When he finally pulled back, he whispered, "Are you satisfied now?"

I nodded, a little dazed.

"I’m leaving," he said.

"I’ll walk you out."

What neither of us realized was that Nuala and Chrisly had hidden halfway down the stairs. The maid peeked from the hallway too, stifling a giggle.

I walked Zayn out to the car. He gave one last look before driving off.

When I ca back inside, Nuala was standing there, arms crossed, smirking. "That," she said with a grin, "that was so romantic, bro. Co here. Spill everything."

I smirked. "Tell first if you’re staying ho this ti for good. Then I’ll tell you anything you want."

She linked her arm through mine as we walked upstairs. "Fine. But don’t you dare skip any juicy details."

Chrisly walked back into the room, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. He sank into the single couch across from and Nuala, giving us both a casual nod before settling in.

I leaned back, feeling the aftertaste of Zayn’s kiss still lingering on my lips. Without aning to, a smile curved across my face.

"What’s that smile for?" Nuala asked, teasingly nudging my arm. "Is it... Zayn again?"

I rolled my eyes, but my grin only grew wider. "What can I say? The man cooked for , kissed breathless, and still had the nerve to ask what I wanted for breakfast."

Nuala gasped playfully. "Evric! Since when did you beco so soft?" She leaned in closer, eyes gleaming with excitent. "Tell everything. Don’t leave out a single detail."

Chrisly let out a deep sigh, shaking his head with a faint smirk. "Here we go again."

I chuckled. "I’m serious. Zayn has this way of looking at like I’m the only person in the world. And when he touches , even sothing as simple as brushing my cheek" I paused, heart thudding. "it’s like everything else fades."

Nuala clasped her hands dramatically. "Ugh, I want a Zayn. Where do I find one?"

"Probably in your dreams," Chrisly muttered without looking up.

"I heard that!" she threw a pillow at him, which he dodged lazily.

I laughed, running my hand through my hair. "But it’s not just about the romantic stuff. He’s gentle with . Like this morning, I tried to act tough, but he noticed sothing was wrong. He didn’t push. He just changed the topic and asked what I wanted for breakfast like it was the most important thing in the world."

"Stop it." Nuala covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers. "You’re making emotional."

Chrisly snorted. "You? Emotional? This I gotta see."

Nuala shot him a glare. "Don’t be mad just because no one talks about you like that."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Not everyone’s life is a romance novel."

I exhaled softly, feeling a strange warmth in my chest. "Maybe not. But for the first ti in a long while... it feels like mine is."

As Chrisly and Nuala kept talking, half teasing, half serious, I picked up my phone and unlocked it. "I need to text Jas," I said casually. "There are a few files I should look over today, and I might not go into the office."

I began typing, still half-listening to their playful argunt, and added with a small smirk, "Running a company doesn’t stop just because my life suddenly got interesting."

Then Nuala leaned forward, her eyes locked on . "Bro, in case you don’t know... this feeling you’re having right now?" She gave a pointed look. "It’s called love."

I blinked, not that surprised. "Love? I know it’s..."

Chrisly leaned forward, brows raised like he’d been holding sothing in.

But Nuala cut him off, playful and bold. "Don’t act confused. The one you felt before, for that guy, what’s his na again?"

Chrisly rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Nicki."

Nuala snapped her fingers. "Exactly! Nicki. That wasn’t love. That was straight-up lust, all dressed up to look like sothing deeper."

Chrisly let out a short laugh, half embarrassed, half admitting she had a point. "Lust wrapped in a form of love. Yeah... I guess that’s what it was."

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the two of them bicker. Then I shifted, facing them with a quiet smirk.

"Speaking of Nicki..." I said, dragging the words just enough to catch their attention.

Chrisly and Nuala instantly leaned in, their eyes wide with curiosity, already eager to hear what I had to say.

"He reached out to this morning," I said casually, like it was no big deal, but I knew it was.

They both blurted out at once, "He what?"