[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice Chapter 324: The Long Drive of Cute Punishments

~Evric’s POV~

Soon, my driver arrived and loaded our luggage.

Zayn and I settled into the back of the car. The trip began, but the silence between us was heavy and suffocating.

Zayn stared resolutely out the window, his shoulder barely touching mine.

I tried to break the tension. "Babe, that new highway connects further north now. It should save us at least an hour..."

He didn’t respond.

"Did you want to listen to music? I can put on your playlist."

Silence. He just stared out at the passing landscape, forcing to swallow my guilt with every mile.

I reached out slowly and placed my hand on his thigh. He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t lean into the touch either. It was neutral, detached.

This is going to be a long drive, I thought, closing my eyes briefly in frustration.

I tried one last ti, my voice low and serious. "Zayn, look at , please."

He finally turned his head, his expression tired and guarded.

"I am truly sorry," I repeated, my gaze holding his. "I was an idiot. You were being sweet and vulnerable, and I reacted like a caveman trying to win a fight. It was childish, and it hurt you, and I deeply regret that."

"I am sorry I didn’t notice you were quiet. I promise you, I will pay better attention. I won’t let my own ego override your needs again."

He held my gaze, his anger slowly giving way to weary acknowledgnt. "Thank you, Evric."

But he still didn’t soften. He turned back to the window.

I sighed. I knew I couldn’t rush this. He needed ti to process the apology and the action separately.

I squeezed his thigh gently, withdrawing my hand. I decided to give him the silence he needed. I leaned back against the leather seat, the tension in my chest aching.

We were barely a half hour into the journey, and the energy he had wasted on being angry was catching up to him. He shifted restlessly.

I watched him as he struggled to get comfortable. Without speaking, I reached out and gently moved his legs, easing him sideways until his head rested on my lap.

He didn’t resist. He closed his eyes instantly, his breathing evening out almost imdiately.

I ran my fingers softly through his hair, watching the passing road, finally finding a asure of peace just holding him. The rhythmic movent of the car and the quiet assurance of his weight against were a balm to my guilt.

Zayn slept soundly for almost two hours. When he woke up, he looked up at sleepily, half awake eyes.

Before I could say anything, he quickly sat up straight and turned to face the window, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Still silent.

"Did you sleep well, babe?" I asked softly, trying to coax a response.

He didn’t answer.

I reached into the small cooler bag next to and pulled out a bag of his favorite salty snacks. I pointed the bag toward him. "Here. You should eat sothing."

Zayn glanced at the snacks but made no move to take them.

I tried again. "Co on, grab so. You haven’t eaten properly since breakfast."

He still didn’t answer .

Sighing dramatically, I opened the bag myself. As I reached to put one piece inside my mouth, Zayn’s hand shot out like lightning, expertly snatching the entire bag, plus the piece that was halfway to my lips.

He imdiately turned back to the window and began munching, covering his mouth with his hand so I couldn’t see him chew.

I couldn’t help but smile. "Baby, that’s my snack. Please share with ."

He kept chewing, shaking his head slightly but firmly against the glass. He refused to share.

He then let out a very obvious, theatrical little cough.

I imdiately reached for the bottle of water, already anticipating his need. I uncapped it and offered it to him.

He collected the bottle, drank a small, careful amount, then handed it back to to close, still without uttering a single word.

Look at him, I thought, completely chard despite the headache he was giving . Eating my snacks, demanding my water, and still refuses to speak to . The most expensive silent treatnt ever.

I leaned my head back, accepting my fate. This was his way of punishing , by being cute, demanding, and utterly irresistible. I’d take the silence, as long as he stayed close.

After he finished the last piece of the snacks, he returned the nearly empty bag to and finally turned his head slightly in my direction.

"You didn’t even tell thank you," I pointed out, my voice soft but insistent.

He didn’t answer.

"Baby, tell thank you," I persisted, glancing at the rearview mirror where I saw my driver silently giggling, clearly enjoying the drama.

Zayn remained stubbornly silent.

"Fine," I relented, leaning closer. "If you can’t say it, you can kiss as thank you."

He still refused, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

I didn’t push it. Instead, I picked up my phone and opened my photo gallery, purposefully scrolling through pictures of him. Then, I began to dramatically praise the photo, acting as if I were talking about a complete stranger.

"Wow," I sighed loudly. "Look how cute and calm this beautiful man looks. What amazing bone structure."

Hearing that, Zayn imdiately turned his head to look at , his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

I continued my performance. "I should ssage this guy," I mused, tapping the screen. "I think I like him. I wonder if he’s single."

That did it. Before I could finish the thought, Zayn scrambled closer, abandoning the sulking position instantly. He pounded his fist lightly on my chest.

"You’re already looking for soone else, aren’t you? Show ... who’s the man in that picture you’re staring at?"

I closed the phone imdiately, locking the screen. I smiled broadly. "Kiss , and I’ll show you this gorgeous guy."

"Oh, so you’ve already found soone new, right?" he accused, ignoring my request.

"Kiss ," I instructed again, my voice low and playful, "and I will show you who the ’soone new’ is."

He leaned in instantly and kissed , a quick, firm, possessive press of his lips against mine.

I laughed and quickly reopened the phone, showing him the beautiful, smiling picture I had just been praising. It was a selfie he had taken last week.

That was my big mistake.

His expression went from jealous heat back to wounded sulking in an instant. He pulled away.

"You attempted to cheat on with soone inside your phone!" he huffed, turning back to the window.

I chuckled and reached for his hand. "Baby, that person is you. I was only showing you how beautiful you are."

Zayn turned his head just enough to look at , a tiny, frustrated pout on his lips. "What difference does that make? I’m sitting right next to you, and you dare to complint soone inside your phone! Isn’t that wrong?"

"That is very wrong," I quickly agreed, putting my phone away and pulling his hand to my lips. "I am very, very wrong. Please forgive , baby."

That seed to be the validation he needed. He finally softened, pulling closer. He leaned his head onto my shoulder, resting heavily against .

"I haven’t forgiven you yet," he mumbled, but the words were muffled against my shirt, and the warmth of his body pressed against mine was all the forgiveness I truly needed. He allowed to be close to him again.

I gently wrapped my arm around his shoulders, holding him securely. He wasn’t talking, but he was present, warm, and resting against , the best silent truce I could ask for. I kissed the top of his head, content to let the quiet, lingering tension fade naturally.

We spent the next hour like that, simply existing in comfortable proximity.

Finally, after the long, intense drive, we reached our destination. The car slowed, pulling up to Zayn’s mother’s house.

The driver parked the vehicle, signaling...