~Evric’s POV~
Zayn glanced down at his own phone, read the text, and then typed his reply, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Z: Anything, right?
E: Yes. Anything you want.
Zayn put his phone down and turned back to his mother. "Everything is fine, Mom," he said simply. "Most especially, Evric is taking good care of ."
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Zayn’s mother smiled at warmly. "I know he is, darling. Thank you, Evric."
The conversation continued for a while longer. Finally, Zayn stood up from the table.
"Co on, Evric," he said, his voice completely casual. "Follow . We should probably go unpack in the bedroom now."
I quickly stood up. "It was a wonderful al, Mom. Thank you again."
"Of course, dear," she replied. "Enjoy your stay."
I followed Zayn out of the dining room and down the hall toward the bedroom. The mont the door was closed behind us, the sweetness vanished from his expression.
He turned, hands on his hips, wearing a look of cool expectation.
"Well, Mr. Draeven," he began, his voice dropping to a low, seductive challenge. "It seems I have a perfect fiancé who is willing to do anything for ."
"You promised ’anything,’ didn’t you?"
I walked toward him slowly, recognizing I was now entering the negotiation phase of his punishnt. "I did. And I ant it."
"Good," he said, a slow, satisfying smile spreading across his face. "Because I have a long list. Starting with the rest of this evening, which you will spend making forget every ounce of pain and fear you caused. And it won’t involve any of your aggressive point-proving."
"I’m all yours," I confird, reaching for him, ready to pay the price for my colossal mistake. "Tell what you need, sweetheart. I’ll make it right."
Zayn stepped back, denying my touch, which was punishnt enough. He tilted his head, calculating.
"First," he began, his voice taking on a teasing, yet absolute authority. "You are going to take my slides off, and you are going to give a foot massage. A long, thorough one. My feet are killing from that car ride."
I nodded instantly. "Done."
"Second," he continued, holding up two fingers. "You are going to order sothing incredibly decadent, cookies, cake, whatever they have here, and you are going to feed it to , bite by bite, while I watch sothing completely mindless on television."
"Consider it ordered," I agreed.
"Third, and this is the important one," he paused, stepping close enough that I could sll the familiar scent of his shower soap. "Until further notice, you are not allowed to initiate anything. You are not allowed to touch unless I explicitly ask you to, and you are not allowed to even think about sex until I say so."
He pressed a single finger against my chest, right over my heart. "You are going to spend the evening being purely attentive and comforting. You are going to earn back my trust, Evric, by proving you can be gentle and patient."
"And if I’m very nice," he finished, a slow fire entering his eyes, "maybe, maybe, I’ll let you sleep next to without a pillow barrier."
I caught his finger and kissed the tip. "Deal. Every single item on the list. Just tell where to start."
He withdrew his hand, a final, serious look on his face. "One last term: You cannot get angry, no matter what I say, or what I request for the rest of the evening. You agreed to anything."
I took a deep breath, accepting the final constraint. "I agree."
Zayn led to the bed, pulled down his socks, and promptly put his tired feet into my lap. He grabbed his phone and started scrolling social dia, settling into luxurious relaxation.
I found the ointnt and began the massage. I worked his arches, his heels, and every single toe, pouring all my regret and desire to please into the task. I focused purely on his comfort.
After about forty-five minutes, feeling completely relaxed and massaged, Zayn decided we should join his mother again.
We were settling onto the sofa in the living room around 7:00 PM, eating the mandatory decadent chocolate, when a loud, insistent knock ca at the door.
Zayn went to open the door, and standing there was a woman radiating energy and warmth, his longti friend, Zara, her face bright and expressive.
"Zayn!" she shrieked, instantly wrapping him in a fierce, jumping hug. "Oh my god, word travels fast! I heard from Mrs. Thompson next door that you were around!"
"Zara!" Zayn laughed, hugging her back with genuine delight. "I can’t believe it! You’re back?"
"I just ca back three days ago to visit my mom!" she exclaid. She pulled away long enough to warmly greet Zayn’s mom in the kitchen entrance, then she grabbed Zayn’s arm.
"Co on! We have so much to talk about! We need to catch up properly, now!" And just like that, before Zayn could introduce or explain anything, Zara yanked him straight out the door.
"See you later, Mrs. Smith!" Zara called back, dragging a laughing Zayn into the twilight.
Everything happened so fast. I sat there, chocolate still in hand, alone in the living room with Zayn’s mom, who now sat quietly across from . I had promised myself to stay calm, to be my best self. So, I waited.
The first hour passed. I scrolled my phone aimlessly, trying to maintain my composure. He’s just catching up with a friend. It’s fine.
The second hour passed. My annoyance started to boil.
It was 10:39 PM when Zayn finally walked back in. He was laughing, looking completely carefree and energized. His mother had already retreated to her room for the night.
It was just the two of us in the living room.
I stood slowly, keeping my tone calm despite the sting. "Zayn, do you have any respect for at all? That’s the only thing I asked."
Zayn stopped laughing and rolled his eyes instantly. "Oh, here we go. I knew you’d be jealous. I didn’t even go that long, Evric."
His dismissive tone, the quick assumption that this was simply about jealousy, made my anger explode, shattering my promise.
"Not that long?" I retorted, my voice tight. "Three hours, you think this is just about jealousy? I gave you my word that I would spend this evening making things right, and you dismissed for a three-hour gossip session!"
"It was just Zara!" he yelled back, throwing his hands up. "You’re being overdramatic! You’re treating like a prisoner!"
"Did you just say ’prisoners’?" I said through clenched teeth. "I wasn’t controlling you, Zayn, I was trying to tell you that you left here alone for three hours. You walked off with Zara and didn’t even look back. That’s not respect."
"And you showed none on the dining table this morning, Evric! This is what happens when you treat like a toy!"
The volu of our voices had risen dangerously. Just as I was about to speak, the door to the hallway opened.
Zayn’s mother stood there, her face etched with concern.
"Boys!" she said, her voice strained. "Please!"
She looked directly at and said softly, "Evric, sweetheart, go inside for now. I want to speak to Zayn privately."
The instruction was clear and non-negotiable. I imdiately swallowed my rage. I wouldn’t disrespect her.
I gave Zayn one final, furious look, wheeled around, and walked straight into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. I left him to face his mother alone.
~Zayn’s POV~
After Evric slamd the door with one last furious glare, my mother took my hand. She didn’t scold , instead, she gently guided back to the sofa and seated in the quiet living room.
Then she began. Her voice was calm, but serious. "I’m going to go straight to the point, Zayn."
"First of all," she said, looking straight at , "it’s a good thing I witnessed everything tonight. Now I truly understand what Evric was trying to tell ."
I frowned, confused. "What do you an, Mom? I don’t understand."
She exhaled softly, worry softening her features. "Evric didn’t want to tell you, yet I cannot stay quiet. You need to realize how deeply you’re hurting him."
I could only stare, the weight of her words pressing down on .
My mother leaned closer, her voice gentle but serious. "Two days before Evric proposed to you, he traveled down here to see . The mont he arrived, he didn’t speak a word. He just sat there, looking completely shattered and troubled."
I looked at him with concern and asked, "Son, what happened?"
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