[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice Chapter 72: Crossed Lines and Apologies

As expected, he only laughed and ended the call.

When I saw Nicki, he acted like I didn’t even exist. We exchanged a brief, casual greeting before heading into the boardroom. The eting went on as usual, with discussions about the project’s progress, updates from his team, and Jas handing files I needed to review. It was part of the project update, so I knew what to say and how to handle it.

Nicki added a few points here and there, his tone professional, but his face betrayed him. I knew that look, the tight jaw, the slight downturn of his lips, the way his eyes avoided mine. Nicki was angry. I’d known him too long not to recognize it. And he knew just as well.

When the eting ended, both his team and mine began to leave. But the way Nicki carried himself unsettled . The truth was, if he hadn’t complicated things by throwing himself at , Nicki would’ve been one of the few people I genuinely liked keeping around.

Back when we were dating, he had been my only real friend, shaless, loud-mouthed, free-spirited. And that made like him even more. The last thing I wanted was for us to turn into enemies.

So, before he could walk out the door, I called his na.

"Nicki."

He paused, answering casually, "Yes?"

"Can I see you for a second in my office?"

He turned to his team and waved them off. "I’ll join you later." Then he followed .

Inside my office, he sat down in a chair across the room, far away from . The distance said everything.

"Make it fast," he said flatly. "I have sowhere else to be."

I studied him for a mont. "Are you angry with ?"

Nicki scoffed. "I don’t have ti to get angry."

That was so like him, his mouth always quicker than his patience. The room went silent until he finally stood, his chair scraping against the floor.

"If you don’t have anything else to say, Evric, I’ll be on my way."

"Wait." I stopped him, rising to my feet and stepping in front of him. I stood close enough that he had to et my eyes.

Nicki imdiately took a step back, defensive.

"I know you’re angry," I said carefully. "But don’t be. Maybe it’s about last ti... but listen, Nicki. The way you’re trying to get back, it’s wrong, and it’s not acceptable. I told you I already have soone I love. But you keep throwing yourself at ."

That’s when he snapped.

His jaw tensed, and his voice dropped low, strained with barely contained anger. "Evric, this is your office and working hour. Don’t make raise my voice here. You think I’m throwing myself at you?" He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "You’re just so full of yourself."

He turned to leave, but I called after him.

"Spill it. Whatever it is. I’ll apologize."

Nicki stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned back, his eyes burning. "You stand there, looking in the eye, and you tell you’d rather sleep with a hooker than sleep with . Is that how little I’m worth to you?"

"I was..." I started, but he cut off, shouting.

"Don’t you dare talk when I’m still talking, Evric!" His voice broke, raw with hurt. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Just forget it. Forget this whole conversation. Forget I ever ca back to you. Once this project ends, you and I are done. We won’t have anything to do with each other anymore."

"Nicki..." I called his na, but he didn’t wait. He walked out, leaving with the silence and the weight of everything unsaid.

Frustration burned in my chest, but beneath it was sothing sharper, regret. I pulled out my phone and typed a ssage with fingers that weren’t as steady as I’d like.

I’m sorry, Nicki. I really am. Please let apologize properly. Have lunch with before you leave. Don’t refuse this.

I stared at the screen for a long mont, debating whether I should send it. But I did, because the truth was simple: when I’ve cared for soone once, even in the past, I can’t stand letting it rot into bitterness. I couldn’t bear the thought of us becoming enemies.

Minutes dragged, each one pressing down on until my phone buzzed with his reply.

Okay.

A small breath of relief escaped . I typed back quickly: I’ll et you downstairs.

Grabbing my jacket, I told my driver to get the car ready. By the ti I reached the lobby, Nicki was there, leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The sight of him twisted sothing inside .

Without a word, I gestured for him to follow. We stepped into the car, silence stretching between us. I didn’t take him to any flashy place; instead, I directed the driver to a private restaurant I trusted... quiet, discreet, the kind of place where tempers could soften without an audience.

As we walked inside, the staff greeted and led us to a secluded corner. Nicki sat across from , his posture stiff, eyes sharp.

This wasn’t going to be easy. But I was determined.

"I’ll have them bring the nu," I offered, trying to break the tension.

Nicki shook his head. "No. Apologize first. That’ll determine whether I order, or walk out."

I almost laughed. I knew Nicki. The mont he agreed to et here, he’d already forgiven . Still, I leaned forward and said softly, "Nicki, listen... the way I spoke to you the last ti, we talked, I regret it. I hope you can forgive ."

He studied for a mont, then nodded. "Apology accepted. But don’t think that stops from chasing you. I might still get a chance, you know."

I couldn’t help but smile, shaking my head at his audacity.

Nicki smirked. "I must say this though, you’ve really learned how to stay calm, Evric. Earlier, I shouted at you, and you didn’t even react. Wow. This new version of you is cool."

I tilted my head. "And how exactly did the old version look?"

"Do you want to show ?"

"Yes," he said instantly. Then, in typical Nicki fashion, he straightened up dramatically, miming anger. "I can’t shout here, but trust , your old version wouldn’t have liked it. If it was before, the mont I raised my voice, you’d have..."

I burst out laughing before he could finish, shaking my head.

"Co on, place an order already," I teased.

He finally picked up the nu, flipping through it slowly. The waiter ca by more than once, and Vanya kept calling repeatedly, and at last, Nicki placed his order. Then he looked back at with narrowed eyes."

"By the way... why won’t you pick up your calls?"

I hesitated. Silence stretched between us until he smirked. "Oh, right. Not my business."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It’s... complicated," I admitted. "My father is forcing to work with her, Vanya... both here and abroad. He even wants to appear with her in the dia. But honestly, I don’t want to work with her at all."

Nicki raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "So? Work with her. Do your job. Ignore the rest. Why make it a bigger deal than it is?"

I gave a wry smile. "You know, my partner said sothing similar. Like he doesn’t even care."

Nicki laughed loudly. shaking his head "Why should he care? You’re working with a woman, not a man. He knows you’ve got zero interest in won and she’s just a task. If I were him, I’d act the sa way."

I frowned. "What do you an, Nicki?"

His grin widened, leaning forward slightly. "It’s not that he doesn’t care. He just knows... you can’t get that up for a woman. He trusts you. He knows there’s nothing to worry about."

I frowned. "What do you an I can’t get that up for a woman?"

Nicki’s grin widened mischievously. He leaned forward, pointing with a playful smirk. "Can you? Can you really?"

For a mont, we just stared at each other, eyes locked. Then, without warning, we both burst out laughing, the tension between us lting into shared amusent.

I leaned back in my chair, realizing he was right. A smile tugged at my lips. "So it’s not about him not caring... It’s about him knowing I wouldn’t cheat. Not with a woman."

Nicki chuckled, shaking his head. Free-spirited, blunt, and bad-mouthed as always but sohow, it helped.

I quickly placed a simple al in front of , enough so I wouldn’t just sit there doing nothing. I didn’t actually intend to eat much; it was just to avoid sitting idly while Nicki ate.

Not long after we finished, my phone rang. "Excuse ," I said to Nicki before answering.

"Hey, where are you?" Zayn’s voice ca through.

"Hey, love, how’s it going?"

"I’m at your office. Should I stay or leave?"

"Stay," I told him. "I’m on my way back. I’ll be there soon."

"Okay..."

"Love you, baby."

"Just co here on ti. Don’t keep waiting," he said.

"Okay, you’ll see soon."

He hung up, and I looked back at Nicki. He clapped slowly. "I must applaud him," he said with a grin. Then, pointing at , "Evric."

"Yes?" I answered, smiling.

"Didn’t you always say those words are clingy when we are together?" he teased.

I laughed, shaking my head. "I need to go, Nicki."

"Should I drop you?" I asked him.

He waved off. "Don’t worry about . Soone will pick up."

I nodded, then stood, giving him a small smile before leaving.