Chapter 48: – Over and Over Again –
Viviana sat curled up in a chair, her legs pulled to her chest. She had changed out of her drenched dress and was now in shorts and one of Nikolas’s white shirts.
Nikolas walked into the living room, also changed. He came over to her and draped a towel around her shoulders, adjusting it carefully to wrap her properly.
"Still cold?"
She didn’t respond but stared at him as though she didn’t know what to say. But she was shivering a bit.
He left her to head to the bathroom, only for a moment, before he returned with a clean towel soaked in hot water.
Standing in front of her, he squatted down and cupped the side of her face, pressing the towel gently to her skin.
Viviana’s eyes never left him. It was as if words sat at the tip of her tongue, but she just didn’t know how to let them out. Instead, she leaned into his hand, and it felt like a jolt of electricity shot through him.
His chest hammered so loudly in his ears.
"I’d never do that to you."
He heard his own words flee his mouth, and he swallowed.
"Huh?" Viviana blinked at him.
His voice was soft, too soft to even believe it was his. "You chose me. You said I was yours and that I belonged to you. I told you, you were mine, and that you also belonged to me."
He admitted frankly, "But even if you stopped choosing me tomorrow, I would still choose you over and over again, because I..."
"Because you...?" She stared intently at him.
Nikolas took her hand and pressed a kiss to her wrist. "I like being with you, Viviana. I don’t care if I’m just a man you’re using. Use me all you want, it’s fine. As long as it’s just me."
Viviana sat still.
She swallowed hard. The words she had to say, she couldn’t let them out.
All she could do was look at him. His eyes, so bright, so green, they were almost blinding.
"Nikolas, I..."
"You need to sleep," Nikolas said, straightening up. He walked around the bed and lay down on the other side.
Viviana lay down as well, but she had her back turned to him. She was confused. This thing lingering... what was it?
Silence stretched between them.
Nikolas had only just closed his eyes, only to blink them open in the next moment as a warm body pressed against his side.
He looked down. Viviana’s forehead was tucked into the crook of his neck, her arm draped across his chest. No woman had really ever been this close to him, at least not in this way.
He grabbed her wrist and absently began rubbing on it before guiding her entire arm up to rest against his shoulders. Her breathing slowed, growing much softer. She drifted into sleep, but he, on the other hand, couldn’t.
He couldn’t even close his eyes.
Frustration built up until he was unable to take it anymore. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and rose to his feet, careful enough not to wake her.
In the living room, he paced for a while before stopping. He plucked out his phone, stared at the screen, and finally attempted to call Francesca. But then he changed his mind.
If anyone was going to understand whatever this thing driving him crazy was, it would be his twin, Lucian. No one else.
So he called him.
[Nikolas, why are you calling me at this time?]
"Are you busy?"
[I’m having a tea party with my daughter. She wouldn’t go to sleep. Why?]
"I want us to talk. Could you spare me two hours?"
[Nikolas, Lucia–]
"Please, Lucian. I think I’m losing my mind, and I need to have a talk with you." Nikolas dragged his fingers through his black hair.
An exasperated sigh was taken on the other end of the line. [Fine. Francesca, could you take care of Lucia? I have to see Nikolas for a few short hours. Is that okay?]
Nikolas heard Francesca’s voice in the background. [Sure. Is he okay?]
[I think so] Lucian responded to her. Then returned his attention to him. [Where do we meet?]
"My penthouse. I’m heading over there."
[Alright]
....
Nikolas paced the length of his living room in the king en suite. He would glance at the door every now and then, waiting and hoping Lucian would waltz through any moment from now.
And there he was. Lucian was hovering outside the glass window, hands tucked into the pockets of his sweatpants. His long hair was pulled back into its usual low bun, glasses perched on his nose.
"What are you doing out there?" Nikolas frowned.
Lucian shrugged. "Your elevator’s too slow for my liking. Flying up was faster."
"Do you realize anyone could see you?"
"No. It’s midnight. Too dark. Hold on, though, I’ll come in." Lucian drifted out of sight.
Seconds later, the door read someone’s fingerprint before the lock clicked. It was pushed open after, and Lucian strolled in with a grin only to pause.
"You look miserable," he commented without hesitation.
Nikolas scowled. "It’s not funny."
Lucian chuckled, slipping off one shoe and tossing it at him. Nikolas dodged, and it slammed into the glass window, leaving a hole.
He cocked a brow. "You’ll pay for that, right?"
"Not a big deal." Lucian waved it off as he walked closer. "So, what’s the problem? Why did you call me out here?"
Nikolas turned away and headed for the bar in the corner of the spacious living room. He sat down with a sigh.
Lucian followed him. "You know that I cancelled the tea party with my daughter because of you."
There was no response from Nikolas, which made him realize that whatever was wrong was more serious than he’d assumed. He quickly sat beside him at the counter, watching as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"Nikolas, you don’t drink. You hate it. And we’re vulnerable to it. How bad is whatever the problem is?"
Nikolas glanced at him. His voice dropped low as he looked away. "I think something’s wrong with me, Lucian. She... she’s done something to me. I’m not thinking straight anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Lucian was confused.
"She affects me in a way I can’t explain. I mean, since that first night I met her, whatever I felt in that moment, it just kept getting worse. And now it’s grown so much it’s suffocating."
Lucian blinked at him. "Who... are we talking about here?"