Drive me Wild, Rival(BL)

Chapter 126: He loves me

Alaric

​Nico loves me? That was the craziest thing that I never expected to hear, but he had confessed it himself that night, and I had heard it right.

​How could it be? I wondered.

​How could a guy like Nico, who usually looked at me like he wanted to wrap his hands around my neck and strangle me on the track, actually hold those kinds of feelings inside his chest?

The words kept spinning through my brain, overlapping with the weight of his head resting on my ribs from the night before.

I had been awake.

I had been completely awake when he climbed into my bed, wrapping his arms around me in that desperate, trembling hug, whispering his deepest secret into the dark, quiet space of my room. I hadn’t moved. I hadn’t said a single word because the sheer shock of it had completely paralyzed me, trapping the breath right inside my throat.

​And now, standing right outside the heavy wooden door of the vacant lounge room, the reality of it hit me like a physical blow all over again.

​I had initially followed them down the long, polished hallway of the venue to make sure Nico was truly safe from the rest of his psychotic family. I had stood there like a sentinel, guarding the entrance to give him and his mother the privacy they desperately needed after the absolute bloodbath in the bathroom.

But the walls of the lounge weren’t completely soundproof, and as I stepped closer to the doorframe to call him out—to tell him that the car was packed and Uncle Anderson was waiting—their muffled voices leaked through the wood, stopping me dead in my tracks.

​"So about that boy Alaric," I heard Annie’s voice soften, the sharp, defensive edge she had used against the grandfather completely vanishing. "I have seen the way you look at him, Nico. Do you love him?"

​My heart violently skipped a beat. The entire hallway seemed to plunge into an eerie, suffocating silence as I held my breath, my fingers instinctively tightening against the cold brass handle of the door.

My ears were practically straining against the wood, every single nerve in my body locking up as I waited for the answer.

​There was a brief, agonizing pause on the other side. A silence so heavy I could feel it through the cracks of the door. And then, Nico’s voice cut through the quiet, quiet but entirely steady.

​"Yes, Mom. I am in love with him."

​Thump.

​My heart started racing at a terrifying speed, the blood roaring in my ears so loudly it threatened to drown out the rest of the world.

I stared blankly at the polished wood of the door, my mind completely short-circuiting. Hearing him admit it to me in the dark was one thing, but hearing him confess it out loud to his own mother, with absolutely no hesitation in his tone, made a strange, unreadable panic flare up inside my chest.

​But as if that wasn’t enough to drive me completely insane, Annie’s voice sounded yet again, carrying a sheepish, emotional tone. "Oh, that’s my boy. I am so glad that you found love, boy, and I hope he loves you too."

​Another heavy silence stretched out from inside the room. I could picture Nico standing there, his head probably lowered, his fingers nervously twisting the fabric of his black suit jacket as he wrestled with the ghosts of what had happened between us at the cabin.

I knew he was remembering the distance, the unresolved tension.

​Then, Nico’s voice broke the silence, and the words he chose made my chest tighten into a painful knot.

​"Yes, he does."

​Thump. Thump. Thump.

​My heart pounded even harder against my ribs, the force of it practically vibrating through my entire frame. He lied to her. He had lied to his mother just to keep her mind at ease, to make her believe that the love he was feeling wasn’t a one-way street.

A deep, ragged sigh escaped my lips, my hand slowly falling away from the door handle as a wave of overwhelming confusion washed over me. I couldn’t stand there anymore. I couldn’t keep eavesdropping on a conversation that felt far too real for me to process while standing in a public hallway.

​Turning on my heel, I walked away from the door, my footsteps heavy and uneven as I tried to put distance between myself and the truth.

​As I rounded the corner toward the main lobby, a figure suddenly stepped into my path, forcing me to stop.

It was Sophia.

She was pulling her silk shawl tighter around her shoulders, her eyes scanning my face with a mix of anxiety and deep concern.

​"Alaric," she said, her voice dropping into a hushed whisper as she glanced over her shoulder. "Is Nico alright? I saw Anderson... I saw what happened in the bathroom. Is he with his mother?"

​I stared at her for a long moment, my lips parting to respond, but absolutely no words came out. My throat felt completely dry, my mind still completely occupied by Nico’s voice saying ’Yes, he does.’ I couldn’t even bring myself to give her a simple explanation.

I just stood there looking like a ghost, the exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours finally catching up to me.

​Noticing my blank expression, Sophia’s brows furrowed. "Alaric?"

​"I... I need a second, Sophia," I finally managed to mutter, my voice sounding incredibly hollow even to my own ears.

​Without waiting for her to say anything else, I bypassed her completely and hurried down the opposite corridor, practically bursting through the door of a smaller, secondary restroom. I needed to breathe. I needed to get a grip on reality before I completely lost my mind.

​I marched straight toward the row of marble sinks, turning the tap on high. The rushing sound of the water filled the quiet room as I cupped my hands, scooping up a handful of freezing cold water and throwing it directly onto my face. I did it again and again, desperate to wash away the lingering shock, and the terrifying warmth that was starting to bloom in the center of my chest.

​I grabbed a paper towel, wiping the excess water from my skin, and then I slowly looked up into the wide mirror above the sink.

​My heart instantly stopped.

​Right there in the glass, standing directly behind my reflection with a stupid, wide smirk on his face, was Harold. He was still wearing his usual red suit, leaning casually against the tiled wall with his arms crossed over his chest, tilting his head as he stared at me through the mirror.

​"Well, well, well," Harold jested, his voice bouncing inside my head with a light, mocking cheerfulness. "Look at the big, brave driver completely losing his cool over a few little words. Who knew the great Alaric de Villier could get taken down so easily without a single car crash?"

​I closed my eyes tightly, gripping the edge of the marble sink until my knuckles turned completely white. "Not now, Harold," I snapped under my breath, refusing to look at him. "I am absolutely not in the mood for your psychological commentary today."

​"Oh, come on, Ric! This is quality entertainment!" Harold chuckled, his reflection stepping closer until he was virtually leaning over my shoulder in the glass. He pointed a finger at my chest, his expression turning into one of pure, dramatic amusement. "The boy said he loves you! Out loud! To his mommy! And what do you do? You run away to the bathroom to splash water on your face like a panicked teenager after his first kiss. It’s honestly hilarious."

​"Shut up," I hissed, opening my eyes to glare at him through the mirror. "He lied to her. He told her I love him back, and we both know that things between us are a total mess. I don’t even know what I feel right now."

​"Oh, please. You’re an idiot if you think that was a total lie," Harold rolled his eyes, letting out a dramatic sigh as he flapped his hand dismissively. "Your heart is practically trying to break out of your ribcage right now. If you pound any harder, you’re going to do my job for me. Just admit it, you’re—"

​Harold’s words cut off instantly, his form suddenly blurring at the edges.

​The heavy click of the restroom door echoing from the hallway made him completely vanish into thin air, leaving nothing but my own pale, water-streaked reflection staring back at me.

I heaved a sigh of relief, straightening my posture as I smoothed down the front of my black suit jacket. I knew exactly why Harold had disappeared so fast. He was never around whenever Nico was there.

Nico was the only person who possessed the bizarre, grounding ability to chase the ghosts right out of my head.

​The door pushed open completely, and Nico walked in.