chapter 51
Nicholas pov
I remained standing there long after Eric left.
The music inside the club suddenly felt irritating too loud, too suffocating.
The woman beside me awkwardly fixed her dress before quietly walking away after sensing the tension.
For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at the entrance Eric disappeared through.
Then I exhaled sharply and walked outside.
The cold night air hit immediately, but Eric was nowhere to be found.
I looked around the street again.
Nothing.
I ran my hand through my hair frustratingly.
Damn it.
Then I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.
"He was actually worried, you know."
I turned around immediately.
A girl stood there with her arms crossed.
Her face looked familiar.
"Do I know you"?, I asked in my mind.
"You probably don't remember me," she said before I could ask, your face looks familiar.
I stayed quiet.
"He wanted to call you," she continued. "But his phone has a battery low."
Something inside me paused.
"And besides…" she added, her voice getting sharper, "if you were truly worried about him, you could've just called his sister and asked about the people he hangs around with."
I frowned slightly.
"You didn't have to embarrass him like that right in front of everybody, our classmates, school mate and friends, including people who don't know"
Her voice echoed louder than the music behind us.
Before I could respond, a boy hurried over quickly.
"Sorry, sir," he said awkwardly before gently dragging her away.
"Let's just go," he whispered to her.
But even as they walked away, her words remained in my head.
You didn't have to embarrass him.
I stood there for a while before finally walking back to my car.
The entire drive home was quiet, too quiet.
I kept replaying everything that happened inside the club.
The woman hugging him.
Eric pushing her away immediately.
His expression.
His voice.
"Do you think I'm not worried about her?"
Maybe I said too much again.
I sighed heavily before grabbing my phone and calling Laurel.
She picked up after the second ring.
"What?" she said voice sharp.
"Eric is angry."
A pause.
"Okay."
I frowned. "That's all?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"why are his angry, have you tried persuading him".
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"We argued."
"You're both alive, aren't you?"
"Laurel."
She sighed dramatically from the other side.
"What did you do?"
"I wasn't even trying to start anything," I muttered. "I was worried."
"And?"
"And somehow he twisted everything."
"No," she corrected calmly. "You probably said it wrongly."
I blinked slightly.
Then she continued.
"Eric only reacts like that when it concerns me."
I stayed silent.
"Figure it out yourself," she said casually before cutting the call.
I stared at my phone in disbelief.
Unbelievable.
When I finally got home, the lights in the living room were still on.
I walked inside quietly
And froze.
Eric was sitting in the parlor alone.
The television was on, but muted.
He didn't even look at me immediately.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then before I could even say anything
He spoke first.
"So now I know the reason she works so hard is because of me."
I frowned immediately.
"Eric"
"And I'm not worthy of it. he said ".
"Don't say that."
He laughed softly
.
But there was nothing funny about it.
"What? Isn't that what you meant?"
"That's not what I..."
"I mean…" he continued, finally looking at me. "Didn't my parents abuse her?"
I stopped talking.
"I didn't ask for any of that," he said quietly. "But she's still my family."
Something about the way he said it felt painful like guilt had been sitting inside him for years.
"I know I don't deserve her love," he admitted softly.
"Eric, that's not what I meant."
"But I want to live too."
That sentence hit me immediately.
"And you don't have the right to judge me."
"I'm not judging you."
His eyes finally met mine properly cold, hurt.
"Then don't act like you understand me."
I opened my mouth slightly, but nothing came out.
He stood up slowly.
"And I don't see you as a brother or father figure," he added quietly. "So keep your discipline to yourself next time."
"I'm not trying to discipline you," I said immediately.
But he had already started walking away.
"Eric"
He stopped briefly.
For one second, I thought he would turn around.
But he didn't.
Then he walked upstairs.
Leaving me standing there alone before I could even finish my sentence.