4
616 Words
The strawberry yogurt tasted like regret.
I stood in the moonlit kitchen, clutching the stupid cup like it was the only thing tethering me to reality. Nikolai’s footsteps had faded upstairs, but the ghost of his warmth still lingered where his arm had brushed mine. Electric sparks Stupid, traitorous body.
I shoved a spoonful of yogurt into my mouth. Gross.Too sweet. Too pink. Just like my stupid shorts.
A creak from the hallway made me freeze.
Oh no. No no no—
Nikolai leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching me with those icy blue eyes that saw way too much. “You’re still here.”
I swallowed hard. “Astute observation.”
His lips twitched. Damn him.
I scowled, stabbing the yogurt with my spoon. “What, did you come back to critique my eating habits too?”
“No.” He pushed off the doorframe, stepping closer. The moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face, the faint scar above his eyebrow. “I came back because you forgot this.”
He held out a napkin.
I blinked. “...A napkin.”
“You had yogurt on your chin.”
My hand flew to my face. Oh my god. Mortification burned through me. “I— That’s— You’re lying—”
“I’m not.” His voice was low, amused. “It was cute.”
Cute.
That word again. The one that made my heart do a backflip and my brain short-circuit.
I snatched the napkin, glaring. “I hate you.”
“Liar.”
He was smirking Actually smirking The great, brooding Nikolai, who barely spoke to anyone, was teasing me
I crumpled the napkin in my fist. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re shaking again.”
“I’m cold it's freezing.”
“Liar,” he repeated, softer this time.
The air between us thickened. His gaze dropped to my lips, just for a second, but it was enough to send my pulse into overdrive. Why was he looking at me like that?* Like I was something to unravel, something to—
A loud thud from upstairs shattered the moment.
Nikolai sighed, running a hand through his already-messy hair. “I should go before Knox sets something on fire.”
“Yeah. Sure. Go.” I waved him off, trying to sound indifferent. Failing miserably.
He hesitated, then reached past me to open the fridge. His chest brushed against my shoulder, and I stopped breathing
“Here.” He tossed me a chocolate pudding cup—the last one. “Don’t tell Knox.”
I stared at it. “...Is this a peace offering?”
“It’s a bribe.” His voice was gruff, but his eyes—his eyes were almost soft. “So you stop glaring at me like I kicked your puppy.”
I clutched the pudding to my chest. “I don’t have a puppy.”
“Metaphorically, Junie.”
Junie.
The way he said my name—like it was a secret, like it was *his*—made my stomach flip.
He turned to leave, but I blurted out, “Wait!”
Nikolai paused, glancing back.
Why did I say that?!* My brain screamed.
Abort! Abort!
I held up the pudding. “...Thanks.”
For a heartbeat, he just looked at me. Then—
“Go to bed, now Junie."
And just like that, he was gone.
I slumped against the counter, pressing the cold pudding cup to my burning cheeks.
Stupid Nikolai. Stupid abs. Stupid ass nice gesture.
Upstairs, his bedroom door clicked shut.
I peeled open the pudding, taking a slow bite. Sweet. Rich. Perfect.
A smile tugged at my lips.
Damn him.
- Writer
