Nico

My eyes widened in shock the moment those words escaped from his lips. Heat rushed through my chest so suddenly that it almost stole the air from my lungs completely.

I had expected teasing from him tonight. Maybe drunken flirting wrapped in sarcasm. Maybe another argument disguised as banter because that was what Alaric and I did best.

But not this.

Not Alaric sitting there with flushed cheeks and heavy eyes while openly admitting that he wanted me badly enough to say something like that.

My heartbeat immediately turned uneven.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

We simply stared at each other in silence while the soft city lights spilled through the massive penthouse windows around us. The teasing atmosphere from earlier slowly faded into something far more intimate.

Alaric’s hazel eyes remained locked onto mine, slightly unfocused because of the alcohol but painfully honest in a way sober people rarely allowed themselves to be.

There was vulnerability hidden beneath the drunkenness tonight. A dangerous kind of openness that made it impossible for me to look away from him.

The longer he stared at me, the more the world around us seemed to disappear.

It felt strangely intimate. Too intimate. Like we were standing somewhere far away from reality where neither of us had to pretend anymore.

Then Alaric suddenly hiccuped, and the sound instantly shattered the moment.

He groaned softly before rubbing his eyes tiredly. "But you will not," he muttered under his breath. "Because you do not want me."

My eyebrows immediately pulled together.

"Someone as hot as you would never want me," he continued while lazily pointing at me. "I mean... you are Nico fucking Park. Hot as fuck and—"

He hiccuped again in the middle of his sentence before groaning in annoyance.

"There is no way that is ever happening."

I stared at him quietly for a few seconds before my gaze drifted back toward his eyes again. His pupils looked larger because of the alcohol, making his hazel eyes softer than usual.

They were beautiful.

Without really thinking about it, I smiled softly before reaching out to touch his face.

I honestly expected him to push my hand away immediately.

Instead, Alaric leaned his cheek against my palm.

Then he smiled at me.

The gesture hit me so unexpectedly that my stomach tightened instantly.

Warmth spread slowly through my chest while something soft and dangerous curled quietly inside me. It felt almost ridiculous how one small smile from him could affect me this much.

No one had ever looked at me the way Alaric did sometimes.

Like I was someone safe.

"You are so handsome," Alaric muttered while lazily blinking at me through heavy lashes.

A quiet laugh escaped my lips before I shook my head slightly. "Are we finally done with the question segment?"

Alaric frowned in confusion. "What?"

I leaned back slightly while still keeping my hand against his face. "Because I think it is time for the confession part now."

Alaric groaned loudly before dragging both hands down his face. "Oh my God! You are seriously so annoying."

Despite his complaint, he slowly pushed himself upright from the couch. His movements were clumsy because of the alcohol as he staggered toward the massive windows overlooking the glittering city below.

I watched him carefully the entire time to make sure he did not fall.

Alaric stopped near the glass and rested one hand against it before turning toward me again.

"You are seriously so handsome," he said suddenly.

I blinked in surprise.

Alaric pointed accusingly at me. "Like... unfairly handsome."

A laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

"I hate your face sometimes," he continued dramatically. "Do you know how many of your interview videos I watched after the accident?"

My smile slowly faded.

Alaric looked down toward the city lights beneath us before speaking again, his voice quieter this time.

"I watched them because I wanted to see you."

My chest tightened instantly.

"You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen," he admitted softly.

I just stared at him while he kept talking without restraint, the alcohol stripping away every wall he normally kept around himself.

"I did not hate you," Alaric muttered quietly. "Not really. Even though you irritate me sometimes."

His fingers tightened slightly against the glass.

"Your videos actually helped me a lot after the accident."

Something warm spread painfully through my chest hearing that.

Alaric laughed weakly before shaking his head. "Honestly, aside from my best friend Harold and Doctor Leo Ackerman, you were one of the only things distracting me from losing my mind."

My eyes widened immediately.

Leo Ackerman. That was my cousin.

But I said nothing.

I simply continued staring at him quietly while my heartbeat grew louder inside my chest.

Alaric sighed softly before continuing. "And there were also those letters."

I froze instantly.

"They came every month after the accident," he said quietly. "Always unsigned."

My throat tightened immediately.

"The sender called himself Seo Jun."

My heartbeat nearly stopped.

Seo Jun. That was My Korean name.

I had never expected him to remember it.

Alaric smiled faintly to himself while staring back out at the city again. "I do not know who that person is," he admitted softly. "But those letters helped me more than they probably realized."

Emotion tightened painfully inside my chest.

"I think..." Alaric paused briefly before laughing quietly under his breath. "I think I really wanted to meet him someday."

I could barely breathe.

All those years.

All those letters.

All those messages I never thought mattered this much to him.

Alaric slowly turned toward me again.

His gaze dropped briefly toward my mouth.

Then back to my eyes.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question came out so softly that it almost sounded fragile.

"I have been thinking about your lips ever since that night in Maldives," he admitted quietly. "And before you ask, I am not drunk enough to blame this on alcohol tomorrow."

My pulse quickened instantly.

Alaric slowly stepped closer toward me before leaning down carefully.

Then his lips brushed softly against mine.

The kiss was warm and impossibly gentle, lingering just long enough to make my heartbeat stumble painfully inside my chest.

It was not rushed or demanding. It felt careful, almost hesitant, like Alaric was terrified that I might pull away from him at any second.

The kiss barely lasted longer than a few seconds, but my entire body reacted to it immediately.

Heat rushed through my chest while the faint taste of alcohol lingered against his mouth.

But I did not kiss him back.

Not because I did not want to.

God, I wanted to. I wanted it so badly that it almost hurt.

But the moment caught me completely off guard, and my hesitation must have been obvious because Alaric slowly pulled away after a few seconds.

Something vulnerable flashed briefly across his face.

"Sorry," he whispered quietly while looking embarrassed. "I should not have done that."

He took a small step backward before turning slightly as if preparing to walk away.

Panic surged through me instantly.

I grabbed his wrist before he could take another step.

Alaric looked back at me in surprise.

Then I pulled him toward me.

This time, when I kissed him, I did not hesitate.

I cupped his face gently before pressing my lips against his properly, slowly savoring the feeling I had spent days trying not to think about.

Alaric made the softest sound against my mouth.

The noise alone nearly destroyed my self-control.

His lips were warm and impossibly soft beneath mine, moving carefully against me at first like he still could not believe this was actually happening.

I kissed him slowly and gently, giving him enough time to pull away if he wanted to.

He never did.

Instead, Alaric stepped closer until his body was pressed against mine while his trembling fingers slowly curled into the fabric of my shirt.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs.

I could taste the faint bitterness of wine on his lips while his breathing turned uneven against my mouth. My fingers slid carefully into his hair as I held him closer.

Alaric kissed me back softly at first, almost shyly, before the hesitation slowly disappeared completely.

Then suddenly he was kissing me like he had wanted this for a very long time.

Like he had been holding himself back for days.

Heat curled low inside my stomach when his fingers tightened against my shirt while he tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss carefully.

A quiet sound escaped him again.

The noise went straight through me.

Alaric’s lips lingered against mine even after the kiss slowed, his forehead eventually resting lightly against mine while both of us struggled to breathe normally again.

Neither of us spoke immediately.

I was still trying to figure out what was happening and why the kiss had felt far more intimate than the night in Maldives.

His hazel eyes slowly met mine again, and we stared at each other quietly for a moment before I leaned in once more.