[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 259: Promises We Shouldn’t Make

~Zayn’s POV~

"Zayn!" It was Kai’s voice, loud enough to cut through the quiet house. "Someone’s looking for you!"

I pulled away instantly from Evric, my eyes wide, startled back to the reality outside our bubble. "Who?"

"Your friend, Dean?" Kai replied, shouted back.

I turned to Evric and gave him a quick, final kiss. "I’ll be right back."

I walked into the living room and found Dean waiting, looking tired and troubled.

"What’s up, man?" Dean said, managing a brief, weary greeting.

"Hey," I replied, forcing a smile.

I walked to the bar cabinet, retrieved a good bottle of red wine, and poured two generous glasses, one for Dean and one for myself. I handed him his glass, and we both sat down.

Dean didn’t ease into the conversation. He started talking immediately, his shoulders slumped. "I’ve been busy with work, but... enough about me. How are you doing, Zayn?"

I smiled faintly and said, "I’m doing fine," my voice soft, knowing he wouldn’t believe it.

Dean set his glass down. "Enough of your fake smile, Zayn. Just tell me how you feel, because right now, I feel so bad. Nantam came to me and confessed everything."

My chest tightened, he already knew.

"Zayn, I’m terrified," Dean said, his voice trembling with emotion. "Everything that happened to you, the shellfish incident, the threats, I had no idea it was our friend behind it." His eyes shimmered with disbelief and hurt. "How could Nantam go that far just to harm you? We were supposed to look out for one another, not tear each other apart."

"I know," I said quietly, my voice weighed down with disbelief. "Nantam was the last person I ever thought would hurt me. I’m still trying to process it, I don’t even want to believe it’s real."

Dean’s anger flared, his words sharp with disbelief. "He’s unbelievable, an absolute monster! You, of all people, value loyalty more than anything, Zayn. How could Nantam betray you like that? He should’ve been happy for you, not trying to destroy you!"

Dean talked for a long time, laying every possible sin at Nantam’s feet, his anger justified but intense. After exhausting his list of Nantam’s cruelties, he turned to me.

"Zayn, I’m sorry," Dean said, his voice dropping, seeking my forgiveness for his own failure to see the truth.

"You don’t need to apologize," I told him, shaking my head. "I didn’t see it coming either, even though I had my suspicions. I refused to believe it could be true."

My voice grew heavy with the weight of our shared suffering. "Dean, Nantam hurt me so much. Evric and I have been through so much, arguments between us, family disapproval, the public scandal, and now a friend’s betrayal. If our love weren’t strong enough, we would have broken up a long time ago."

I clenched my jaw, the worst realization hitting me. "The worst part is, I confided in Nantam about everything, every fight, every fear, without realizing he was the one feeding the fire and tearing my relationship apart."

Dean truly apologized, his expression contrite. He then set his glass down, his expression becoming completely serious. "I’ve talked enough about Nantam’s evil. Now, I have to blame you, too, Zayn."

The honesty was bracing. "I didn’t want to pick sides, but Nantam and you are both my friends. I need to be real with you. In the past, do you remember what Nicki fought you about the most?"

I thought back. "Nicki always said I should stop saying it could never be me, and that I could never be gay."

"Exactly," Dean confirmed. He began laying out my past mistakes. "I warned you about the way you made that promise to Nantam—the promise that if you ever thought of being with a man, it would be him. I warned you not to say, ’It can never happen to me,’ just because it hadn’t yet."

Dean leaned forward, his gaze intense. "You enjoyed Nantam running after you then! You would even laugh after he left, asking, ’What is it about me that attracts Nantam?’ I told you it wasn’t about physical attraction; it was about the heart, and him seeing something in you that nobody else did."

He threw his hands up. "I warned you, Zayn, about the promise you made to Nantam out of a joke! Because you didn’t see yourself attracted to a man then, and now that you are, it costs you everything!"

"I’m not defending Nantam," Dean said firmly, his tone edged with frustration. "What he did was wrong—cruel, even. But Zayn, you played a part in it too. You should never make promises lightly, not as a joke or out of guilt. Never promise anyone anything when you can’t be sure of what’s ahead. The future has a way of testing words we don’t mean to keep."

"That’s why the first time I saw you with Evric, after you came to me, I told you, ’I’m not the problem. The real problem is Nantam.’ I could see how much he clung to that promise, that if you ever chose a man, it would be him."

I felt the immense weight of the unintended consequence. I ran a hand over my face, realizing Dean was right. I had been careless with Nantam’s deepest feelings.

"Zayn," Dean said, his tone gentling, "Nantam has already gone to the police. He turned himself in."

"What?" I exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.

"He was evil, and he deserves to face the consequences," Dean said, his tone firm but calm. "I personally drove him to the police station so he could face what he did, and then I came to your house so we could talk. I also needed to point out where you went wrong, Zayn."

He continued, his voice heavy with finality. "For Nantam, he could have let go and never let love change the good person he once was. If it weren’t for this obsession, we both know Nantam has never done anything wrong before."

"And as for you, Zayn," Dean said, his eyes steady and serious. "Take this as a lesson, never make a promise you can’t keep. Don’t treat promises like a joke, because everyone values them differently, and the way we hold on to them can change everything."

"I’m sorry," I whispered, guilt pressing down on me. "I never realized Nantam would take those promises seriously. I didn’t mean any of it."

"That’s the end of it," Dean said, rising to his feet. "Nantam will face the consequences, and thankfully, you’ve also recognized where you went wrong."

Just then, Evric stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room.

I jumped to my feet, heart racing, and hurried over to him. "Babe, Nantam already turned himself in to the police!" I whispered, gripping his arms.

Evric stayed perfectly calm, his gaze steady on me. "He did the right thing. Why are you so worked up, baby? There’s nothing to worry about."

"Why would you say that? Nantam is my friend!" I insisted, my voice tense.

Evric gave a faint, reassuring smile and drew me into a gentle hug. "I know he is. Let him be for today."

"It’s not funny, why are you smiling?" I exclaimed, pulling back.

Evric’s expression softened as he gently held my face. "Don’t worry about him. Evans said we should let him stay there tonight. He’ll go to him tomorrow."

I frowned, confused. "Wait... how did Evans know Nantam was going to turn himself in?"

Evric chuckled softly, sliding a hand around my waist. "We’re one, Zayn. And besides... did you forget? Nantam is friends with Evans. Dean is friends with me. We are all friends."

"Friends?" I repeated.