𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 | 18+ ( 𝐌𝐱𝐌 )

cнαρтєя ƒσυятєєη

☻︎нєℓℓσ яєαԃєяѕ ☻︎

☯︎☯︎☯︎

He sat on the couch, holding Nicole close as a movie played in the background. They were watching it together, well Nicole was the only one truly engaged in it. He found himself staring blankly at the screen, his thoughts drifting far away.

His mind was consumed with reflections on his life.

He felt a profound sense of unhappiness.

And he was very aware of the reason behind it—he still missed him. Thoughts of him lingered, filling his mind and even invading his dreams. It was an struggle to push those thoughts aside; he carried it with him every single day.

The person he longed for wasn’t the one nestled in his arms, and that realization weighed heavily on him.

Nicole noticed Tristan's unusual silence since the movie began. Turning to him, she found him lost in thought, staring into space. A frown creased her brow; she wondered what was occupying his mind.

"Trist?" she called, but he didn’t respond.

"Trist?" she tried again, a bit louder this time.

Finally, he turned to her, realizing she had been trying to get his attention. Her expression was filled with curiosity.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Me? Oh, nothing. Just watching the movie," he replied, attempting to brush it off.

"No, you weren’t. You seem so far away, like you’re not even here. What’s bothering you?" Concern etched across her face.

"I... I’m fine, Nicky. Just thinking about work, that’s all," he said, trying to reassure her.

She sighed, clearly frustrated. "I told you not to overwork yourself. It’s Saturday, and you still think about work. You need to take a break or you’ll end up sick." She turned to face the TV.

"It’s like you forget everything around you, including me sometimes," she added softly.

But he heard her words loud and clear.

A wave of guilt washed over him.

"Nicky, I’m really sorry. I know I promised to make time for us, and I messed up again. I’ve just been swamped lately, but I promise that—"

She turned to face him, cutting him off. "Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Tristan. You stood me up on our date, forgot my birthday, and never seem to have time for me. Now you want to promise me things again? Please, I’m tired of empty words." She pulled away from him, breaking the embrace.

"Nic—"

"I can’t keep pretending that this doesn’t hurt me; it really does. I try to convince myself it’s just work, that you’re simply too busy for me right now, but I can’t seem to believe it. You should never be too busy for me; I’m your girlfriend. You ought to have time for me, and no amount of work should cause you to neglect me for an entire month. I feel so isolated, and all I crave is your attention, but it feels like I’m not getting any. Her voice trembled as she spoke the last words."

His heart broke into pieces.

“Nicky. Oh fuck. Nicky. I’m so sorry, truly sorry.” He moved closer, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

He lifted her chin with his finger, urging her to meet his gaze.

“Please forgive me. I hate that I keep hurting you, that I make you cry, and that I keep breaking promises. I never meant to cause you pain, I swear. I just... I’m struggling with so much in my head, and it’s tiring. I know you’re tired of my apologies, but I’m really sorry, Nicky. Please, stop crying.” He pleaded, his hands resting on her shoulders as he turned her to face him fully, his eyes filled with regret.