til you love me again | Boston x Nick

episode 21

Nick left out and exhausted sigh, dropping his bag by the door, exhaling as the weight of the day seemed to melt off his shoulders.

He had spent the last few hours under hot lights, posing, smiling, and moving on command for a shoot that felt like it would never end. All he wanted now was to collapse into bed, sink into a few hours of dreamless sleep.

The sun was setting, shining its last rays of light before disappearing under the horizon, casting warm hues in the apartment through the big glass windows. Signaling that the day has almost come to an end.

Nick rubbed his temples, pushing the thought aside as he tossed his jacket over the back of the couch and slouched down. He then felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

Namchueam?

She wasn’t one to call out of the blue, especially at this hour. For a second, he wondered if something had happened back in Thailand.

Swallowing the knot in his throat, he answered.

"Hello? Namchueam?"

There was a brief pause before her voice came through, soft but carrying an edge of concern. “Hey, Nick. I just… I wanted to check on you. I know I called Boston the other night. He… he mentioned you.”

Nick’s grip on the phone tightened involuntarily. Boston. Why did it always come back to him? The name alone was enough to reignite the ache he’d spent months burying. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to stop, to not bring up his name.

I mean yeah they were "friends" now but lately his feelings have just been all over the place. But one things for sure, The wound that Boston cut by betraying his trust still hurt.

It's been months, But the feeling of betrayal still lingered in him, even after Dan. Before Nick could overthink more, A voice on the other line interrupted him.

"Nick?"

“Yeah I'm here.” he managed, his voice low and guarded. “So what if he mentioned me, what about it?”

Namchueam took a deep breath, before saying “He’s struggling, Nick. Really struggling. I know things were complicated between you two… but it’s not the same without you. He’s not the same. I just can't see him like this.”

Nick closed his eyes, resting his head back against the cushions. Images of Boston flooded his mind, unbidden yet painfully vivid. Boston’s smile, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the warmth of his touch—so close and then, suddenly, out of reach. He wanted to shake off the memories, but they clung to him, a relentless weight he could neither carry nor cast aside.

“Nick… are you still there?”

Her voice brought him back, grounding him. “Yeah, I’m here,” he muttered, but his voice held a tremor he couldn’t hide.

“It’s just…” She hesitated. “Boston’s been trying, you know? To make things right, to change. He thought you’d see that. And maybe… maybe he doesn’t know how to handle it if you don’t.”

Nick’s jaw clenched, frustration mingling with the ache in his chest. "Do you even know the pain I went through when I was with him?" he whispered, voice barely audible. “He truly was everything to me, and then he—” He paused, fighting against the bitterness, the hurt that still felt as raw as the day it all happened. “He threw it away. Just like that. I know it's been months but still the wound hurts deep"

There was silence on the other end, a silence that stretched on, heavy and thoughtful. When Namchueam spoke again, her voice was softer, gentler. “I know he hurt you. And you have every right to be angry. But people make mistakes, Nick. Sometimes they mess up so badly that they don’t even know how to fix it, even if they want to.”