Chapter 153
When I woke up, it was only 8 AM, but it felt like I hadn’t slept at all.
My body was still sore, my mind even worse. I stared at the ceiling, watching the faint sunlight bleed in through the curtains, too bright for how hollow I felt. The silence in the room was complete, except for the dull tick of the wall clock and the distant hum of the city outside. The other side of the bed was cold.
Alessandro was gone.
At some point between the crackling end of Shan’s call and the hours that blurred after, we ate pizza without him asking any questions then we cuddled together after. He left early in the morning to go deal with some stuff.
I sat up slowly, wincing as the pain in my muscles flared. I checked my phone. No missed calls. No messages. I opened Shan’s chat and stared at it for a long moment before trying again. The line rang… once… twice…
Still nothing.
I tried again.
Straight to voicemail. Panic curled cold fingers around my ribs.
I stood up, tugging one of Alessandro’s shirts over my head and padding into the kitchen. The smell of last night’s pizza still lingered faintly. The Coke bottle was gone. So was he.
I poured a glass of water and took a long sip, but it didn’t help. My stomach twisted with every possible scenario. Was Shan okay? Was she in danger?!
What did she mean when she said unknown number called her?!
Had someone actually been watching her… watching me?
I slumped down onto the sofa, my heart pounding in my ears.
Unlocking my phone again for the tenth time in less than ten minutes, I noticed a new message blinking at the top of the screen. From Jack.
Jack: Nikolai! I’m so sorry man, I don’t remember anything from last night, just that crazy chick taking my phone. You kept calling. Is everything well?
I stared at the message.
Me: Are you free today? I want to do this in person
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Jack: You weirding me out dude but yea, I got no plans, where u at?
I sighed, then typed in the address to Alessandro’s place and hit send. A second later, I opened our messages and started typing a new one to Alessandro.
Me: Just a heads up – Jack’s coming over to your place. I need to talk to him about last night. Hope that’s okay.
I stared at the message, hesitating for a beat.
Was it okay?
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Chapter 153
Alessandro had barely said two words to me before vanishing this morning. I didn’t even know if he was now pissed at something or if he’d even read this before Jack showed up.
But I sent it anyway.
Then I tossed the phone back down on the sofa and rubbed a hand down my face, sinking into the cushions. I wasn’t sure what was worse the silence from Shan or the memory hole from Jack.
I heard the door buzz within minutes and I stood from the sofa and walked over, my bare feet silent on the floor. The monitor above the door lit up, flickering slightly. Jack’s face appeared on the screen, blurry from the low–quality camera, but unmistakably him, same crooked grín, same messy hair.
I buzzed him in.
A soft click. The elevator doors slid open, and I watched him step inside. The camera angle shifted automatically, showing the inside of the elevator as it closed behind him. He leaned against the wall casually, looking around like he was arriving for a party instead of a potential interrogation.
“Dude. You look like shit.” He murmured the moment he walked to me. I didn’t return the smile. “Yeah. You too.“, I spoke then went straight to
the sofa.
“Okay,” he finally muttered, “you’re freaking me out. What the hell happened last night?”
I didn’t answer right away. I just looked at him, hard.
“You tell me,” I said quietly. “Because I’ve been up all night trying to figure that out.”
Jack shifted. “Look, man… all I remember is being at the bar. I called, you picked up, we talked for like a second… then that girl – Shan – she grabbed the phone. And after that?” He shrugged. “Nothing. It’s blank. Like… blackout blank.”
I leaned forward. “Did you drink that much?”
“No,” he said instantly, brows furrowing. “I wasn’t even drunk yet. I had one beer. One. It’s not like I got wasted and forgot. Something’s wrong.”
“Shan said someone called her from an unknown number,” I said, voice tight. “Right before the call dropped. And now she’s not picking up.”
Jack went pale. “Wait, what? You think-”
“I don’t know what to think,” I snapped, then caught myself and ran a hand through my hajr. “I just know it’s not a coincidence. Her showing up there. With you. Taking your phone. Saying weird shit, Then vanishing.”
Jack sat back, quiet now, the weight of it finally sinking in.
“You think someone’s after her?” he asked. “Or you?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know. Not really. But the silence on the other end of that call, the way Shan had sounded off, scared, like she was trying to tell me something without saying it out loud, it was enough to make my skin crawl.
Jack rubbed his palms over his face, muttering under his breath. “Fuck. This is serious, isn’t it?”
“Where is Alessandro even?“,
He stood up then out of the blue, he gripped one of the photo frames that were on the table..
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Chapter 153
“Let’s forget about that shit that happened last night… Alessandro is so hot, no wonder he turned you gay.” He shook his head, putting the photo frame back, then turned to look at me with a serious expression, making me shake my head in disbelief.
He seriously changed the topic. “He is, handsome as shit, Nikolai.”
Just before, I could answer him, the door open out of the blue.
Alessandro?!
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