Zayn's POV
I watched Evric leave just now, his sleek car pulling away from my house, the weight of his absence pressing down on me like a physical force.
Earlier, I had packed his lunch box, kissed him goodbye, and tried to wave him off as if everything were normal. But inside, I was anything but normal. My mind was spinning, trying to understand the whirlwind of feelings I couldn't admit even to myself.
I reflected on my life, on the words I had sworn so many times: It can never be me. It can never happen to me. I can never fall for a man.
I wasn't homophobic, not at all, but I had built walls around myself, fortified by habit and certainty. I had always thought men weren't for me. I'd always told myself I couldn't be in love with a man, that the idea was foreign, impossible. And yet, here I was, breathing and thinking about Evric, replaying every touch, every word, every moment, trying to make sense of it all.