12. Nicholas

CHAPTER 12

Nicholas

I was running on fumes, my body protesting every step as I made my way to the staff locker room. A long day of Christmas party prep had drained me—stringing lights around the main hall, setting up the “Memory Lane” photo station, and hanging garlands until my arms ached. But there was a satisfaction in it, too. It felt good to be part of something bigger than just my shift, to see the residents excited about a party that was really for them.

I turned the corner, the faint hum of the overhead lights buzzing in the quiet hallway. That was when I saw him.

Markus was standing there, his posture impeccable as always, but there was something in the way he was holding himself—something different that made my pulse pick up. I tried not to let it show, but the breath in my chest caught. He looked… I don’t know, maybe it was the way his sleeves were rolled up, like he’d been working hard too. Or maybe it was the quiet energy around him, the same kind of energy I could never quite place when he was near.

"Nicky.”

I stopped in my tracks. "It's Nicho—" I swallowed the instinct to correct him.

The way he said my name. His voice was low and smooth, like it always was, but there was something different about it this time—it felt personal, like he was savoring the sound of my name, making it his own. Like he was saying my name with more care, more attention than usual.

My heart beat just a little faster.

Then my gut twisted when I realized something. I’d always hated the name Nicky, hated how it made me feel small, like people saw me as a kid, like I wasn’t the adult I had to become to take care of Aiden. But the way Markus said it, with that little smile pulling at his lips, the casual yet warm tone, the confidence in his voice, made the name feel… different. There was a weight to it, a softness that I didn’t expect. It wasn’t just "Nicky," the annoying nickname I’d corrected so many people on over the years. The way Markus said it, with that quiet authority and a touch of tenderness, made me feel both like a boy to be protected and like a man to be respected all at once.

Damn it.

My heart did a weird thing in my chest, and I hated how it made me feel so… off-balance. But as I looked at him, there was this undeniable pull, like I was teetering on the edge of a cliff, but even if I fell, I could trust that he’d be there, his arms strong enough to catch me at the bottom.

God help me.

I was a bit thrown, but I forced myself to stand tall. “What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound casual, though I could feel my heart quicken, betraying me.

Markus shifted, running a hand through his hair, and I noticed his eyes dart down, like he was taking a breath before speaking. The confidence I usually saw in him wasn’t there, not entirely.

“Just thought I’d… catch you before you clocked out,” he said, his voice hesitating for just a second. “How’s the party prep going?”

“Almost done. We’re putting up the last of the decorations.” I kept my tone light, pretending not to notice the way my skin buzzed when he looked at me. But I couldn’t deny that it made me feel a little… off-balance, like I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from him.

He gave a small nod, his eyes lingering on me for a beat longer than usual. I could see him collecting himself, like he was trying to figure out what to say next, which was… surprising. Markus never seemed like someone who struggled for words. He usually seemed to have everything figured out.

“So,” he began, clearing his throat, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

I tilted my head, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

He shifted on his feet, then met my eyes again, a flicker of something in his expression that I couldn’t quite place. “I know this is... probably unexpected, but I’d like to take you out sometime. Maybe for dinner or something?”

I felt my heart stumble in my chest. My breath caught for just a moment, and I stood there, caught between the words he’d said and the realization that I had no idea how to process it. Markus—my boss—was asking me out. My head was still trying to catch up.

“Didn’t you say you were all about keeping it professional?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, my voice playful, but with a slight edge to it that surprised even me.

Markus blinked, his brow furrowing for a second. He stiffened, his expression briefly guarded, like he was worried he’d messed up.

I felt a flash of panic. Did I take it too far? Should I apologize?

But then, just as quickly, he let out a soft laugh—unexpected, warm, genuine. It wasn’t the kind of laugh I’d ever heard from him before. It was real, not the polished version he always kept in place. It eased the tension in my chest, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Guess I can’t win for losing, huh?” he said, his voice light, but I could hear the undertone, the playfulness coming back into it.

I laughed along with him, the whole thing feeling a little less awkward, a little more natural. “Maybe next time, you should actually stick to your word, Doc.”

“Maybe,” he replied, smiling now, the nerves gone. “So, does this mean I get a yes to the date?” His tone was light, but there was something else there too. Something that made my stomach flutter.

And for a moment, I stood there, my heart hammering. Every reason I had to say no—workplace rules, complications—flashed in my mind. I couldn’t even remember if the place had a no-fraternization policy. What if it didn’t and things went south between me and Markus? How would that affect my position here? Not to mention how it might affect the residents—would it make them uncomfortable? Would they notice if things got weird between us?

And then there was Aiden. His face filled my mind—the little smirk he got when I teased him about his love for action movies, the way he’d try to act all cool about Christmas but would always sneak peeks at the gifts under the tree when he thought I wasn’t looking.

I’d uprooted everything for him once, put my dreams on hold because that’s what you do when you’re the only thing standing between your brother and a system that wouldn’t have cared about him the way I did. At eighteen, he was off at college now, finally living the life I’d worked so hard to make possible for him. And even now, every choice I made felt tied to those years of sacrifice, to ensuring his stability—even if he didn’t need me in the same way anymore.

What if one date jeopardized all of that, led to complications I couldn’t untangle, the kind that could ripple through everything I’d worked so hard to build?

And yet, standing there, staring into Markus’s eyes, I felt something shift. The way he looked at me—it wasn’t just interest. It was something steadier, something quieter but no less intense. Like he wasn’t asking me for a fling or a distraction. Like he was asking for more, even if he didn’t realize it yet.

The air between us felt charged, heavy with possibility and risk. I told myself it was just one date, just one night, nothing more. But even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t true. This felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling under my feet. If I jumped, there was no guarantee of a soft landing. But if I stayed where I was, I’d never know what might be waiting on the other side.

Seemed I was waxing cliff analogies all of a sudden, too. But they were so fitting.

I exhaled slowly, the weight of my thoughts pressing down on me. For once, I let myself consider what I wanted, not just what was practical or safe. And for the first time in a long time, the answer wasn’t tied to sacrifice or compromise. It was just… him.

My heart thudded in my chest.“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll go.”

And then his face lit up, like I’d just given him the best news in the world. His eyes sparkled with something that took me by surprise—something warm, and soft, and deeply real. It was a look that made me feel unsteady, and my heart did that weird flutter again, like it wasn’t sure whether to panic or lean into the warmth of his expression. In that moment, everything else seemed to fade into the background, swallowed by the weight of what was hanging between us.