Page 111 of My Sweetest Obsession

“Oh, but I am. I’m doing it because I need you to trust me again.”

“By forcing me?”

Pausing at the door, he turned, his expression serious. “No. To trust that I can make you feel good again. And that only I will ever make you feel good. See you downstairs.” With a final wink, he exited the bathroom.

When I heard the door shut, my pussy vibrated, making me cry out. As fast as it started, it stopped.

“Gigi, are you even listening?” Tabi’s voice broke through the haze of my thoughts. I glanced at her in the mirror. She sat perched on the edge of my bed, concern etched on her face.

“No, I wasn’t,” I replied, my gaze still locked on the glass. I hadn’t felt the vibrator since Nico left the bathroom an hour ago and hoped he wouldn’t use it while I was with my friends.

“You look stunning, Gigi,” Mya chimed in from the other side of the room.

“Thanks,” I managed, a weary smile barely lifting the corners of my mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Tabi pressed.

“Everything,” I sighed, finally tearing my gaze away from my reflection. I turned to face my friends. “What am I doing? Am I crazy for doing this? I can’t just forget what happened.”

Tabi crossed the room to my side, her eyes softening. “No, you’re not crazy.” She paused, her voice thick with emotion when she spoke again. “But Nico was so broken without you. The guilt was killing him. And this isn’t me saying that it makes up for what happened, butmaybeit’s a start toward healing. To move forward.”

“You don’t have to forgive him right away or at all, Gigi,” Mya said. She stepped closer and gently pulled my hair over my shoulder. “And you don’t have to go out with him tonight. The keys are in your hand. You’re in control of the car. He’s just along for the ride.”

I sighed deeply, my gaze drifting to the window. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a soft glow, while the snow slowly melted outside. Spring would soon be here, but it still felt so far away.

“Even after everything he’s done,” I murmured. “I still love him.” My heart ached as I turned to my friends, tears pooling in my eyes. “He’s my Nico.”

My darkness. My devil. My own personal hell.

Tabi and Mya both smiled with tenderness and understanding. Nico had always had this hold over me. Even after he betrayed me, I still wanted him. My soul ached for him, not caring about the demons he bore inside. I wanted to be tainted by him, to be cherished by him, to be loved by him, even if it meant I’d spend eternity in hell. It didn’t matter as long as I was with him.

“Your light overshadows his darkness,” Mya said. “You are both drawn to one another, no matter how much you fight against it. Did he fuck up? Absolutely. But?—”

“But what?” I asked.

She smiled warmly. “I’ve never seen Nico so unhinged. Not even after what his father did. That has to mean something, right?”

Did it? Uncertainty gnawed at my insides.

“He would burn the world for you, Gigi,” Tabi said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “And honestly? I think that’s hot as hell.”

I chuckled softly at Tabi’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“He’s not like other men,” Mya added.

A light chuckle escapes my lips. “No, he’s not,” I agreed, shaking my head.

“What are you afraid of?” Tabi asked, her eyes searching mine. “Mya’s right. You’re the driver here. You can always hit the brakes and leave. No one is stopping you.”

I took a deep breath, glancing at the angel clock on the wall. “I’m afraid of giving him my heart again.”

“That’s not a bad thing, Gigi,” Tabi replied. “It just means you’re on the path to forgiving him.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Probably planning Nico’s death,” Mya teased, but her expression then turned serious. “You know it’s okay to love him and hate him at the same time.”

I know, I thought. Nico’s love for me complicated everything.