I Used To Cling To Him At Night, Now I Turn My Back Chapter 10

I Used To Cling To Him At Night, Now I Turn My Back Chapter 10

Back at the dessert shop, the female lead, who had barely spoken until then, suddenly brought up

someone.

She was poised and beautiful. Her long lashes fluttered as she tried to hide the tears gathering in

her eyes.

“Do you remember your brother?”

I froze. After Nolan settled down overseas, he never came back.

His face had long since blurred in my memory.

“My brother…”

“Your brother…”

Our voices overlapped–Callan cut us off.

His expression turned solemn.

It was obvious. This was something he never wanted me to know.

Somewhere in the time I knew nothing about, they’d come to share a secret.

I should’ve felt jealous.

Instead, an unbearable ache swelled in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

It felt like layers of fog closing in, right in front of me. As if something had been waiting for me to

uncover it.

I tried to remember Nolan’s face. My mind was completely blank.

It was almost as though he existed only in memories someone had carefully built for me.

Lying in bed, I scrolled through my phone, hoping to find an old picture of him.

screen still black?!)

[Selene, turn on the lights! If you can’t enjoy the view, at least let the rest of us.]

[Where’s the uncensored version? I paid for premium!

I looked up. My face immediately burned.

Back when my touch starvation was at its worst, I’d even tried to force Callan to sleep naked–just

so I could press up against him.

He’d only ever undone the top button of his pajama shirt and let me slip my hand inside.

This was the first time I’d ever seen him completely undressed.

Callan suddenly threw back the blanket.

“You’re still as stubborn as ever. Maybe you need to learn your lesson.”

The words were the same. Even the way he said them hadn’t changed.

I was instantly reminded of the first time I’d snuck home late as a teenager.

He’d disciplined me with a ruler, his voice just as stern.

Back then I was rebellious. I had all the fight in me to rebel and push back at every turn.

I hated him. I hated how strict he was.

I hated that he never knew how to be gentle with me.

Most of all… I hated that he didn’t love me.

But no matter how much I fought back, being scolded by him still scared me.

Just like now. My body shrank back before I even realized it.

I blinked. Just… putting on lotion?

‘I can’t reach my back. Help me?” he said softly.

I looked down. Sure enough, there were small patches of lotion he hadn’t spread in yet.

I was still hesitating when the comments rolled across my vision again.

[Wait… why is the male lead the one using lotion this time?]

[Men never use body lotion. He’s definitely testing whether the side character has really stopped

clinging to him.]

Was he testing me?

I stole a glance at Callan.

His chin was buried in the pillow. His face was perfectly blank.

Only the tips of his ears had turned bright red.

For someone as reserved as him, this must’ve taken every ounce of courage.

I looked away from his face.

The muscles across his back rose and fell with every breath.

That little streak of white lotion seemed to be daring me.

Slowly, I reached out and rubbed it in.

A barely audible hum escaped his throat.

Without warning, images of flames flashed through my mind. My hand jerked back.

Maybe this was the fire the comments kept warning me about. The one that would leave my entire

body covered in burns.

The room felt freezing.

Almost without thinking, I drifted toward the nearest source of warmth.

Who the hell turned the AC down this low?

Strong arms wrapped around me.

The warmth surrounding me made me grumble under my breath.

“What are you doing?”

His voice was husky. “You get cold. You’ve always been like this.”

“I thought you hated how clingy I was.”

He didn’t answer. His silence felt like a confession.

Just before sleep claimed me, a whisper drifted into my ear–so soft it felt like a dream.

“I never hated it.”

The comments burst back to life the instant my eyes closed.

[Who possessed the male lead? You’re supposed to be Team Female Lead!!]

[I don’t know what some of you are expecting. So far the female lead has had zero impact on his feelings. Like, none.]

[Sorry, female lead… but these two are just too good to resist shipping.]

[Honestly, the male lead and side character? They’d be pretty great together.]

The crisp scent of cedar washed over me.