Chapter 54

It felt as if the overwhelming need I had once experienced to cling to Xavier, desperately grasping onto him as if my very life depended on it, had completely reversed itself. That once-vital urgency had been replaced by a stark desire to escape any form of contact, effectively pushing my need for his warmth into the depths of oblivion.

I couldn't quite articulate this shift, and it drove me insane with frustration. I felt utterly powerless over these feelings. It was as though I intuitively understood that any brush of his skin against mine would instantly conjure vivid reminders in my mind of what had occurred with Andrew earlier, and more than anything, I wished to erase those memories forever.

Once we finally crossed the threshold into the apartment, I found myself surveying the stark surroundings. With my back resting against the door we had just entered, I noticed a set of plain yet inviting sofas positioned to my right, facing a television that loomed before them.