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Ryan: Again.

Ryan: Just to avoid her.

Ethan: Are we doing the “group intervention” thing again?

Ethan: Because my phone is about to file for harassment.

Chris: Nick, reply so they shut the hell up. I’m two seconds from leaving the group.

Liam: Nickolas Hardy, don’t you dare ignore us.

Liam: I can be at your place in nine hours, tops.

Zayn: And let’s not forget—we all know your access codes.

I groan and drop my head back against the couch with a dull thud, letting out a sigh that feels like it’s been sitting in my chest for days. Fucking hell.

What’s the point of security if all my brothers treat it like a goddamn key under the mat?

Nick: Jesus.

Nick: I don’t have anything to say about Friday night. Just like I didn’t five months ago.

Zayn: Sierra came to London five days ago and none of us have heard from her.

Zayn: She stopped sharing her location.

Liam: And Thalia’s being a brick wall. Only thing she told us is “she’s safe.”

Liam: So you better start talking.

Nick: No. I’m not going to start talking.

Nick: In fact, I’m never talking to any of you about this.

Nick: Just don’t ask.

Liam: Nickolas…

Zayn: Are you serious right now?

Nick: She’s my fucking woman.

Nick: I can’t talk to you—her brothers or her brothers-in-low—about what happened between us.

Zayn: For fuck’s sake, man.

Ethan: So… there’s a no on the happy reconciliation, I’m guessing.

Chris: Definitely no make-up sex.

Zayn: Don’t you fucking say anything about sex.

Nick: Definitely no make-up.

Nick: But…

Liam: NICKOLAS!