_Nathan’s POV_
By Thursday, the silence had started to feel deliberate.
Miles hadn’t texted. Hadn’t waited outside the athletic building. Hadn’t found a reason to cross my path the way he used to — “accidentally” in the library, “accidentally” by my locker, “accidentally” after class when he knew I’d be walking alone.
At first it felt like breathing room.
By Tuesday it felt like a test.
By Thursday it just felt unfinished. Like a sentence with no period.
I got to the lecture hall early and took a seat near the aisle. Second row. Close enough to hear, far enough to leave fast.
Theo dropped into the chair beside me a few minutes later, dropping his bag on the floor between us with a heavy thud.
“You’re early,” he said.
“Couldn’t focus in the dorm.”
He looked at me for a secon
