_Nathan’s POV_
By the fifth day, Miles’s absence had stopped feeling temporary and started feeling structural.
It was in small things first. The empty edge of the bench during morning skates where my attention still went out of habit. The quieter walk from the athletic building without the chance of him waiting just off the main path. The way my phone’s overseas timestamps made every reply arrive slightly too late to land in the moment I needed it. None of that should have been enough to destabilize a full week. It was.
Theo noticed before class.
“You’re walking like someone cut your peripheral vision,” he said, handing me a coffee.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re functioning. Different category.” He fell into step beside me. “Kane says Miles’s summit sessions are packed on purpose. Damian isn’t
