Straight Until You

Chapter 14 — Run Away

Asher Reyes disappeared on Saturday morning.

Not emotionally this time.

Physically.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Nathaniel Anderson only realized something was truly wrong when Asher missed practice for the first time all semester.

That never happened.

Ever.

Nathaniel stood outside the track field staring at the empty lanes while cold panic twisted violently in his chest.

A serious issue honestly.

An actual serious issue.

⸻

Rain clouds hung low across campus while athletes stretched nearby pretending not to gossip.

Nathaniel ignored all of them.

Mostly because Asher’s absence felt deafening.

Wrong.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Jordan jogged toward him moments later already looking concerned.

A rare event honestly.

Jordan: “Please tell me you slept.”

Nathaniel looked at him blankly.

The answer was obvious.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Nathaniel genuinely looked terrible now.

Dark circles beneath his eyes.

Same hoodie from yesterday.

Phone still clutched tightly in his hand like he expected Asher to suddenly answer.

A disaster honestly.

⸻

Dylan arrived seconds later carrying coffee before immediately freezing.

Dylan: “Oh no.”

Nathaniel finally looked toward him sharply.

Nathaniel: “What?”

Dylan hesitated briefly.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Dylan: “Asher wasn’t at practice this morning.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Nathaniel’s stomach dropped instantly.

Because that wasn’t normal.

Not even close.

⸻

Nathaniel grabbed his phone immediately afterward.

Calling again.

Straight to voicemail.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because every unanswered call now felt physically painful.

Jordan carefully took the phone from Nathaniel’s hands before he could spiral completely.

Reasonable honestly.

Jordan: “You need to breathe.”

Nathaniel laughed softly.

Humorlessly.

Nathaniel: “I actually don’t think I can.”

⸻

Across town, Asher sat silently in the passenger seat of Mateo’s truck while highway lights blurred outside the window.

He hadn’t told Nathaniel he was leaving.

Hadn’t told anyone outside his family honestly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because staying on campus suddenly felt unbearable.

Every hallway reminded him of Nathaniel.

Every classroom.

Every message.

God.

A disaster honestly.

An actual disaster.

⸻

Luca sat in the backseat unusually quiet while Mateo drove through the rain steadily.

The Reyes family had decided one thing immediately after Friday night.

Asher needed space.

Real space.

Not campus space.

Not avoiding-each-other-between-classes space.

Distance.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

⸻

Mateo finally glanced sideways toward Asher carefully.

Mateo: “You okay?”

Asher laughed softly afterward.

Still broken sounding.

Asher: “Not particularly.”

Luca physically looked offended from the backseat.

Reasonable honestly.

Because hearing Asher sound this hurt made something violent wake up inside both brothers.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

⸻

Silence settled heavily through the truck afterward.

Rain tapped steadily against the windows while soft music played quietly through the speakers.

Asher leaned his head against the cold glass beside him.

Exhausted.

Emotionally drained.

Because somehow—

everything still hurt exactly the same.

The betrayal.

The humiliation.

The fact that part of him still missed Nathaniel anyway.

A serious issue honestly.

An actual serious issue.

⸻

Luca finally broke the silence first.

Quietly this time.

Carefully.

Which honestly felt worse than teasing.

Luca: “Do you want us to stop him if he shows up?”

Asher froze slightly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because his first instinct wasn’t yes.

It was panic.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Asher looked down toward his hands silently.

Then finally—

Asher: “No fighting.”

Luca blinked slowly from the backseat.

Then dramatically pointed at him.

Luca: “Oh my God.”

Mateo sighed deeply beside him.

Already exhausted spiritually.

Mateo: “Not helping.”

Luca looked genuinely emotional now.

Psychotic behavior honestly.

Luca: “He’s heartbroken and still protecting rich boy.”

Asher closed his eyes immediately afterward.

Because honestly?

That sounded pathetic when somebody else said it out loud.

⸻

Meanwhile, Nathaniel was actively losing his mind.

He checked the athletic building twice between classes.

Walked past the library three separate times.

Even sat outside Asher’s literature lecture like a complete psychopath hoping to see him.

Nothing.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because suddenly—

Asher Reyes had vanished completely.

And Nathaniel was genuinely starting to panic.

⸻

By afternoon, Nathaniel finally snapped emotionally.

Jordan found him outside the parking garage pacing aggressively through the rain while dialing Asher’s number again.

Still blocked.

Still nothing.

A serious issue honestly.

An actual serious issue.

Jordan: “Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel turned immediately.

Sharp.

Desperate.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Nathaniel: “Something’s wrong.”

Jordan’s chest tightened unexpectedly.

Because Nathaniel looked terrified.

Actually terrified.

Not dramatic.

Not lovesick.

Genuinely scared.

⸻

Then suddenly—

Nathaniel froze.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because across the parking lot, Mateo Reyes stood beside his truck smoking quietly while watching him.

Nathaniel immediately started walking toward him.

Fast.

Desperate.

A terrible decision honestly.

Jordan physically considered stopping him.

Then remembered Mateo probably wouldn’t kill Nathaniel publicly.

Probably.

⸻

Mateo stayed completely calm while Nathaniel approached.

Honestly worse.

Because calm Mateo was terrifying Mateo.

Nathaniel stopped directly in front of him.

Breathing unevenly.

Hands shaking slightly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Nathaniel Anderson never lost composure around anyone.

Not ever.

⸻

Nathaniel: “Where is he?”

Mateo exhaled smoke slowly afterward.

Silent for one long second.

Then finally—

Mateo: “Gone.”

The word hit Nathaniel like physical violence.

Sharp.

Immediate.

Real.

Nathaniel stared at him blankly.

Nathaniel: “Gone where?”

Mateo looked at him calmly.

Too calmly.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Mateo: “Away from you.”

Nathaniel physically flinched.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because somehow—

that answer hurt more than anything else so far.

⸻

Nathaniel rubbed both hands across his face roughly.

Panicking internally now.

Nathaniel: “Please.”

The word came out quieter than expected.

Rougher too.

Mateo’s expression shifted slightly afterward.

Because Nathaniel genuinely sounded desperate.

Actually desperate.

⸻

Nathaniel: “I need to talk to him.”

Mateo laughed softly.

Not amused.

Not warm.

Dangerous.

Mateo: “You should’ve thought about that before lying to him.”

Nathaniel swallowed hard immediately.

Because there was no defense left anymore.

Nothing to argue.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

⸻

Nathaniel looked exhausted standing there in the rain.

Destroyed honestly.

Like somebody slowly drowning.

Nathaniel: “I love him.”

Silence.

Real silence.

Mateo studied him carefully afterward.

Observing.

Calculating.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because Mateo believed him.

That was the problem.

Nathaniel wasn’t lying now.

Not anymore.

⸻

Mateo looked away briefly toward the gray sky overhead before speaking again.

Quieter this time.

Mateo: “That’s why he left.”

Nathaniel’s chest tightened painfully.

Because suddenly—

he understood exactly what Mateo meant.

Asher didn’t leave because he stopped loving Nathaniel.

He left because he loved him too much to stay.

A disaster honestly.

An actual disaster.

⸻

Nathaniel stood there long after Mateo drove away.

Rain soaked completely through his clothes while cars passed around him unnoticed.

Jordan finally walked over slowly afterward.

Carefully.

Like Nathaniel might genuinely collapse.

Reasonable honestly.

Because Nathaniel looked hollow now.

Like somebody ripped something important out of his chest.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

⸻

Jordan: “Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel laughed quietly.

Broken sounding this time.

Nathaniel: “He ran away from me.”

Jordan’s chest tightened unexpectedly.

Because somehow—

Nathaniel sounded more devastated by that than angry.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Nathaniel looked down toward his shaking hands.

Then quietly—

almost like admitting it physically hurt—

Nathaniel: “I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Silence settled heavily afterward.

Because honestly?

Nobody could disagree.

⸻

That night, Asher sat alone inside Luca’s old apartment two towns away while rain hit softly against the balcony windows.

Luca had offered the place immediately.

No questions asked.

Typical Reyes behavior honestly.

Protective to a concerning degree.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The apartment felt quiet.

Too quiet.

Asher hated it immediately.

Mostly because silence left too much room to think.

And every thought somehow led back to Nathaniel.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

⸻

Asher wandered slowly through the apartment afterward wearing one of Luca’s oversized hoodies and sweatpants.

The place smelled faintly like coffee and old cologne.

Comforting honestly.

But not enough.

Nothing felt like enough right now.

A serious issue.

An actual serious issue.

Because every single thing reminded him of Nathaniel somehow.

His favorite snacks.

A hoodie folded over the couch that looked exactly like Nathaniel’s.

Even the rain outside.

God.

A disaster honestly.

⸻

Asher’s phone buzzed softly against the couch beside him.

Unknown Number.

Again.

Asher stared at it silently for several long seconds.

Then finally opened the messages.

A mistake honestly.

🩶 Unknown Number

Jordan says I look insane.

🩶 Unknown Number

Honestly fair.

🩶 Unknown Number

I went to the track field today before realizing you weren’t coming.

🩶 Unknown Number

I still keep checking my phone expecting you to text me.

Silence.

🩶 Unknown Number

I know you probably hate me right now.

🩶 Unknown Number

But I need you to know something.

Asher’s chest tightened painfully.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Another message appeared.

🩶 Unknown Number

I never lied when I said I loved you.

Asher closed his eyes immediately afterward.

Because somehow—

that was the problem.

He believed him.

And honestly?

That hurt worst of all.