Straight Until You

Chapter 15 — The Truth

Nathaniel Anderson stopped sleeping entirely.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because every time he closed his eyes, he saw Asher leaving.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The hurt in his expression.

The betrayal.

The quiet way he stepped back every time Nathaniel tried getting closer.

God.

Nathaniel felt physically sick thinking about it.

A serious issue honestly.

An actual serious issue.

⸻

Sunday morning arrived cold and gray.

Rain still lingered outside Nathaniel’s penthouse windows while untouched coffee sat beside him growing cold.

Again.

Jordan looked deeply concerned from across the kitchen island.

Reasonable honestly.

Because Nathaniel genuinely looked awful.

Dark circles beneath his eyes.

Jaw tense constantly.

Phone clutched in his hand like it physically hurt to let go of it.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Nathaniel had never looked emotionally unstable before meeting Asher Reyes.

Now?

Now he looked ruined.

⸻

Dylan walked into the kitchen carrying breakfast bags before immediately freezing.

Dylan: “Jesus Christ.”

Nathaniel looked up slowly.

Exhausted.

Nathaniel: “Good morning to you too.”

Dylan dropped the food onto the counter before sitting beside Jordan.

Concern replacing humor immediately.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Dylan: “You look like a Victorian man dying from heartbreak.”

Jordan nodded seriously.

Jordan: “Actually devastating.”

Under normal circumstances, Nathaniel honestly might’ve laughed.

Today he just looked tired.

Destroyed.

⸻

Nathaniel unlocked his phone again automatically.

Still no messages from Asher.

Nothing.

The silence hurt more every hour.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because somehow—

Nathaniel had gotten used to Asher existing in every part of his day.

Morning texts.

Practice complaints.

Late-night arguments.

Now the absence felt unbearable.

⸻

Jordan finally sighed softly.

Jordan: “You need to tell him everything.”

Nathaniel leaned back against the chair slowly afterward.

Silent for one long second.

Then finally—

Nathaniel: “I know.”

Because that was the problem.

Nathaniel had spent days trying to figure out how to explain something ugly without sounding manipulative.

Impossible honestly.

An actual impossible task.

⸻

Meanwhile, two towns away, Asher sat curled into the corner of Luca’s couch wearing headphones despite no music playing.

Again.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because silence somehow felt safer than thoughts right now.

The apartment remained quiet around him while rain tapped softly against the balcony windows.

Luca had gone out earlier for groceries.

Mateo was apparently checking on him later.

Typical Reyes behavior honestly.

Protective to a concerning degree.

⸻

Asher stared blankly toward the muted television across the room.

Not actually watching it.

Because every thought still circled back toward Nathaniel somehow.

A disaster honestly.

An actual disaster.

Asher hated that.

Hated that even now—

part of him still missed him.

Still wanted him.

What the f**k was wrong with him?

⸻

Then suddenly—

his phone buzzed softly beside him.

Unknown Number.

Again.

Asher’s chest tightened immediately.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Slowly, he opened the messages.

A mistake honestly.

🩶 Unknown Number

I know you probably don’t want to hear from me.

🩶 Unknown Number

But I can’t keep letting you think this was fake.

Silence.

🩶 Unknown Number

The bet started because I was stupid.

🩶 Unknown Number

Jordan said I couldn’t get your attention.

🩶 Unknown Number

And my ego was big enough to try.

Asher closed his eyes briefly.

Sharp pain twisting through his chest instantly.

Another message appeared.

🩶 Unknown Number

But somewhere between annoying you and falling asleep beside you in class…

🩶 Unknown Number

I stopped caring about the bet completely.

🩶 Unknown Number

You became real to me so fast it scared me.

Asher’s breathing slowed painfully.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because Nathaniel sounded honest.

Completely honest.

And honestly?

That made everything worse.

Asher locked the phone immediately afterward.

Too late.

Nathaniel’s words already echoed violently through his chest.

“You became real to me so fast it scared me.”

God.

A serious issue honestly.

An actual serious issue.

Because part of Asher believed every single word.

⸻

Later that afternoon, Mateo arrived carrying food containers from home while Luca followed behind him holding coffee.

Asher looked up from the couch slowly.

Immediately noticing the worried expressions on both their faces.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because apparently—

he looked worse than he realized.

⸻

Luca dropped dramatically beside him on the couch.

Luca: “You look pale.”

Asher stared forward blankly.

Asher: “Thank you.”

Mateo handed him food quietly afterward.

Watching carefully.

Observing.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Mateo: “You eating?”

Asher nodded once automatically.

A lie honestly.

Mateo noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

⸻

Silence settled softly around them afterward.

Comfortable silence this time.

Family silence.

The kind that didn’t demand explanations immediately.

Asher appreciated that more than he could explain.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because somehow—

being loved this carefully hurt too right now.

⸻

Then quietly—

Mateo spoke.

Mateo: “He came to my garage this morning.”

Asher froze instantly.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Luca looked offended immediately.

Luca: “WITHOUT ME?”

Mateo ignored him naturally.

Asher’s chest tightened painfully.

Asher: “Why?”

Mateo stayed silent for one long second.

Then finally—

Mateo: “To tell me the truth.”

Silence.

Real silence.

⸻

Asher looked down toward his hands immediately.

Heart racing now.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because despite everything—

he still wanted to know.

A disaster honestly.

⸻

Mateo leaned back against the chair slowly afterward.

Still calm.

Still terrifyingly observant.

Mateo: “He told me the bet lasted less than a week before he tried ending it.”

Asher looked up sharply.

Caught off guard instantly.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Mateo watched him carefully.

Mateo: “Apparently his friends thought he was insane because he stopped treating it like a joke almost immediately.”

Luca blinked once.

Then dramatically gasped.

Psychotic behavior honestly.

Luca: “Rich boy caught feelings catastrophically fast.”

Mateo nodded once calmly.

Mateo: “Correct.”

Under any other circumstance, Asher honestly might’ve smiled.

Instead—

his chest just hurt worse.

⸻

Because somehow—

that explanation matched everything.

Nathaniel’s attention.

The way he looked at Asher.

The softness.

The care.

None of it had ever felt fake.

That was the problem.

A serious problem.

⸻

Mateo studied Asher silently for another long moment before speaking again.

Quieter this time.

Mateo: “I asked him why he didn’t tell you sooner.”

Asher’s stomach twisted painfully immediately.

Because honestly?

He wanted that answer too.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

⸻

Mateo’s expression shifted slightly afterward.

Something almost sympathetic crossing his face.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Mateo almost never sympathized with people who hurt his family.

Then quietly—

he answered.

Mateo: “He said every day he waited made him more afraid to lose you.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Asher stopped breathing properly for one terrible second.

Because somehow—

that sounded exactly like Nathaniel.

Not manipulative.

Not calculated.

Just scared.

And honestly?

That realization nearly destroyed him emotionally.

⸻

That night, Nathaniel sat alone on the floor of his bedroom staring at old messages between him and Asher.

Pathetic behavior honestly.

An actual tragedy.

But he couldn’t stop.

Because somehow—

those conversations felt like proof that Asher had been real too.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Nathaniel’s thumb hovered briefly over the keyboard afterward.

Then finally—

he typed one last message.

🩶 Unknown Number

I know saying sorry isn’t enough anymore.

🩶 Unknown Number

But if loving you could undo the damage I caused…

🩶 Unknown Number

You’d already be home.