Chapter 58: #FIFTY-EIGHT

NICHOLAS’S POV

I had barely made it past the gate when I heard the sound of a car starting behind me. I glanced back and saw Elijah getting into one of the cars in the compound. The moment he spotted me, he stopped and immediately stepped back out, closing the door behind him as he hurried in my direction.. "Nicholas, wait. Where are you going?"

I didn’t slow down.

"Can we please talk before you leave? You’ve been avoiding everyone since, and I don’t understand why you’re suddenly leaving the house again without telling anyone where you’re going."

I kept walking.

"Nicholas, I’m talking to you." He sounded irritated now.

"I heard you." I called back without pausing.

"Then stop for a second."

I finally turned around, but I didn’t give him the chance to come any closer. "I don’t want to talk to you, Elijah. I told you that yesterday, and I’ve told you several times since everything happened. I need to be left alone, so please stop following me every time I try to leave the house."

His expression changed, and for a moment it looked like he wanted to argue. Instead, he stopped and looked at me with obvious frustration. "I’m not trying to control where you go. I’m worried about you."

I crossed my hands. "You don’t need to be."

"I do."

"You didn’t seem worried when I needed you. I’ve told you this so many times and you still don’t get it. I needed you, Elijah. And you weren’t there. If you come again, I’ll keep reminding you, so stay away."

He went quiet and I turned around again and continued walking. Behind me, I heard him sigh before getting back into the car. I didn’t look back when the vehicle started moving, but I heard it approach the gate. The driver turned too sharply as the car came out, forcing me to step back quickly when it nearly clipped me.

"Watch where you’re going!" I shouted after them as the car continued down the road.

I stood there for a moment, irritated, before continuing toward downtown.

Jayden was already waiting for me when I reached the small restaurant we’d agreed to meet at. He was sitting near the window, looking at his phone, and immediately looked up when I entered. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you got lost."

"I almost got run over." I grunted under my breath.

His eyebrows shot up. "What?"

I sighed. "Not literally. Elijah was leaving the house at the same time and the driver nearly hit me."

"Are you alright?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"I’m fine."

He studied me for another second before deciding not to question it further. "Come on. I already looked at the menu. There’s a lot here."

We took a table toward the back of the restaurant and ordered food. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I knew I needed to eat, especially after spending so much time locked in my room. Jayden noticed that I was barely looking at the menu and eventually took it from my hands, choosing something simple for both of us.

When the food arrived, I stared at the plate for several seconds before forcing myself to eat.

I was stressed about everything.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph.

I could still remember the exact moment I’d opened it. It had shaken my whole day and life, telling me and reminding me that someone was probably watching me right now too.

I barely noticed Jayden watching me until he spoke.

"You’ve been staring at that same piece of food for about five minutes." He nodded to the plate.

I looked down to see the fork was still in my hand. "I was thinking."

"About what?" He asked.

"Nothing."

He didn’t believe me. "You look really terrible. I’m not one to point out stuff like that, but you look like this. What’s wrong?"

I sighed and continued eating. "There’s nothing wrong."

He paused. "Is this about the suspension?"

"No." my grip on the fork tightened.

"You’ve been different since yesterday. You came to me looking completely exhausted, you didn’t want to tell me what happened, and now you’re sitting here barely eating while staring into space. If it’s not the suspension, then what is it?" He sighed and leaned back.

"I said it’s nothing."

Jayden leaned back in his chair, studying me carefully. "You don’t have to tell me everything, Nicholas. I’m not asking you to explain your entire life to me. But if something is bothering you, you don’t have to sit there pretending it isn’t. You called me because you wanted someone around. That means something is wrong."

I looked away from him. "I just don’t want to talk about it."

"Alright." He didn’t argue.

After a moment, he picked up his fork again and continued eating as though he’d accepted my answer.

I glanced at him. "You’re not going to keep asking?"

He didn’t look up. "No."

"Why?"

"Because if you don’t want to tell me, forcing you isn’t going to make you tell me. I’ll ask once, maybe twice, but after that, it’s your choice." He shrugged.

I nodded quietly.

When we finished eating, Jayden paid before I could argue with him. I protested that I could handle my own meal, but he waved me off, telling me that I’d been miserable enough already and that arguing over lunch wasn’t going to improve my mood.

From the restaurant, we headed toward the park and for the next few hours, I did my best to forget everything.

We walked around, played a few games, bought drinks and spent time talking about random things.

Hanging out with him was fun, and on a normal day, I would have been feeling better by now.

But still, I couldn’t erase the feeling of helplessness that consumed me. Every time my phone vibrated, I checked it immediately.

Even when someone passed, I found myself watching them carefully as though I expected them to burst out with a phone and reveal themselves as my stalker.

This was hopeless.

By early afternoon, we found a quiet bench where we could sit and rest. I leaned back, exhausted, while Jayden stretched his legs out in front of him.

I glanced at him. "Don’t you have class today too?"

He looked at me. "Why?"

"You’ve been with me all day." I pointed out.

"So?"

"You should probably go." I nodded down the path.

He shook his head. "I’m not going anywhere."

"Jayden, seriously. You have classes. I don’t want you skipping them because of me. I know what you said last time, but Jayden, I’m worried for your grades."

He gave me a look that made it obvious he wasn’t planning to listen. "I can catch up."

"You shouldn’t have to. You should be there live, listening to the lecture."

He leaned back with a grin. "I know. But I’m choosing to."

I frowned. "You’ve already missed enough because of me."

"And?" He raised a brow.

"And that’s not fair to you."

Jayden leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You know you’ve done the same thing for me, right?"

I stared at him. "When have I ever—"

"Whenever I had something going on, you stayed. You listened to me complain, you helped me when I needed it and you never once made me feel like I was wasting your time. So don’t sit here acting like I’m doing something extraordinary by spending a day with you when you’re having a hard time."

I didn’t know what to say as he continued before I could come up with an answer. "Another missed day isn’t going to destroy my education."

I looked down at my hands. "You really don’t have to stay. I feel like shit for calling you over now."

Before I could think about what I was doing, I leaned toward him and pulled him into a hug.

Jayden seemed surprised for a second, but he didn’t make a big deal out of it. He simply returned the hug while I held on for a moment longer than I intended.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in his shoulders.

This was enough for me. All I needed was someone willing to see me.

And Jayden was exactly that.