Upsurged ( Protection and safety unit Book 2)

Chapter 7

Nathan

The space around me seemed to shrink more and more with every breath I took as Nova swept out of my life like a storm after our kiss.
The one moment that made the world stand still for a brief flash turned into a nightmare as her car drove away. The sound of screeching tires echoing through my street was like a hard slap in my face. It was hopeless to follow her or look for her... no one can find her if she doesn't want to. I knew that much about her from the beginning. All I heard was the echo of the car as she disappeared behind the corner—an echo that reverberated in my heart as if it were the sound of a mirror shattering, shattering my hopes into a thousand pieces.

I felt as if I had made a mistake, as if I had crossed the line that neither of us wanted to cross.
Had I taken her off guard?
Had I misunderstood her feelings?
Doubt gnawed at me like hungry rats roaming the shadows of my mind. I wanted to call her, wanted to hear her voice, but the fear that she wasn't going to pick up paralyzed me.

What if she didn't want me? What if I lost her before I could truly win her?

Sage said nothing as she followed me with her eyes while I paced up and down the kitchen with my phone in my hand, my steps restless and hurried, as if I could turn back time with a mere movement.
I held my cellphone in my hand; the number I had dialed twenty times already seemed like a curse. Every time I pressed the green button, there was this hope that she would pick up, that she would tell me everything was okay, that she just needed a moment to herself.
But each time, all I got was the monotonous dialing that intensified my loneliness.

My heart was a broken piece of glass, shattering in my chest with every thought of her face, of the kiss that had promised so much and yet had so quickly vanished into thin air.
I felt like a shadow of myself, caught in a maze of self-doubt and unfulfilled desires.

The silence around me became suffocating, and I wondered if I would ever feel the warmth of her closeness again. The fear for her, the idea that she was hurt or frightened, choked me. I wanted to protect her, I wanted to tell her that I would be there for her no matter what. But at that moment, I was alone, caught up in a storm of emotions that hit me full force.

"Maybe someone else knows where she's going," Sage asked softly.

I looked to her, my sister's face concerned and full of pity.

"Maybe," I replied and started checking my list.

Neither King nor anyone else knew that she was even here.

"She must have someone she's really good friends with," Sage said, intrigued.

"Cece... and Rei," I answered her.

"Well, call her then," Sage said, annoyed.

Rei sounded confused when I called her... she had no idea what I was talking about, while Cece just listened to me and exhaled heavily.

"Well... what do you want from me? Why don't you call Nova?" Cece said with a laugh.

"I have, Cece... 20 times already, and she won't answer," I explained to her.

"Why was she even with you?" Cece asked me.

I paused, thinking about Nova's words when she told me she thought I'd quit.

"I'm not sure," I answered her.

"I'll ask Duke... maybe he knows more," Cece said.

"Duke is there?" I asked her.

"Well... he's working with Jayden and Raven..." Cece explained, confused.

"Tell him to call me right away," I told her.