Chasing Rhett | Rhett & Link

.1.

I don't know which hurts worse: not seeing Rhett the next morning or knowing  that I wouldn't see him.

Some part of me felt like he would have changed his mind. But then, Rhett always means what he says.

"Link, we need to talk," he told me last night after I got out of the shower.

He was kneeling over the edge of his bed, hands clasped in front of him.

I pulled my toothbrush out of my mouth, "Yeah man, what's up?"

I continued to brush my teeth.

"I'm leaving."

At first, I thought maybe I had heard him wrong. After all, Rhett and I had been friends since preschool. Best friends. We moved in together after college and we've been here ever since. That was three years ago.

"What?" I gurgled from my minty mouth.

"I'm leaving," he said again, more sternly.

I felt a wave of nausea over run me.

"Leaving?"

"Yes, Link. Leaving."

"Rhett, you can't be serious..." my sentence trailed off in a slur. I didn't know what was happening, to be honest. I didn't understand what he meant.

"I'm leaving Link."

"Where? Where are you going?" I persisted for answers, something to put me at ease, but he remained silent. 

"Rhett, seriously man, what is up with you? What do you mean?"

"Did I do something?" I continued to ask more hastily. I was nervous now. I felt like I would blow chunks at any moment.

"It's not you, it's...it's me. I just have to get out," he spoke softly. I could barely hear him.

"Where are you going?" 

Nothing.

"Rhett," I sat beside him, hoping for some reaction, some flinch at all.

A burning sensation formed in my throat. I felt clammy and unsure.

"Rhett...are you okay?" I choked out, almost letting my tears go.

He dropped his eyes to the floor and mouthed a simple "no". 

And now I'm here, starring holes into his empty bed.

He never told me where he was going. He didn't tell me anything.

I was so angry with him but so afraid.

He was my best friend and best friends tell each other when things are wrong. Best friends help each other. Best friends don't walk out on you and not tell you why.

So why had Rhett?

Why did he insist that he wasn't okay?

That's when I felt the nausea again. What if he wasn't mentally stable? What if he walked into traffic or is laying in a ditch somewhere?

What if...

Stop, I told myself.

My heart rate started to pick up. But I forced myself to stay calm. 

And with every bone in my body, I felt the sudden and needing urge, to chase my best friend and fix whatever was broken.

---

And here it is, chapter one. I am so excited to write and share this story with all the Mytichal Beasts out there! Before we get onto the next chapter, I just want to say a big thank you to anyone who supports my stories and actually reads them. It means so much! 

And always remember to be your mythical best! 

- Robin Nicole