Back To Our Roots, Book One

CXI. I Told You Not To Leave!

Nick woke up the next day, feeling even more sore than before. That wasn't what he noticed first, though.

The room was too quiet. The silence beat in his ears like a drum.

He didn't dare open his eyes, stretching his hand out to the sheets in front of him.

The empty sheets.

That's when his heart began racing. He sat up, looking around the room.

It was empty.

"J-Jeff?" he whispered to the silent room. He noticed that his bag he had brought from Dalton was there.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, breathing shakily. Where'd he go? Did he leave? Why'd he leave? Was he okay?

Questions flooded through his head and he buried his face in his knees. There was an indescribable tightness in his chest, a burning behind his eyes. He felt as if he might explode, though he didn't know why. It wasn't logical. It was awful.

He's fine, he told himself.

What if he's not? What if something happened to him?

He's just downstairs or something. It's nothing.

He said he wouldn't leave you. He did. Something must be wrong.

Nick couldn't think of how to disagree with that. He was shaking, the burn behind his eyes turned to tears.

"Are you aw–" the voice cut itself off, picking up an urgent and worried tone. "Nick, what's wrong?"

Nick nearly cried in relief, throwing his arms around Jeff's neck and hugging him. Jeff gently sat next to him, holding him while he stopped shaking. "Nick, what happened?" he asked gently.

"I– I just w-woke up and you– you were g-gone," Nick stumbled to get out, still trembling.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jeff said soothingly. "I'm right here, okay? I was just downstairs."

Nick nodded shakily, taking shuddering breaths in an attempt to even them. His chest was still tight with fear. What if something had happened? What if he had gotten hurt?

Jeff pulled him closer. He reminded him so much of the Nick he had first met, the scared, nervous one. The one whose eyes darted around as if someone was going to sneak up on him. Who flinched at sudden movements.

He knew this whole thing had made Nick's anxiety come back, and it looked like it was worse than before. He wasn't going to let what happened before happen.

He knew what to do this time.