"Babe," Nicholas called, running after Soren, his long strides closing the distance between them in moments.
Soren spun around, tears in his eyes. "How could you disappear for months," he demanded, voice trembling with frustration, "with no communication?"
"Bab—" Nicholas began, but Soren cut him off.
"No texts? No calls? Nothing!" Soren's voice cracked. "Do I matter to you at all?"
"Of course you do," Nicholas said firmly, gripping Soren's hands tightly. "You matter a lot."
Soren shook his head, voice dropping to a small, broken whisper. "Then why? Why would you disappear on me if I matter so much to you?"
Nicholas hesitated, his chest tightening. For the first two weeks after he had left, he had kept in touch with Soren, calling and messaging almost every day. But then, the third week had come. No reply. Nothing. Days bled into weeks, and weeks into months, and Soren had been left to wrestle with his fear and uncertainty alone.
