Chapter 32 - Abandoned Building

"— In fact, a woman who claimed to be Ares' maid gave an interview in which she said that the wrestler used to sleep with a boy. Although there was never any concrete proof, fans realised that the boy always accompanied Ares at certain times.

— Huh? Just because they were in the same bed they started spreading rumours that he was with someone?

— Ares has never been seen with a woman, and suddenly there's a boy accompanying him everywhere... fans thought it was something like that. Ares' press office even denied it, but who cares?

— And that boy, by the way...

— That's Nathaniel. After that, the paparazzi stalked both Ares and Nathaniel. And when the accident happened, well... you can imagine the rest. That's why a journalist tried to get into the college to talk to Ares' supposed lover."

 The conversation with Matheus was enlightening, although it still seemed surreal. Like a bold-faced lie that a child would tell just to show off. Only it seemed like a lie in bad taste.

If he hadn't seen the omega's reaction to having that name mentioned, Jake would probably still be incredulous.

After all, had he heard correctly? When Jake checked Bianca's reaction, she didn't seem to have heard the same thing he had. It took a lot of effort on his part to remain calm and pretend he hadn't heard anything.

Why had he apologised for surviving?

Something inside Jake broke at those words.

Luckily for him, Nathaniel had calmed down enough to apologise to Bianca for his overreaction.

— It's okay, I mean it! I was also wrong not to take your side into consideration.

— These rumours are really annoying," Jake muttered.

Jake had to protect him. Get him out of that hell of rumours, which were certainly getting to him. Jake tried to calm Nathaniel down as best he could think of at the time, but he knew deep down that it wasn't enough.

The ring of a mobile phone interrupted the conversation. Bianca glanced at the display, then smiled at the boys.

— I have to go now, and again I apologise for any inconvenience.

— All right.

— See you Monday, Bianca.

As she walked away, the alpha heard a sigh of relief. It was very fortunate that Bianca hadn't taken the whole situation seriously. But Jake couldn't help feeling annoyed.

Why had she gone to talk to Nathaniel about the rumours?

If she had already spoken to him earlier, it was completely unnecessary to go round the Joker and talk about it too.

As expected, Jake should keep an eye on her. Although Bianca didn't comment any further and even calmed Nathaniel down by saying that he didn't need to worry about that little discussion, the alpha still felt uncomfortable.

Perhaps he should pretend to be a "good neighbour" in order to get more information. 

Waking up from his daydreams, Jake noticed Nathaniel turning his back on him and heading in a different direction to the gym.

— Hey, where are you going?

Looking over his shoulder, the omega realised that Jake was still there.

— I'm going to wait for the end of training somewhere else. It's going to rain soon.

— Are you leaving me here alone?

Forming a sly pout on his lips, the alpha held back a laugh when he saw the strange face Nathaniel made.

— You have training, don't you?

— But I skipped training just to see you.

— Aren't you neglecting your training too much?

Jake smiled as he jogged over to the omega, following him.

— I'm not even going to set foot on the court, so I don't have to slack off like the others.

— Even so, the coach might get angry and consider you a slacker.

— Relax. I'm great even without training.

It might sound arrogant, but it was a fact. Even after two years without stepping on the court, the alpha was still in good shape. It's true that when he felt good he would train on the sly, but it wasn't a regular occurrence. In fact, the new exercise routine seemed to be killing him little by little because he was getting used to it.

Out of the corner of my eye, Jake couldn't see much enthusiasm in Nathaniel. Should he invite him to watch the match on Sunday? Even if Jake wasn't going to set foot on the court, he'd have to go just in case. If an athlete got injured or depending on how the game went, Jake could step on the court as a reserve.

But it would be nice to be in the stands with the omega, explaining about the game. It would be like a date, wouldn't it?

Realising where they were going, Jake looked around when he came across the only building on that side of the campus. Hidden in the garden, where some trees made it disappear from the students' view, was a four-storey building.

— Are you going to the abandoned building?

— Here I can stay without a mask since there's no one there.

— But as far as I know, this building is locked.

 — Can you jump out of windows?

Jump windows? What for?

Going round the building to the back, Nathaniel counted down to the fifth window on the ground floor. There he pointed to the first floor window, which was open.

Jake's eyes widened in surprise.

— Don't tell me you're going to jump to the first floor!

— I don't have the keys to get in through the door. Are you scared?

Jake quickly turned to Nathaniel.

— It's obvious! If I fall, it'll be a lot of damage. Maybe I'll break my leg or worse, end up paraplegic!

— Then stay there.

Has he gone mad?

He had to be!

Climbing onto the ground floor window ledge, Nathaniel balanced himself before raising his arms and jumping. The sight of that masked guy in the cap climbing out of the window was a first. Just as he'd been able to admire him when he got into the fight the other day, Jake barely blinked as he watched Nathaniel jump up to grab onto the window ledge above.

Holding his breath, the alpha felt his heart about to leap out of his mouth.

That lunatic! He'd fall if he slipped!

Immediately Jake was below with his arms outstretched ready to hold him if he fell. However, Nathaniel managed to climb up without any problem, even crouching on the first floor window ledge.

Facing the alpha over his shoulder, the omega lowered his mask.

— Are you coming?

Just nodding, Jake waited for Nathaniel to jump into the building. Only then did the alpha cover his burning face as he muttered, feeling his heart go crazy.

— Holy shit, he's so fucked up! I'm not going to get excited, I'm not. Calm down, breathe. He's beautiful, even breaking into an abandoned building... Oh, what do I do? I want to kiss him right now.

— Jake, do you need any help?

— I'm coming, Rapunzel!

Nathaniel's grimace was funny, making it fun to tease him.

How could someone look so fantastic just by climbing in a window?

Would he break into Matheus' flat if he asked? Jake could do with a few night-time visits.

Focus, Jake! Focus!

Sniffling, the alpha followed in Nathaniel's footsteps. He climbed onto the ledge, jumped and clung on to reach the first floor window. The omega quickly grabbed his arm and helped him in, even though it wasn't necessary, but he appreciated the gesture.

As soon as Jake entered the building, he noticed a few beds and some open cupboards with broken doors. Although the mattresses seemed to be in excellent condition, what was worrying was the melancholy and terrifying atmosphere.

— Whoa... Are you sure this place isn't haunted?

— I've heard that sometimes people from the health programme come here to study when the labs are full. That's why it's not so bad.

— Even so, this silence seems to herald the arrival of the blonde from the bathroom.

The omega left his rucksack on a table and sat down on one of the beds, without seeming bothered. How could he be so comfortable?

— Are you afraid of ghosts? 

— I'm terrified — Jake admitted, hugging his arms — I suffer from chronic shitting when it comes to ghosts.

Nathaniel laughed. A light, low laugh, still restrained, but pleasant.

At that moment, Jake felt something strange. It wasn't bad, in fact, it was a pleasant and delicious sensation. His world lit up when he saw it. That sound he heard, that smile he saw... Jake enjoyed it like a fool in love.

Nathaniel's smile was beautiful.

His whole body relaxed at the sight of that smile. It was the first time he had seen Nathaniel laugh, even if it was something banal and because he thought it was pathetic. However, for Jake Mckenzie, Nathaniel's laughter was a landscape that he would spend days and nights enjoying.

— Ghosts only appear at night. It's well lit here, so it's all good.

He was right... Still, if the wind whistled, it would get ugly. Jake would change from a volleyball player to a runner. And you can bet that his fear would make him win first place, how fast he'd run.

— All right, all right, laugh all you want. I'm not as brave as I look.

— I don't believe in ghosts, but if one appears I'll protect you.

— Considering the way you fought the other day, one punch from you and the ghost is gone. I'm kind of comforted by that.

— The way I fight? Ah... I used to box.

Sitting next to Nathaniel, the alpha swung his legs around happily. He already knew about boxing because Guilherme had told him about it, but Nathaniel was the one who had brought it up. Wasn't that a sign that the trust and closeness between them was growing?

Would it be okay to try to talk about it? Considering the way he had reacted earlier, it seemed that Nathaniel didn't handle it well when that guy's name was mentioned. But Jake didn't know what his limits were for respecting him.

Maybe if you go slowly and carefully...

— What a treat. At the farm I saw that fighter's poster, so you must have been a big fan of his.

Staring at his own fingers, Nathaniel fiddled around in silence. Unlike earlier, he didn't exude any pheromones or look irritated. He had a soft, thoughtful expression.

— I was Ares' number one fan. I've never admired anyone more than him — Nathaniel paused, then raised his tired eyes to the alpha — That girl said she'd talked to you about what happened last year.

Ah, he brought it up himself. On the one hand it was the openness the alpha wanted, but at the same time he didn't feel comfortable. As if his intuition was warning him that he wouldn't like what he heard.

— She said someone had broken into the college. I even asked Matheus afterwards, but he said something so nonsensical that I don't even want to remember it.

Nathaniel let out a laugh.

— That the reporter wanted an exclusive interview with the alleged lover of boxer Ares?

Ah, his intuition was right.

Matheus had said the same thing that Bianca had said, confirming that some magazines and news outlets occasionally went to the college looking for Nathaniel to interview him. But the story was so far-fetched that Jake hardly believed it.

— To be honest, I can't believe that a journalist would break into the college like that.

— But he did — Nathaniel continued, staring at his fingers — Everyone who has the slightest curiosity about Ares wants to know what happened.

— Did you really know him that well? I'm not saying that I doubt you knew him, but...

Nathaniel nodded in agreement.

— He was the one who took me to the United States. I was little when Ares came to get me.

Pick you up? Why was that?

That story... Jake felt there was something more to it. That's probably what people were curious about? To know exactly what their relationship was?

— And why don't you tell them what really happened? Then they wouldn't leave you alone?

Taking a deep breath, Nathaniel stared at the ceiling and then smiled.

— Ares always tried to hide me, he said it was to protect me. At the time I didn't understand why he was so afraid, but now I do. They've even camped out in front of my mum's house, I've received letters and even threats from Ares' fans blaming me for his death. I'm afraid to say anything and make the situation worse.

— What? — Jake exploded — Why would they blame you for that?

Nathaniel pointed to his own face.

— Because we were both in the same accident. Only I survived.