The Struggle For Love ✔

Chapter 11 - Next

How else could he take Nathan in under three minutes, managing to disappear completely?

Needless to say, Alex is now completely freaking out and he demanded Sam to pick him up and bring him here.

I'm not entirely sure why he wants to be here right now, but I guess it's a step up for him to not lock himself away in his bedroom again.

And I don't mind, because I really don't want to be alone right now.

Oliver, on one hand, keeps making sure I'm doing okay, while on the other hand, he keeps acting distant. He's been behind his laptop the entire day, while Stan is still on the couch, sobbing, sleeping, or staring at me with fear in his eyes.

Alex has been fluttering around the apartment acting uneasy, every so often asking Oliver what he's doing and if he can help. After three offers of help, Oliver sat him down in a chair and told him to sit still and not distract him.

But they keep sending each other looks and I'm not sure what to think of it. Sam left to head over to the match and hasn't returned ever since. He solely went because else there wouldn't be enough players, since Oliver and I cancelled for the day because we have more important things on our minds.

As I get up from the couch to leave a sleeping Stan behind, I find Oliver browsing the webpages that he showed me shortly after Finnley went missing.

"Is he on there?"

"Not yet... but... he will, right?" Oliver asks unsurely. "And then I'll get to trace the deal... I'll get to warn the cops in time..."

"Thanks, Oli, for doing this..." I lean in to hug him from behind, Alex looking at the embrace from the corner of his eyes. As soon as he catches me noticing his stare, he blushes and stares down towards his hands.

"What's up with Alex?" I whisper into Oliver's ear so softly, Alex couldn't possibly hear me.

"I'll tell you later." Oliver shrugs my arms off, turning towards Alex shortly. "Head out for a walk? I'll stay with you, make sure you're safe..."

I frown, since Alex jumped up in response, nodding eagerly. A part of me feels like I would be intruding on something if I'd ask them to join, another part of me doesn't want to leave Stan alone, and the last part is way too tired to go out for a walk, even though the fresh air would be nice.

"We'll be back soon, okay?" Oliver points towards the laptop. "Do me a favour and refresh the pages every so often to check for any signs about Nathan."

"Will do." I nod, watch them head outside, and then decide on sitting at the balcony; in sight of Stan. Not just to keep an eye on him, but also so that he won't freak out if he isn't able to find me within a second after waking up.

For a while, all I do is sit on the balcony until it's too cold, or sit behind the laptop, refreshing the page, over and over again, hoping to find any trace of Nathan.

All the while Oliver and Alex are outside, while Stan is asleep on the couch. After about an hour, I refresh the page, already wanting to look away to not see the disgusting offers about young children, when I find a familiar face staring back at me.

"Stan!" I call out loudly, trying to wake him up. "Call Oliver and tell him to come back right now!"

"What?" Stan sleepily mutters, rolling over on the couch, almost toppling off and onto the ground. "Huh?"

"Call Oliver!"

I see in the reflection of the screen that Stan is getting up confused, his eyes widening as soon as he notices I'm seated behind the laptop. "Did you find anything!?" He hurries upwards, grabbing his phone in one swift movement, pressing the screen frantically to call Oliver.