Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 85 - Help

Pull yourself together.

That's what you told Wren on the phone, and now it's time to take your own advice.

You edge closer to the shaking boy, who barely registers your presence until you crouch down in front of him, about a foot away, catching his eyes with yours. "Hey, Ari," you say as softly as possible, trying not to startle him.

You try to ignore the fact that Ari is shirtless, his shirt having been tossed to the floor. You try to put the possibilities of what Ari and Wren might have been doing in her room while the rest of her family is out of town out of your mind and focus on the matter at hand.

"Can I come closer?" you ask gently, and it's hard to distinguish between his shaking and erratic breathing whether he's actually nodding, but you take your chances and shuffle forwards. When he doesn't react badly, you reach out and clasp his hands in yours, hoping he can't feel your racing pulse beneath his fingertips. "Ari, listen to me. You need to breathe. In and out," you breathe slowly, willing him to try and do the same.

Wren is standing worriedly at the other end of the room, wringing the bottom of her t-shirt in her hands anxiously.

"Breathe in for three, okay? One...two...three," he follows your counting and it seems to be helping a little, although now that he's calmed down he looks more...embarrassed. "And out for three: one...two..." he doesn't let go of your hands. "...three...one...two...three." Eventually his breathing slows to normal, but his hands are still trembling in yours. You want to comfort him, to release your hands from his grasp only to wrap them around his shoulders and hold him close enough that his hair is soft against your cheek, that his skin is warm against yours. But you know you have to keep your distance.

"I'm sorry," he mutters suddenly, his voice hoarse. "I just...I don't know what happ-"

"It's okay." you cut him off - he doesn't need to explain. He can talk about it when he wants, and if he never wants to, then that's fine too. Although you would like to know what happened to make him panic so badly.

"Ari, I was so worried." Wren sits down next to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders the way you should be.

You feel a little like you're intruding on a private matter, not to mention jealousy is creeping in, so you mumble something about going to get Ari some water before heading out the room and down the stairs.

It doesn't take long to find the huge kitchen at the back of the house, and you grab a clean glass from a cupboard and head to the sink. It's then when the adrenaline wears off, and you end up drinking the glass of water yourself. You feel wobbly, like you're not supposed to be here. It feels wrong.

"Thanks for coming," Wren's voice rings out in the echoing room, and you twist around suddenly, the glass falling out your hand onto the granite countertop with a clatter, although thankfully it doesn't break. "Are you okay?" she asks, although there's no concern in her voice.

"I did it for Ari," you respond, ignoring her second question. "Anyway, what happened to make him have a panic attack?"

"We were just...hanging out, and we'd just kissed, and then he started breathing really heavily and I thought something really bad had happened, or that I'd done something wrong-"

"And you didn't say anything to make him anxious? Nothing that might have caused this?" you ask, not meaning to sound so accusatory.

"No!" she sighs. "We weren't exactly...talking much."

That confirms what they were doing. Or what they were about to do before Ari's panic attack. The thought of it makes you want to punch Wren. She's standing there in front of you, only three feet away but you try to maintain some dignity. What's your problem anyway? You think to yourself. Ari and Wren are a couple, and this is what couples do.