May [H.S]

31 •

I forgot these last chapter ^^^

Harry
•••

Je te connais par cœur.

The heat of late spring rushes straight to my cheeks, the sweat down my back goes cold and I peel straight through the extravagant archway and into the full chef's kitchen, leaning all of my weight back on the cold surface of the island. I couldn't get away and into the air-conditioned comfort of Meg's parents place quick enough. The silence makes everything so saturated, and I wished that I had the shamelessness to leave before the worst of today comes. The thought of being crammed between people on the small wooden benches of the church makes me sick to my stomach, to the point where my palms sweat as I grip the countertop.

I can feel the incoming shakes, the faint tingling spreading throughout my body, and the heavy and dire pressure building in the center of my chest. All at once. The skin covering my muscles feels uncomfortable, tight, too tight. Unfamiliar, not how it usually belongs when I pay no mind to it. I blow out a breath, counting down in my head as I do so, urging myself to focus on anything, everything other than the unfolding meltdown of my conscious thoughts.

Take one, one thing, hone in on it and force everything else out, I tell myself. One thing that's so inconsequential compared to everything else.

Languid and visually in control of their movements, overtaken by green, the branches sway beyond the window.

The picture outside sings of florals and greens, insipid smiles and fabricated small talk. The lingering image of a harsh Californian sun sneaks in my peripheral vision as I strain my lungs trying to force away that sharp pain growing deeper in my chest. I can feel the heat as much as I can see it, a blushed irritated sunburn, each shade of orange and the glimmer it casts on my eyes. The brighter, and more distinct in pigment the flames grow, the harder it is for me to breathe, for me to focus solely on that one thing.

I jump at the new addition of body heat beside me, the first bit of what she says to me is lost alongside my thoughts, consumed in the flames, "Are you okay? I saw Indie talking to you, I'm sure she ripped you a new one."