First Kiss

Chapter 16

[Disclaimer: Mention of anxiety]
Keri
The same day
As soon as I see my mom's car, I get in and shut the door. She pulls into an empty parking spot and turns off the car. She unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches over to give me a hug.
"It's okay," she says comfortingly.
I focus on her voice to help me relax. She pulls away to face me.
"Take a deep breath in," she instructs.
I inhale for a long time and exhale when she tells me to. I repeat the process until I'm breathing normally again.
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"I think so. I don't know what happened."
"You had a panic attack," she explains.
"I've never had them before."
"I know. I'm just glad that I was here to help you through it."
"So am I."
"Come on. I'll take you home so you can rest."
I nod. She starts the car and drives out of the parking lot. Twenty minutes later, I'm lying down in bed. My mom comes into the room with my phone in her hand. She previously took it when we got home to help me relax.
"It's Amy," she says.
"I'll call her back later."
"Oh, I'm sorry. She's taking a nap right now. She'll have to call you back later," I hear her say and shut the door.
I roll my eyes. She could've said that without throwing in a complete lie. I sigh and shift onto my side. After a few minutes, I actually fall asleep. When I wake up, it's dark outside. I didn't expect to sleep for that long. I see the doorknob turn and expect for it to be my mom checking up on me. I'm surprised to see Amelia.
"Oh. You're awake," she says
"Yeah. I just woke up."
She approaches the bed and sits down next to me.
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel better after my nap actually."
"That's a relief."
"I see you decided to ignore my mom when she said that I'd call you back," I joke.
Needless to say, she doesn't find it very funny.
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't, but I was worried. I had to come check on you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Like I said, I feel much better."
"Okay. I just came to check on you. I'll go now."
"Please stay," I beg.
"I would, but your mom said that you needed to rest."
"I just took a long nap. I did rest. I want you here."
She nods.
"Scoot over."
I shift over to make room. She gets under the covers. I wait until she makes herself comfortable to inch closer to her.
"Seriously though, what happened?" She asks.
I take a deep breath before answering.
"I wasn't honest with you guys before."
"What?"
"My mom didn't call me. I mean, she did, but it was because I texted her asking if she was busy. She wasn't so I asked her to call me. She didn't do it out of the blue."
"Why did you want her to call you?"
"I started feeling really weird. There was like a tightness in my chest and my breathing increased. I had to do what I could to control it when I went inside. I didn't do a very good job of it by myself. That's why I rushed out of there."
"You had a panic attack," she says.
"Wow. You and my mom both seemed to know that right away."
"I never told you this but I used to get them. I know from experience. Your mom probably just knew in general."
"You did?"
"Yes. They're rare now. They were way more frequent when I was younger."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's one of the main reasons why I've always felt closer to my dad. He knows what to do in those situations. That's also why I'm obsessed with classic movies. He put them on as a distraction and we would watch them together. I was more comforted by his support than I was by the movie but still."
"Wow. I had no idea."
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I felt too embarrassed, especially since I had gone a long time without having them."
"It's okay. I'm sorry that I lied about it. I didn't know what was happening. I just really wanted my mom in that moment."
"I get it. I felt the same way about my dad. I'm not mad."
"You should be. I've never lied to you before."
"I understand why you did."
"I still feel bad about it. I promise that I'll tell you if I ever get another panic attack."
"I mean, I'd appreciate it, but I get it if you would prefer to talk to your mom."
"I'll tell both of you."
"Okay."
I smile a little and rest my head on her shoulder.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Do you know what caused it?"
I pause for a moment.
"Yes," I finally say.
"What was it? You don't have to tell me if it's too personal."
"No. I can."
"Okay."
"When you mentioned that I initiate our kisses more than you, I took that to heart."
"Oh. Baby, I was just kidding. I wasn't saying it to upset you."
"You didn't upset me. I stopped to think about it and you were right. I mean, I don't know what's inside your head, but I know what's inside mine. I do always want to kiss you and be near you as much as possible. I literally look forward to the next time that I can do that. It's not like when people say that they're looking forward to something. Usually, they just say it to be polite. I don't. Anyway, I got in my head about it and had a panic attack."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Once I calmed down and took the time to think about it, I realized something."
"What?"
I take another deep breath.
"I'm in love with you."