Unstable || Prinxiety

Chapter 11

(Roman's POV)

Song: Runaway - Sasha Sloan

"Ahah! Checkmate!" I shouted, throwing the last piece off the board with an exaggerated flourish. Virgil didn't even react, from his facial expression to his posture, nothing changed. The only sign of life came from his hands which were tapping inconsistent beats onto the table. "It's not my fault you're bored," I reasoned. "I'm not the one who refuses to go outside and do something, I don't know, different!"

It'd been a long morning, with both of us waking up at the crack of dawn due to nerves. To make matters worse, Virgil, surprise surprise, didn't want to do anything, leaving us both trapped in his claustrophobic, slightly musty room with nothing but Chess to play.

"You know it's not that I'm bored," he grumbled, stopping the tapping on the table at last. And I did know, as I was feeling the same as him. Today was the midpoint in Virgil's testing; the day he had to go in for a meeting with Logan. And I was nervous. I didn't even know why - it's not like I was being tested - yet I was. Virgil's fate had somehow become mine, and I knew that if he was labeled Unstable, if he was banished, my life would never be the same.

"For the thousandth time, you have nothing to be worried about!" I scolded despite myself. I knew I was being a hypocrite, but if Virgil knew how nervous I was, it'd send him over the edge. "Tap, tap, tap," his hands started their relentless tapping again, and I gritted my teeth in an attempt to calm my frustration. Why was I so on edge?

"Are you sure you don't want some food? There's tons in the cafeteria. It'll calm my- your nerves!" I asked, hoping that he'd say yes as I desperately needed to find something to distract me from the upcoming meeting.

"Nothing could calm my nerves."

I could see him thinking, running up the possible scenarios in his head of what would happen if he stepped outside. My mind went back to when I first saw him out of his room - it had been a major shock for me to see him in public. That was the day he tripped and ran away.

"Do you remember that day that you tripped in the cafeteria?" I asked when the memory resurfaced. A deep blush ran through his cheeks, and he struggled to cover his face. 

"Why did you have to remind me?" He asked stiffly, still traumatized by the event.

"Oh my God, no one even noticed," I laughed, glad for the change in atmosphere.

"You did," he responded accusingly, "so that means that others noticed too!"

"I only noticed because I was already focused on you, duh," I responded. 

"Beep, beep, beep," we were interrupted by my alarm, signaling that it was time for the meeting. I could feel my heart pick up speed as we made eye-contact, desperation and dread reflecting in our expressions. I hope he didn't know how worried I was. Trying to submerge my nerves, I turned to the door and put on a "confident" mask. 

"Let's go, shall we?"

*   *   * 

(Virgil's POV)

I sat close to Roman on the couch outside the 'Meeting Room.' Despite the heat, I shivered, moving close to Roman for protection. I felt an arm surround my shoulders, and for a moment all the nerves in my body disappeared, in their place a soft, warm emotion. Smiling gently, I leaned into Roman's embrace. 

"You ready, Virgil?" I heard a strong, powerful voice echo across the room. Instantly, all feelings of warmth were lost, leaving me a shaking, terrified mess.

'I can't let Roman see me like this!' I thought through the anxious mess that was my mind and began to trail into the room in an attempt to escape Roman's gaze. Suddenly, I felt a strong pair of arms hold me back and was met with soft, captivating brown eyes. Roman gripped my hands, and I was too caught up in the moment to worry about how clammy they were or how bad and flustered I looked. I saw his lips move, but was unable to register the sound as it came out. I felt his hand's travel through my hair, and then there was nothing but him and me. I couldn't hear anything above the ringing in my ears as Roman gripped my hands once more, a farewell gesture. 

Roman leaned forward, whispering something in my ear before his lips met mine for 5 blissful seconds. And then he was gone, and I was left with something more than nerves, something more powerful than the crippling anxiety that had been controlling me my whole life.

Love.