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I began to walk out of the restaurant, holding open the door for a tall man and walking out into the cold. I puffed air out of my mouth and shoved my hands into my pockets, jogging over to my jeep. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, leaning into the drivers seat. I pulled open the glove box and fumbled around with paper, my eyes scanned the whole car for my wallet but it wasn't anywhere.
I glanced at my watch, I'd already spent six minutes looking for the damn thing and I couldn't find it anywhere. Suddenly it appeared in the corner of my eye, the backseat. I'd tossed it in there after I payed for gas a few hours prior.
I laughed and shook my head at myself, stepping out of the car and closing and locking the door, I jogged my way back to the glass doors. I pulled them open and stepped inside, the blast of warm air comforting me as I started to make my way back to our table.
"Hey, I got it-" I was suddenly stopped when I found Hannah sat in her seat, face bright red, tears pouring down her face and her hands grasping desperately into the table. She gasped and gasped for air as she shook violently. Not for one minute did she even see me, her eyes in a dull glaze. "Oh my god, what's going on?" I asked her, people in the restaurant had started to look at us but I didn't care I just needed to make sure she was okay. All that mattered was that she was okay.
"Diana?" I asked, my hands on her shoulders as i tried to get her to look at me, she cried and shook in my arms as her eyes slowly fell into focus with my own. "Diana? Diana? Can you hear me?" Tears poured down her face like a waterfall as she tried to nod at me. "Okay, okay, it's okay, you're gonna be okay." I recognised her panic attack but couldn't understand what had caused it. Was it because I had forgotten my wallet? Was the date bad? Had I messed up?
I pulled one dundee's dollars out of my wallet and slapped it onto the table, taking Diana's shaking hands in my own. "Can you stand up?" I asked her and she shook her head. "Okay."
I scooped her up into my arms as she held onto my neck, crying into my chest. I began to walk out of the restaurant, ignoring everybody's stares and towards my car.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered between breaths as we ran outside.
"Don't be sorry, it's okay." I kissed the top of her forehead and placed her in the back seat of my car. Her face was red and swollen as she shivered, her eyes watching me with sorrow. I ran into the passenger side of my car and pulled the familiar orange bottle from the glove compartment, pulling a bottle of water out with it before running back round to Diana. I passed her the pills and then the water. "Here, take this." I ran back around into the trunk, taking out a blanket and wrapping her up.
"I- thank you." She told me, ten minutes later after she had calmed down. We lag in my back seat, stretched out in the seats, my arms around her as she lay in her blanket.
"It's okay."
"Why did you have anxiety pills in your car?" And then suddenly my gut exploded with sorrow and pain, aching with the sheer thought of my sister.
"My sister used to get panic attacks all the time. So I always kept that bottle in my car in case she had one." I chewed at my fingernails and bit back my tears, you're okay Shawn. You're okay.
"Does she not get them anymore, then?" Diana asked, how oblivious.
"She's dead." And suddenly everything fell quiet, why did I always have to be so blunt? Why did I ruin everything?
"I'm sorry." Why are you apologising?
"It's okay. I'd better be getting you home." I started to get up but she pulled me down by my sleeve.
"No, just stay here. Just hold me, please." And I did, I held her all night and I realised the mistake I was making. And the morning after I set out to change it, to end the bet and to get the girl I loved.
