The Silver Lining

Chapter - 11

“Ashley, are you awake?” My aunt asked softly, knocking at the door.

“Yes,” I replied, putting aside my laptop and getting up to open the door.

“How are you feeling?” She asked hesitantly, entering the room with a cup in her hand, which I noticed was my favorite hot chocolate.

She looked amused and handed me the cup.

“Thank you,” I whispered, taking it from her hands, and felt immediately better. “I’m fine now.”

“Of course,” she rolled her eyes and sat on the bed, noticing my laptop. “It seems like you're fine now. Great. We can talk about what happened earlier.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I shrugged, avoiding her gaze.

"Ashley, you need to give me an explanation," my aunt demanded in a stern voice.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead and leaned against the bed. I knew I was testing the patience of my aunt but I didn't know how to explain everything to her.

I was grateful that she didn't ask me anything in the car and gave me time to cool down.

"Ashley?" I could sense the irritation in her voice as I felt her burning gaze on the side of my head.

I cleared my throat, "I'm sorry."

She let out a sigh and grabbed my hand, rubbing it slowly. "Please tell me, what happened?”

I bit my lip, mentally debating for an excuse but then decided against it. "I had a panic attack."

She gasped. "What? But how? You were fine when you went out. What happened?" She stood up, clearly not expecting this.

"I don't remember it clearly." I lied, glancing at her from the corner of my eyes.

She pursed her lips in disbelief, but didn't push me further, instead asked, "Okay, but how did you end up in that area?"

"I wanted to try a different route. I’m sorry. I wasn't thinking straight," I mumbled, not knowing what to say.

How would I explain to her that someone almost blew my cover?

She pursued her lips and said, "I’m worried about you, Ashley. I thought you were doing better but after this panic attack… I don't know what to say anymore. I think you should talk to your parents and-"

I immediately cut in, "No. They don't need to know about this."

"Ashley, they’re your parents."

"It was just a panic attack. I don't want to trouble them," I replied, ignoring the ache in my chest.

"Fine. But you need to visit a doctor." She sighed, too tired to deal with me.

"Aunt Jenna, you're taking this too seriously." I let out a laugh but stopped when I saw her serious expression. "Fine. But if it happens again, then I’m going to consult a doctor, okay?"

She nodded and got up, walking towards the door. "Finish your homework. I'll prepare lunch for you."

"You're not going to the office?"

She turned, looking straight at me, and I noticed the uncertainty in her eyes. "No. I don't have any meetings today so I'll rest at home."

"You don't need to babysit me," I said, crossing my arms.

"Can't I take a day off?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. Her expression was enough to explain how pissed she was.

“I'll be down in fifteen minutes.”