Page 34 of Johnathan

You look just like her. I can’t touch her yet, so your final breath will have to do.

“First thing you want to do is place both of your hands on my arm and pull down, creating a little space for you to tuck your chin into.”

She swallowed down the fear. Her hands shook as she placed them on John’s arm and tried to pull him away from her to create enough space for her chin.

Let’s see how beautiful you are when you bleed out all around me.

John’s voice sounded like it was coming from a million miles away. Oh shit. Darkness edged in her vision. She struggled to get any air.

Abby slapped her hands on John’s arm, but he was already moving to release her. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and fell to the mat with her.

“Breathe, Abby. You’re good. You’re doing so good. Remember where you are. You’re safe here with me.” John reached for the zipper around her neck and pulled it down.

“No!” Her hands covered her exposed skin.

“You need to cool down. This pull-over being zipped all the way isn’t helping. I’ve seen it already. I’m the only person here, and I’ve already seen the scar. So, let’s get some cool air on you. It’ll help.”

“O-Okay.”

John opened her zip-up the rest of the way and tugged at the sleeves. She needed to get the shirt off. Her breathing picked up as she fought to pull it over her head. He was right. The cold air of the gym caressed her overheated skin and a bit of the darkness edging her vision started to clear.

“You’re still breathing too fast. Lean back and breathe with me.”

Abby let her body fall back onto John’s chest and they sat together, breathing in long, slow breaths until she felt back in control.

“I’m good now. Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. Your body was having a response to a very traumatic memory.”

“I should be able to handle it.”

“Your body is telling you otherwise. I think we need to listen to it here. So, maybe we moved a little too fast into that one?” He smiled as she nodded. John’s hands moved up and down her arms, and she focused on how safe she felt in his arms.

“I’ve never told you about that night for me, have I?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to?”

Did she? No matter what, she at the very least owed it to him to listen. “Yes.”

“I was upset because I had forgotten to do something that Katy needed for school the next day. Can’t even remember what it was, but I was mid-panic texting my mom for help when I heard you scream. I ran around the corner as fast as I could and I swear my heart stopped beating the second my eyes landed on you.”

“Because there was a madman holding a knife to my throat?”

“No.”

“Why then?”

“Because you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. For a split second, I didn’t even register Marco. I just saw these big, beautiful blue eyes looking at me, and I froze. But then I saw what he was doing, and I was too slow. He moved his knife so quickly, and you never looked away from me. There was so much strength in the way you kept looking at me.

“When I caught you, I don’t know how to explain it Abby. It was like my whole world was in a free fall. And then you said your name and I realized you were Sam’s little sister. I just, I wanted to think that I was feeling so protective over you that night because of my friendship with Sam.”

“But that’s not why?”

“I think you’ve known for a while that it’s not about Sam.”

She sat silently, waiting for him to continue.

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