Page 136 of Between the Lines

“I need to leave.” Her breaths are shallow and rapid. Is she about to have a panic attack?

I pull her along to the parking lot, toward the row of executives’ cars. There is a small bench flanked by a few trees. “Come. Have a seat.”

She walks woodenly beside me, her breathing increasing in speed. I put a hand on her lower back. “Breathe in. Breathe out. Can you do that for me, Chaos? Whatever is happening, I promise we’ll fix it. Breathe in. That’s it… breathe out.” I pull her down next to me on the bench. There’s no one in sight in the parking lot, and my car is just a few feet away.

She’s shaking her head quickly, tears pooling in her eyes.Fuck!Anxiety rises inside me. I’ve only heard about panic attacks, never helped someone through one.

I know Mandy struggled with them. What did she use to say…?

“Breathe in deeply… that’s it. Breathe out. You’ve got this.”

Charlotte buries her face in her hands and just inhales. Her breathing is still rapid, but it’s steady. I hope.

I rub large circles over her back with my palm. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

Through her hands, I hear a faint sob. Is she crying? The anxiety squeezes tighter around my heart. Should I call someone? An expert? A doctor?

I wrap my arm around her instead and tuck her head under my chin. “You’re okay, Charlotte. Just breathe.”

Her hands grip my shirt, and her shoulders shake. I’ve never seen her this rattled before. Even when her zipper broke in a ballroom, she handled it like a champ. She gives as good as she gets every single moment.

What’s this?

I press my lips to her hair. We’re in the shade, and maybe that’s why a shiver races through her. I tighten my arms. “Breathe, sweetheart,” I murmur. “That’s it.”

She shudders again, her shoulders slowing. Over the top of her head, I catch sight of my marketing executive with a cigarette in hand and a phone pressed to his ear.

He notices us, though he looks away quickly when I glare at him. A few seconds later he leaves the parking lot entirely.

Good.

Charlotte leans back, and my arms fall to her waist. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are wet. Her gaze meets mine, but then close all together. Her breathing is heavier now, and I take solace in the steady sounds, so different from the quick, ragged ones of earlier.

“Are you okay?”

“This is embarrassing,” she whispers.

“No, it’s not.” Charlotte takes another deep breath, and I rest my hand on her shoulder. “What happened?” I ask.

She shakes her head in small little movements. “I’m sorry, Aiden.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“I didn’t know what the meeting would be about,” she whispers. “If I did, I wouldn’t have been there.”

Her words drop like heavy stones through clear water. Sinking to the bottom.If I did, I wouldn’t have been there.

“So it’s true?” I ask quietly. “You were on one of Titan’s shows?”

Her gaze meets mine, and there’s a heartbreaking hesitation there. Like she wants to saynobut can’t. Like a comfortable lie has broken.

“Yes,” she whispers. “And it ruined my life.”

The words hit right below the breastbone. “Why haven’t you told me?”

“I couldn’t,” she says. She shakes her head again, and it’s more frantic now. “Aiden. I can’t, I can’t think about you knowing, seeing it…” Her hand reaches out and grips mine, tight enough to hurt.

“It’s okay. It’s in the past,” I say.

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