chapter 5
1211 Words
The bulb buzzed softly before settling into a weak, yellow glow that barely reached the far corners of the basement. The shadows looked thicker than they should have.
Then went out.
The basement dropped into complete darkness.
For a second Lyra just stood there, frozen.
The silence felt enormous.Her chest tightened instantly.
"No,no, no, no"
Her hands shook as she fumbled for her phone in her hoodie pocket, nearly dropping it before the flashlight finally clicked on.
The beam cut through the darkness in a narrow strip.
But it wasn't enough.
The walls felt closer than they should have.
Her breathing sped up.
Too fast.
Too shallow.
She tried to walk toward the stairs but the beam of light bounced wildly as her hands shook harder.
The staircase suddenly felt miles away.
Her lungs refused to fill properly.
Air in. Air out.
But it wasn't working.
Her chest hurt.
Her fingers started tingling.
She crouched down without meaning to, one hand gripping the edge of a shelf as the room tilted around her.
"I'm fine," she whispered to herself.
Too small.
The panic hit all at once.
Her breaths turned sharp and uneven, each one catching halfway in her throat. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might break through her ribs.
Her vision blurred.
The basement suddenly felt like it was closing in on her.
The door at the top of the stairs creaked open.
Footsteps.
Fast ones.
"Lyra?"
Wayne's voice.
She tried to answer but the word got stuck somewhere between her lungs and her throat.
He reached the bottom of the stairs two seconds later, the light from upstairs spilling into the basement behind him.
And then he saw her.
Curled halfway on the floor, shaking.
"Hey, hey, what happened?"
His voice lost its usual teasing edge.
"Oh shit."He crossed the room quickly and crouched down in front of her.
Lyra tried to breathe but it came out in sharp, broken gasps.
Her hands were trembling so badly she couldn't stop them.
Lyra barely registered the words.
Her breathing was still spiraling too fast, her chest rising and falling in quick, painful bursts.
Wayne crossed the room quickly and dropped down in front of her.
"Hey, hey, look at me."
She couldn't.
Her eyes were squeezed shut, her shoulders shaking.
A hand touched her shoulder.
She flinched.
"It's okay," he said quickly. "You're okay."
His voice sounded different. Lower. Calmer than she'd ever heard it.
"Sparrow."
Her eyes opened just enough to see him.
Wayne was crouched right in front of her, his brows pulled together in a way that made him look almost worried.
"You're having a panic attack," he said quietly.
She shook her head weakly even though she knew he was right.
Her chest hurt.
"I can't"
The words broke apart halfway through.
Wayne shifted closer.
"You can," he said firmly. "You just need to slow it down."
He took her hand before she even realized he was reaching for it.
His grip was warm and steady around her shaking fingers.
"Breathe with me."
He exaggerated the inhale.
"In."
Lyra tried to follow but the breath came out shaky and uneven.
"That's okay," he said.
"Again."
His thumb moved slightly over the back of her hand without him seeming to notice.
"In."
Her chest filled a little deeper.
"Out."
They did it again.
And again.
Slowly the tight, crushing pressure in her chest started to loosen.
Her breathing steadied bit by bit until the room stopped tilting.
The basement was quiet again.
Not the suffocating quiet from before.
Just quiet.
Lyra leaned back against the metal shelf, her hands still trembling slightly as the last of the panic drained out of her system. Her breathing had finally slowed, but everything still felt a little unsteady.
Wayne hadn't moved.
He was still crouched in front of her, one knee on the concrete floor, his hand loosely wrapped around hers.
"You good?" he asked. His voice was softer than usual.
Lyra nodded automatically. "Yeah."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then embarrassment hit all at once.
"Don't tell Vera," she said hoarsely.
Wayne snorted softly. "Yeah, because that sounds like a fun conversation."
She wiped quickly at her eyes.
"I'm serious."
"I know." His voice was gentler than she expected.
"You scared the hell out of me," he said quietly.
That caught her off guard.She looked up at him.Wayne looked... different. Less amused.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
He was still holding her hand.
"Sorry my panic attack inconvenienced you."
Wayne rolled his eyes.
"You're unbelievable."
But he still didn't move away.
The only real light in the basement was coming from the open door at the top of the stairs behind him, outlining his shoulders and catching the messy strands of blond hair that had fallen into his eyes.
Her phone flashlight had rolled somewhere to the side during the panic, casting a dim beam across the concrete floor.
Wayne's thumb shifted slightly against the back of her hand.Like he'd just realized the contact was there.But he still didn't let go.
"You're still shaking," he said quietly.Lyra glanced down, Her fingers were trembling slightly.
"I'm fine," she said quickly. Wayne didn't look convinced.
Without really asking, he lifted his other hand and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Lyra froze.
The touch was light. Careful.Like he thought she might bolt if he moved too fast.Her heart kicked hard in her chest.
Wayne seemed to realize what he'd done at the same time she did.
His hand paused awkwardly in midair for half a second before dropping back to his side. "...Sorry," he muttered.
Lyra shook her head quickly. "No, it's...."
She stopped when she looked up again.
Wayne was closer than she'd realized.
Close enough that she could see the faint freckles across the bridge of his nose.
Close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath
She opened her mouth to say something,
At the exact same moment Wayne leaned forward slightly.
Their foreheads bumped.
Both of them froze.
Lyra blinked.
Wayne blinked.
"...Sorry," he said quietly.
She let out a small breath of nervous laughter. "You already said that."
He huffed a quiet laugh.
But neither of them moved away.
They stayed inches apart.
Still holding each other's gaze.
Lyra didn't know who leaned forward first.
Maybe it was both of them.
Their lips met softly.
Not rushed.
Not planned.
Just a small brush of contact that sent a sudden rush of warmth through her chest.
Wayne froze immediately, like he hadn't expected it to actually happen. For a second Lyra thought he might pull away.
But he didn't.
The kiss lingered just a little longer.
Soft.
Careful.
Uncertain.
Like neither of them quite knew what they were doing.Then Wayne pulled back slightly, eyes widening like his brain had finally caught up.
Lyra could feel heat creeping up her neck.
Her hand was still in his.
Neither of them had let go.
Wayne cleared his throat awkwardly.
"...Well."
Lyra stared very hard at the floor.
"That didn't happen."
Wayne rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"...Definitely didn't."
But neither of them stood up.
And neither of them let go.
- Writer
