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Brandon looks at me, confused.“Well, it looks like we’ve got time to kill since we might be here a while. Why don’t you tell me what I don’t see?”
Oh, God.I flatten my palms on the floor beneath me, attempting to ground myself, but it doesn’t really work since that ground isn’t stable.
We could plunge to our deaths at any minute.
Wecannotbe here for a while.
I have to get out of here.
My heart slams against my ribs, and the all too familiar signs of panic grip me in a choke hold.
An invisible weight sits on my chest, crushing me.
My throat closes.
Oh, God. I can’t breathe.
I can’t... I just can’t.
“Ashlyn...” My name is distant.Muffled.
“Ashlyn, look at me.” Brandon takes my face in his hands and turns it toward his. “Stay right here. Stay with me, okay, baby?”
I bring my eyes to his, but the pain doesn’t lessen, it only gets worse. “I can’t... I can’t breathe,” I wheeze. Tears leak from the corners of my eyes.
“You’re okay.” He takes my hand and places it over his heart. “We’re both okay. You feel that?”
I nod as his strong heart beats under my trembling hand.
“Okay. Now tap your hand with the rhythm.” His fingers lace with mine, and I try to follow his lead.
Itryto focus on the movement of my hand in sync with the rhythm of his heart.
Eventually, the tightness begins to lessen in my chest, but I don’t dare move away. Instead, I laser-focus in on the strong beat of his heart and nothing else.
Not my shaky breath.
Or my throbbing head.
Not the fact that we could die at any moment.
Or that I won’t get to tell my daughter I love her one last time.
I force it all away.
Into the box, like a therapist once told me.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
“That’s it. Slow and steady. Focus on me.” The timbre of his voice is deep and warm and velvety smooth. Soothing me as his big, rough, callused palm rests on the back of my hand, dwarfing it. Moving in time with mine.
I’m not sure how long we stay like this before the tightness inside meslowlysubsides.
“That’s a good girl. Stay with me.”
I blow out a shaky breath.
“Talk to me.” Brandon smirks. “Who was that tool I saw you with earlier?”
