Anxiety

[o6]

*authors note*

Well hello there!

Welcome back! So sorry for the long wait, you know me and my writer's block.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. It has the feels (:

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"You got some paint on your face," Ryker mumbled, leaning into my periphery to get a closer look at the so-called paint on my face. I gave him the side eye as I continued painting my section of the wall, but he kept coming in closer. Oh no, he's going to try to wipe it off and just get more on me.

"No don't wipe it—" I sighed as the feel of cold paint swiped over my cheek, and I couldn't hold in my laugh, which made Ryker laugh. What was once a speck on my cheek is now covering my entire cheek.

"Honestly, you look really fucking cute," he said, taking a step back and placing his hands on his hips like he was admiring a piece of art in a museum.

"Why thank you." I did a mock curtsy, which just made him laugh even more. I heard muffled laughter from the doorway and snapped my attention to see Tyler and Jordan barely holding their laughter in. I glanced at Grey and he had a tiny smirk of appreciation adorning his face as he stared at Ryker and me, the paint roller idle in his hands.

So close to a smile, yet so far away. Ryker and I have been trying to get Grey to smile a real smile for the past week now. We keep getting smirks or those laughs where he breathes air through his nose but doesn't really laugh. We will continue trying.

Right now, we were finally painting my room. I had to drag Ryker and Grey away from their office, where they had been holed up the past few days talking about some mysterious person who is still out there, and when I ask them for a name they tell me they have no idea who I'm talking about but I have the sneaking suspicion they're talking about Damien because who else would they be talking about since Theo is locked up in the basement an-

"Breathe," Ryker whispered, squeezing my hand. I took a deep breath and looked around the room; everyone had gone back to their previous activities and didn't notice my little anxiety attack.

I brought our hands up and placed a kiss to his hand before resuming painting the wall.

The whole room is going to be olive green, and I've started shopping online for some furniture and decor. I want something that is the complete opposite of how my room was at my parents' house, I don't want to be reminded of that place ever again. I told my parents they could use that room for whatever they wanted, just please don't keep it the way it is right now.

I also need a new hobby now that I won't be around Grey and Ryker all the time. How pathetic is that? I don't even know what I like to do in my free time because I've never truly had free time to myself before.

I liked hanging out with the kids of the pack back when I was with him, maybe I could do that here. I should really start to get to know the pack. Maybe that will be my hobby, and learning how the pack works by observing everything.

I stopped painting the wall, my arm growing tired. I looked around the room, saw that Grey and Ryker were concentrating very hard on their task of painting the wall, and Tyler and Jordan were being useless standing by the door. The least they could do is help so we can be done with this faster. And the silence is killing me; absolutely no one is talking to each other. Did all this time apart really make us forget how to talk to each other?

"Can I play some music?" I asked. Grey and Ryker seemed to break from their trance to look at me and immediately hand me their phones. I smiled and took Grey's, wanting him to feel included even though we weren't excluding him in any way.