TAKE ME OVER | HENRY MILLS [1]

XL. worst fear

Chapter Status: Edited. 

Fifteen Days.

Tahlia.

"Thank god today's nearly over," I sigh as I begin placing my last pile of books on the shelves.

"Why's that?" Anna questions curiously, looking up from a stack of papers for a moment before looking back down.

"I'm tired and I need to pee," I reply.

Anna sighs softly, "go pee."

I place the last book on the shelf and thank her quietly before hurrying to the staff bathroom. I shut the door behind me before stumbling over to a sparkling white sink. My breathing is heavy, my arms shaking as I close my eyes, focusing only on steadying my breath. I don't know why I've been struggling to stay focused lately, maybe it's the nightmares, the sleepless nights finally catching up on me. Perhaps I'm losing my mind.

I look up at the mirror and stand up straight, taking in one final deep breath before washing and drying my face. I try my best to cover up my discomfort as I plaster on a fake smile and stride out of the bathroom.

"Good pee?" Anna guesses, clearly not seeing past my lie.

I nod, forcing a laugh as I stroll towards her.

"Excited for your date tonight?" I ask, leaning against the bench.

"Yeah. I really think Nicholas and I have hit it off." she admits.

I genuinely smile, Anna is my best friend, seeing her this happy allows me to focus on something besides myself, even if it is just for a moment, it is a good change from all the drama. Even though the drama in the past few days seems to be shelved for the moment, I can tell more is coming and I have spent the last few days mentally preparing myself for what is going to come.

"I do too, all you guys do is stare each other, sort of like Bella and Edward in Twilight," I state.

Anna scoffs, "this love story is going to be much better than Twilight."

"So, it's a love story now?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow up in amusement.

She tries to hide her smile, picking up the binder of papers and walking around the desk.

"Maybe," she shrugs simply.

"Maybe?" I ask, turning as she heads towards one of the shelves.

"Well, I don't know if it's going to work out, only time will tell," she admits.

She turns back around to face the shelf and hovers her finger next to the spines of the various novels.

"You guys are a match made in heaven, any guy good enough to make you fall in love is a keeper," I state simply.

"It's not that simple, Tahlia, you of all people should know," she sighs.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

She freezes in place, realising what she said must have come out wrong. She turns around with a hopeless look on her face.

"Our lives aren't normal anymore, with all this dumb drama it's hard to stay focused," she explains softly.

"Tell me about it," I mumble under my breath.

"But I'm sure it will all blow over soon enough," she adds.

I raise my eyebrows, "you really think so?" I question in disbelief.

"Yeah" she nods. "You're strong, Tahlia, we're all going to make it through this."