"I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe." I mutter as I clutch my chest, clearly I was breathing of I could get the words out but my chest was tight, it felt like it was closing in and my lungs felt shallow and empty as they refused to hold air. "Shit! Are you okay?", A voice said to me as the guy jogged down the hall to wear I was crouching on the floor of the narrow dimly lit bricked up back stage hallway. " Hey, are you okay??" , he asked as he leaned down to get a better look at my face, my emerald eyes wide as I avoided looking at him but I could feel the warmth of his strong hands calloused from years of guitar strings against them along my icy skin. I felt like I was made of glass on the verge of shattering to pieces. Suddenly I couldn't talk my voice had disappeared and he looked at me worriedly. "Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. One. Two ..good good keep going." He said in a smooth voice as he instructed me on my breathing. I still felt breathless though it was oddly calming. I shut my eyes, I could hear voices, loud laughing down the hall that pierced through my eardrums and I cringed a bit. Two arms wrapped around me hoisting me up against his chest with ease as he carried me down the hall to a dressing room sitting down on a leather couch. I could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath and his heart beating rhythmically inside. He pushed back a strand of my dad chocolate colored hair, " It's okay." He murmured to me over and over . After a silent moment and many very focused, controlled breaths I opened my emerald eyes to see two big brown disks looking worriedly at me, the light reflecting gorgeously in them like little stars. His hazel hair was sticking up, messy from moving about throughout the day, a soft smile across his lips. The way his lips curled in ever so slightly when he smiled gave him a unique adorable sort of look giving me the feeling that I was okay. He took my petite hand in his and gently rubbed small circled in the soft skin on the back of my hand as he muttered in a soft calming voice, " It's okay, you're okay Lilly." The way he said my name, it felt so natural so right, like it was never really my name until he said it. He reached up and planted a tender kiss on my forehead, twirling a strand of my long silky hair around his finger as he smoothly said. " You had me worried. It's all going to be okay. You know I'm here. I'm never leaving. You never have to be alone. You'll be okay. I'm going to take care of you." And I believed every word. "Alex." I said simply only managing to get the single word, his name, out." He smiled at me and dropped his hand gently rearing it on my knee, "Yes?" , he said and I for some reason was on the verge of tears as they began selling up in my eyes, my words were gone again. I felt so helpless. He reached up gently running his thumb across my cheek and wiping away my tears sending a surge of electricity through my veins. " It's okay Lil, you're alright. You just had a panic attack and it's okay. We all break down sometime." He gave a crooked half smile, something in his eyes said he'd had personal experience.he continued on, "We will get through this. Together. I love you." I felt an urge to say something back though undoubtably my words would have left me again but before I had the chance to test that theory I felt his arms wrap gently around me pulling me against him in a hug. I could feel my body pressed comfortably against him, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, I could feel the heat of his body radiating from his skin and his steady breaths tickled my neck as he gently rested his chin on my thin shoulder. Feeling his embrace I felt content. Everything was going to be alright as long as I just stayed here forever in his warm loving arms.
