Chemistry - A Sander's Sides Fanfiction

- 24 -

You are NOT prepared! (Or at least I hope not; that kind of ruins the fun of it haha.) This was definitely one of my favorites to write so far.

Please enjoy.

I'm in love. I'm freaking in love. Somebody please find me an exorcist. Roman was pacing his his second floor bedroom struggling to pull himself back into reality. All he could see, over and over again, was Virgil.

Roman groaned and collapsed onto his bed again, frustrated. He normally loved crushes and little flings -- it meant fun and romance. But this time he knew he was in too deep. This feeling he had in his chest wasn't just a 'fling,' it was something serious. He could tell the difference between something real and something fake, especially after Cecelia. Roman drew his hands down his face in exhaustion. It didn't help that he was meeting Cecelia today -- well, it helped a little. At least knowing Virgil had his back gave him a little more confidence.

It was only two in the afternoon and yet Roman was still dreading his meeting with Cecelia at Corner Park like it was seconds away from four o'clock. He knew it was illogical, irrational, and dramatic, but he couldn't help it.

In new instinct, Roman lunged for his phone on the side table from where he lay on his bed. He opened it and made a call immediately upon his fingers touching the screen.

"I'm freaking out."

"Calm down, Roman." Roman sighed out, finding comfort in the unusually-confident voice on the other side of the line. He could hear the slight smile in Virgil's voice and instantly felt a little better hearing his name spoken so strongly. "You're going to be fine. You have two hours."

Roman took a nervous breath, throwing his head back down onto the pillow, half bathed in the light sunshine spilling in from the window to his right. "I'm still freaking out."

"Just try to breathe and distract yourself."

Roman hesitated, taking a deep breath as a thought crossed his mind. "Is this what it feels like for you all the time?" he asked genuinely, not knowing what it was like to have anxiety disorder.

"I don't know, Roman," Virgil sighed. "I'm not in your head. But it's not all the time that I feel anxious; just sometimes and when it's loud or crowded or... anything new."

Roman contemplated Virgil's words. "I wish I could get rid of it for you."

Virgil snorted out a laugh. "So do I," he said, pausing. "You help, at least."

Roman blinked. "I do? Actually?"

"Yeah. I'm comfortable when I'm around you."

Roman paused, taking Virgil's confirmation in. Though he had suspected as much before, he'd never heard the boy say it out loud. "I'm glad," he finally responded.

Before Roman knew it, it was three forty and time for him to leave. His nervousness, that had been pushed to the back of his mind before, suddenly resurfaced as he checked the clock. "Oh shoot," he said to Virgil over the phone.

"What?" Virgil asked lazily over the other end.

Roman took a deep breath. "I'm leaving now."

"You've got this." Virgil didn't miss a beat. "Do you want me to keep talking to you until you get there?"

"Yes," Roman breathed, shakily pulling on his shoes.

He ran down the spiral staircase and out the door like his life depended on it. It was kind of ironic, since it felt like he was running to his death. You've got this, Roman repeated in his head, hoping with every fiber of his being that Virgil was right.