Personal Assistant (MXM - EDITING )

Chapter 28: Closer than you think pt. ii

Seven sat on the cold floor, his body trembling from both his anxiety attack and the cool breeze in the bathroom. His head was dug into his legs that were against his chest. Tears ran down his freckled cheeks as he took soft exhales, trying to control his breathing again.

He's been in the bathroom for almost an hour now, and he believed he was going to stay in the same position longer. Being yelled at... was not expected. The loud, and harsh voice from Nick triggered Seven's heart into a panic, causing his body to feel delicate and vulnerable. When the sponsor asked him the question, he prayed to be able to control his breathing because he knew the second he opened his mouth, he was going to go into an immediate panic. Though, when he did speak, he said the wrong words and it drove him into embarrassment. The only thing that can pull him out of the bathroom now is an employee once it's closing time and he hoped that time would come soon.

His eyelids were swollen from the amount of crying he's been doing on the floor and he thanked the heavens that no one had come in after he did. He knew how ridiculous he looked and hated it. His pale cheeks were burning from the amount of rubbing he's been doing, trying to rub off the tears that ran down his cheeks... though, all that was accomplished was giving his cheeks red fingermarks. Alongside that, his palm was scraped from the hard scratching he's been doing during his time in the bathroom. The scratching motion was what helped remind him that he was still 'alive' and not passed out from his lack of breathing. When he was younger, scratching his palm was a good warning that he wasn't passed out and could still gain control of the situation.

It helped for the time being - Seven was able to catch his breath, but his body still trembled no thanks to the extreme coldness in the scene. A lot was going through his mind while sitting on the cold tiled floor, and he couldn't think straight since his overthinking got the best of him. What was once a simple question, was distributed into multiple situations that he predicted could happen if he left the bathroom right now.

Unfortunately, one of those scenarios didn't include the question of 'what if someone walked in right now'.

The door opened and Seven's heart pounded, hearing the chatter from outside the bathroom. Seven kept his face dug inside his legs, bringing his body closer than it already was. He heard the person that entered take a step in front of him, sliding down against a stall and sighing.

From the sigh, Seven already knew who it was. "Just fire me," he commented, his voice shaky. His cheeks burned as pressure built inside his chest, feeling himself lose the direction of his breathing again.

"Why would I do that?" Nicolas softly asked.

Seven didn't answer, instead, his nails dug into his skin, scratching himself even more. The assistant felt a slight brush on his shoes, "Stop that," Nicolas muttered, "Look at me."

Seven stopped hurting himself, keeping his body still. Tears formed in his eyes, his faint lips quivering. He didn't want to look up. He didn't want to be seen when he was at his weakest. Though, Nicolas spoke again, "Please, look at me."

Seven licked his lips and gently picked his head up, a tear running down his cheek once he met the CEO's gaze, sitting in front of him. Nicolas had no change of expression, but a pitiful smile on his face, "Why would I fire you?"

The PA turned his head slightly to the left, his eyes dropping to the tiled floor, "I messed up the meeting."

"No, you didn't," Nicolas reassured, "I initiated it."

Serene huffed, bringing his legs together, tighter. He eyed Nick, seeing the sad smile on his face, "How'd the meeting go?" he asked, wanting to change the topic. He was embarrassed enough as it was. He didn't feel like talking anymore, wanting to keep his breathing under control and his voice steady.