[Tyler's POV]
I wake up with light streaming in my eyes. My head throbs. It takes me a minute to realize that I'm alone in the room. That is, until I hear the shower turn off. I stuff my head under my pillow, trying to hide from the impending day ahead of me. I wish I could go back to sleep, but my headache makes that impossible.
Then I remember: Vidcon registration is today. What a perfect day for a hangover.
Troye comes out of the bathroom fully dressed, drying his hair with a towel in one hand and looking at his phone in the other. When he sees I'm awake (well, sort of), he says, "Oh finally, you're up. It's 10:30, Tyler, you need to get ready fast."
Shit! 10:30?? I look at my phone. He's right.
"I'm supposed to meet with Hannah before registration ends at noon, and I still have to shower and eat breakfast!"
"Well hurry up then," he says with a yawn. He puts his wallet in his pocket, goes back to the bathroom to quickly style his hair, and says, "I'm going to eat with Bertie. See you later." He slips on his shoes and then he's gone.
I pick up my phone to text Hannah, but I see I have a text from Alfie that says: "Zoe's having a panic attack. Come to 423 if you can. I can't do this alone."
I've been awake for just over five minutes and already this day is turning out drastically. I send a hurried text full of typos to Hannah about meeting after registration, put on the first clothes I pick up, and rush out the door. The wait for the elevator feels like years; it feels like decades. I finally make it to 423, hearing Zoe's sobs and shallow breaths when I reach the door.
Alfie opens the door with a worried, panicked look on his face. "It's one of her worst ones," he says in a low voice. "Some viewers saw us holding hands last night, and she thinks they're gonna spread our secret. That's what triggered it, but now it's just getting worse."
I hurry inside and see her sitting in between the two beds, leaning on the bedside table, her arms wrapped around her knees. Mascara-tinted tears have dried on her cheeks, and when she looks up at me, she doesn't look like her usual self. Her eyes dart from Alfie to me, and she starts to hyperventilate.
I run to crouch in front of her. "Shhh Zoe, it's okay, listen to me, everything's okay." I try to take hold of her hand, but she yanks it back and snaps, "Don't touch me!"
I feel helpless, so I back up a bit but stay near enough to look her in the eyes. "Zoe, look at me. Breathe. Shhh, just breathe." She puts her head in her hands, still breathing rapidly. I can see a sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"I-I c-can't!" she sobs. I can see when she tries to speak everything feels worse for her. Her face contorts and a breath hitches in her throat. I can only imagine what sort of things she's going through, and I don't know what to do to make it stop, except tell her it'll all be over soon. That's all I can do. It's going on far longer than i expected. How does Alfie help her with this?
I look up at Alfie helplessly. He sits down on the bed and holds her face in his hands. "Listen, Little One," he says, a tremor in his voice. "I love you, and I know everything will turn out fine. Our fans have enough respect to keep this quiet, you know that, right? Now, we don't have to worry about that right now. I want you to have fun and take it easy, okay?" He dros his hands and continues to coo softly to her. "I'll stay here with you today if you want, and we can get room service and watch girly movies if you want."
Zoe's still breathing shallowly and the muscles in her hands and neck are tense, but a mixture of a laugh and a sob escapes her mouth. She nods.
I see a bottle sitting on the desk and hand it to her. Her breathing is starting to become more regular. She tries to twist the cap off but her hands are too shaky, so I do it for her. She takes a small sip, but comes away sputtering and makes a face at me. "That's not water, Tyler, that's alcohol!" she squeaks. She releases her grip around her knees and laughs. After a second of shock, I laugh too. Alfie smiles and sits next to her, holding her in his arms. She sighs, and he kisses the top of her head.
"I love you Alfie," she says weakly. "You too, Tyler, you guys are the best."
I hold her hand in both of mine for a minute, but then I realize that I'm totally being the third wheel. I awkwardly get up and say, "Well, I've got to go now, but I hope everything works out, and you feel better, Zoe."
"Bye Tyler!" they call after me as I leave the room. I walk towards the elevator, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. After just then, I discovered how much I want a love like theirs, ready to drop everything for the other. I hope my future holds that for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~
(I'm writing this on a phone, so sorry if the format comes out weird)
Sorry there wasn't any Troyler in this chapter, and it was kinda short, I just wanted this scene in there because Zoe's anxiety is something I thought should be brought up, also I was in a Zalfie mood. I don't really know exactly what panic attacks are like, but I did my best, so please let me know if it's realistic.
As always, thanks for reading! Let me know how you think it's going!
