Overwhelmed

gogy

The next two days are insanely busy. When Nick arrives, everything just becomes much more hectic. I love listening to him and Clay joke around, but they're both very unhelpful when they're laughing. Despite this, we're all packed and ready when it's time for the flight.

Good Morning passengers! This is the boarding announcement for flight 86B to Brighton. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you.

Clay, Nick, and I walk toward the gate swiftly, praying that no one recognizes us. Nick, the most recognizable, is wearing a ball cap in an attempt to draw attention away from his face. He doesn't care if fans say hi when they see him, but we can't risk Clay being revealed before he's ready for a face reveal.

The flight is just over nine hours. Nick sleeps for several hours, still adjusting to the jet lag from his trip to Orlando. Clay mostly scrolls through his phone or reads the assortment of magazines he bought. Every once in a while, he leans over and shows me a news article, a funny tweet, or a cute outfit. I love seeing which clothing he thinks is stylish. I should let him pick out an outfit for me sometime.

When we arrive at the airport, Nick finally wakes up with a grunt. "What do you want?" he groans, trying to shift in his seat.

"C'mon sleepyhead. We're here," Clay says, shaking Nick's shoulder gently.

"Nooooooo. The flight was supposed to be longerrrr..." Nick pulls out the ends of his words, slowly starting to sit up and open his eyes. Suddenly, Nick's face morphs into Tom's and we're in my house, not on a plane.

That was the day I finally saw Clay. I can't escape the memory now. It plays like a movie. I see some version of myself trying desperately to wake Thomas up to tell him that Clay is coming. Then I glance over at my doorway where Clay stands. Of course, I didn't really see him then, but my brain has filled in the gaps.

"WHO?? Y/N?! TELL ME!!" Tom's voice almost makes me giggle again. But then, the scene changes. Now he's not laying on the couch, he's on a hospital bed. "You failed me," he whispers, lips unmoving.

"I'm sorry, Thomas." No response. The monitors go dead. "Tom? Thomas, come back, please! TOM!"

My body convulses as his angry screams fill my head. "Y/N! Hey! You're okay! I'm right here." Clay's gentle voice interrupts the screaming. I try to reach him, but my body is being confined in some sort of prison. "No, no. Stay here. They're getting a medic, moo. Stay in my arms."

I relax a little when I realize it's not a prison, just Clay holding me. The darkness is now explained by the ache of my eyelids and I'm beginning to fear that the screaming may have been myself.

After a few minutes of coaxing, I finally open my eyes. I'm terrified of what I'll find, but I'm still in my seat. Nothing has changed except that all the other passengers have left and a group of paramedics have surrounded me. Clay still has his arms wrapped around me, but Nick is just awkwardly standing to the side.

"Ma'am, do you know where you are?" One of the paramedics asks. Clay brushes a strand of hair from my face so that I can see the woman clearly.

"Uh- I'm on the plane..." I have to think for a moment before finishing. "I guess we're in Brighton now, aren't we?" The rawness of my throat further supports the idea that I was the one screaming.

"Perfect." After a round of questions, the woman clears me to leave the plane. I try to explain to her what happened, but she notices how agitated it makes me, and tells me I don't need to continue. Nick and Clay don't say a word as we get into the rental car and head to our hotel. Nick takes the backseat without asking, so I sit up front with Clay.

It isn't until we reach the hotel that I notice Clay's hand on my thigh. This thumb gently traces circles on my skin while he drives. We settle into our rooms in an uncomfortable silence. I know I won't sleep, but I shut my light off anyway.

Around midnight, there's a small knock on my door. "Come in," I call quietly. I expect it to be Clay, but instead Nick walks into my room with a frown on his face. "Hey... What's up?" He sits down on the edge of my bed before responding.

"Uh, I just wanted to apologize... for- well, for triggering that memory. I just- I would have never acted like that if I knew you were gonna... Anyway, I'm really sorry." So that's why he hasn't made eye contact with me since the plane. He thinks it's his fault.

"Nick, this isn't on you. It's not your fault. You're not the one that fucked me up. God, you're one of the people healing me right now. How were you supposed to know that being sleepy would bring up old memories. Please don't blame yourself for that."

"I should've just-" he starts.

"Stop Nick. No matter what, it isn't your fault. Beside, I'm okay now."

"Okay," he whispers.

"Promise me you won't beat yourself up about this." He mumbles something in response. "Nick. Promise me."

After a long sigh he finally responds, "I promise."

"Thank you. Now get some sleep dude."

"Goodnight y/n," he says, standing to leave.

"Goodnight Nick." After that, it's much easier to sleep. When Clay wakes me up in the morning, I feel a lot better. He seems a little off put by my smile, but quickly joins in. If Nick didn't keep his promise, he isn't showing it. He and Clay laugh the whole morning while they make breakfast for us. After we finish eating, we pack up our stuff and check out of our suite.

"So here's what I'm thinking... He knows what you look like, Nick, so you should be the one to knock on the door," Clay says as we drive to George's house. Nick agrees with this.

"Maybe we should let them go inside then I'll knock and be like, 'SURPRISE I'M HERE TOO!' and join them," I add, grinning from ear to ear.

"Perfect! Then after like ten minutes when George thinks everything is normal, Clay will knock and he'll absolutely freak out." We all laugh in agreeance. It's a relief to finally have a plan. As Clay parks the car, my nerves begin to creep in. "Okay, I'm going. See you guys in a minute," Nick whispers, leaving us alone.

From where we parked, I can't see the front door. After about five minutes, I assume Nick is in and get ready to join him. "Make sure you actually wait ten minutes. Otherwise, he might expect it..." Clay nods and smiles. "Okay, okay. See you soon,"

I can barely contain my smile as I walk toward George's door. A slight drizzle has begun to fall, but I don't mind it. When I knock, I hear both George and Nick exchange a few words before footsteps come toward me. The door opens a moment later and I'm standing face to face with George. "Wha-?" George starts.

"Hey gogy," I exclaim, still smiling uncontrollably.

"Y/n?! Oh my god!" To my surprise, he wraps his arms around me immediately. Ater a moment, I return the hug. Behind George, Nick is grinning and doing a silent little dance. When George finally lets go of me, he ushers us inside. "You guys planned this together??" he asks, glancing between the two of us.

"Well, it's your birthday tomorrow! We had to do something!" Nick says it like it's the most obvious thing ever. The two boys talk for a while. I relax in the sitting room with them, but don't contribute much to the conversation. It's all I can do to keep my eyes off of the door.

I check my phone after about fifteen minutes, beginning to get worried. Just as I'm about to text Clay, we all hear the knock on the door.

To be continued...