Riches |The inheritance games|

Chapter 70

Fine Line by Harry Styles

We'll be a fine line. We'll be alright.

I spend the week keeping my head down and focusing, I haven't seen Grayson since Sunday and it's currently Tuesday night.

I've been pretty busy and stressed recently with everything going on. I've got all my classes to focus on, homework, rehearsals for the winter show, my job. 

Every day I get home from rehearsals i have to head straight to work and by the time I get back from work I'm usually the only one awake in our house. So I've been eating leftover dinner on my own at 11:30am every night this week. 

There's a rainstorm forecast tonight so when I peer through the screen door leading to the outdoor pool I realise the pool cover isn't on.

I head out and drop my bag by the door. The wind cause the screen door to slam shut behind me, causing me to flinch a little at the surprise it brought me.

I head around the opposite side of the pool to hit the button the closes the manual pool cover but on the way around the thin panelling my balance fails me. 

I try to grab onto something as I wobble around. Failing this, I create a loud splash as I fall into the freezing cold water.

Perfect. Now I'm soaking wet and cold.

I pull myself and my soggy clothes out. I head for the door to grab a towel but realise it has self locked behind me. 

I jerk the handle aggressively in hopes it will open but it doesn't. 

I can feel my heart beat quickening as I try to shake it open. As if my day couldn't get any worse.

I feel my breathing become heavier and harder. Not now. I silently beg. As I try to open the locked door I see how much my hands are trembling.

"Come on.." I mutter shakily to myself. 

I feel the awful hiccup sort of quick breaths coming and use one hand to cover my mouth trying to prevent it, I feel the tears wetting my cheeks.

I rummage through my bag until I find my phone. My fingers shake as I scroll through the numbers. A, B, C, D, E, F... G

I hit the call button on his name and listen to it ringing. 

It only takes three rings before he picks up. "Gray-" I cut myself of with a hiccup breath and just settle for his nickname instead of his whole name.

"Paris?" He asks worriedly. "I thi- think it's- happening ag- again." I struggle to speak with the uncontrollable breaths. 

"Where are you?" He asks immediately. "Our pool." I pant. "Just sit down and try to breath, i'll be there as soon as I can." He tells me. 

So I sit on the ground and hug myself into a ball as I wait. I try my hardest to keep my eyes squeezed shut.

It seems like hours before I hear the sound of footsteps and a gate opening followed by closer steps. I pry my eyes open and look to Grayson. He got here in 4 minutes.

"You came?" I cry. "You called."

He doesn't even question my dripping wet clothes and hair.

"Do me a favour and count up to ten with me?" He suggests. He sits down in front of me crossing his legs just like me. 

"One." We say together, my breathing shakes before I can even attempt the next number. 

"You've got this Paris." He encourages. "What if- I- don't" I hiccup.

He takes my hand and places it on his chest. I feel his heart beating normally. Just like the time on the Fourth of July. That feels like a lifetime ago, yet it was only a little over a month ago..

I keep my eyes glued to him and start counting again with him. I still feeling the beats of his heart, the rising and falling of his chest.

"One.. two.. three.." we count together. "Four.. five.. six.." My breathing catches in my throat and I have to stop for a second. "It's okay, just keep going." He encourages.

"Seven.. eight.. nine.." 

He smiles reassuringly now, "Ten." He speaks softly. 

It's slowly disappearing but it's still happening. 

"Okay now do you want to try this thing called 5 5 5? Take a big breath in for 5 seconds. Hold for five. And breath out for five." 

I nod. He does it with me until my heart beats normally again, until I'm breathing normally again.

"It just came out of nowhere." I admit as he hugs me close to him. "It can do that. It can be sparked by the mildest inconvenience if your stressed." He informs me.

"How do you know all this?" I ask him. "Used to get them pretty bad when I was younger. The Heir Apparent was a big role to be playing at 12." He sort of laughs. 

"I'm sorry. Do you still get them?" I ask.

"Sometimes. But not as bad or as often." He confesses.

"There's so much I keep learning about you." I grin. 

"I'm a man of many mysteries." Grayson shrugs jokingly. 

We are cut off by a loud obvious cough. At the door stands Hayden holding a glass of milk, "Am I interrupting something?" He raises a brow sceptically. 

"Yes, actually. Go drink your milk somewhere else." I stick my tongue out at him jokingly. He starts to walk away after flipping me off but I roll forward to catch the door so I'm not locked out again. 

"Come in Gray." I invite him. He doesn't try to argue and just walks inside. He wears bright orange board shorts and a tank top with a shark on it. 

"Your style has gone from rich old man to middle age soccer dad with 4 kids and two jobs." I laugh quietly, careful not to wake up any other residents of the house.

"If you think this is bad you should've seen the socks and flip flops I wore to lunch today." 

I have to hold a gasp. "That physically pains me to think about." I cringe.

Grayson agrees to sleep over for the night. He ends up teaching me different ways I can stop panic attacks on my own but reminds me I can always call him for his help.

(a/n. This is my second out of three uploads this week. That's so much for 60k reads on this story, it's honestly unbelievable. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me through this journey and been there since the days i uploaded once a month and everyone who waited for the 5 month slump to finally end back at the start and are still here. Much more in stock for this book and Paris. Also I'm excited to announce that I will be starting a Ravi Singh fanfiction so let me know if you'd be interested in that. Thanks for everything guys. <3)