The Lost Ones | TCR/ heyimbee AU

.chapter twenty-eight.

Chapter 28:
I stumbled my way over to the table with a running mind and overheated body.

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you off just then. I didn't mean to," Brayden placed his hand over mine in the middle of the table.

"What? No you didn't scare me, don't worry." I tried to sound as realistic as possible,"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" I looked around and started fanning myself by pulling my hoodie away from my sticky body.

I could feel the panic attack coming on but I couldn't let him know.

"So where were we?" I panted the words out like a quenched dog after a long run. Brayden didn't quite want to answer due to my sudden reactions but he did anyways.

"Just making small talk. How's school going? Are you understanding the material okay?" My adverted eyes were trying to be captured by his but I wouldn't let my guard down. Not for him, not for the person who put that there- not for anyone.

"Uh, I'm alright. It's uh hard but I'm so good." My sentences didn't make sense so I took a big sip of milk to try and conjure up a distraction to Brayden's conscience.

"How about you?" I finally looked back at him. Our waitress was walking over with two very piled plates as I smiled somewhat at her. I probably looked so pained.

"Um fine," he lowered his eyebrows at me. We both thanked the lady as she placed our plates down.

"Mhmm, looks good." My voice kind of cracked at the end. I am so bad at controlling my anxiety, the breathing techniques never work at the climax of these panic attacks. So I just have to be told that I'm alright and run away from my problems before it will stop.

I took a small fork load and put it into my mouth. The thought of my stomach churning whilst eating this food deterred me from the idea. Maybe if I just pushed it around my plate he wouldn't notice.

"Are you okay?" Brayden finally leaned in to ask quietly.

"Me?" I pretended, "Oh yeah I'm perfectly fine. Wow, these pancakes are delicious." I nibbled on the food. He just sat back and kept nodding along to everything I was saying.

By the end of our meal neither of us had talked much. Every now and then I'd hear him whispering the lyrics to the song playing on the radio. But other than that I was left to my own demonic thoughts and the demon itself eating away at my mind. I still can't figure out who it might be.

The waitress walked over holding one of those small, leather booklets with the bill tucked inside.

"Here I'll take that." Brayden held out his hand. Before I could cut him off she spoke up.

"Oh no, some nice person offered to pay it for you. They even gave me a nice tip." She laughed a high pitch laugh, "Here's the receipt and your mints, though." She placed it down.

Brayden and I both looked at one another dumb founded.

"Excuse me!" I called after her and jogged to catch up to her. She hummed as she turned to talk with me.

"Could you tell me who paid for it? Just because we might know them and want to repay them," I shakily laughed. She smiled knowingly at me.

"I was told not to tell." She rose her pinched fingers to cross her lips like a zipper,"Have a nice day." She looked between me and Brayden who'd walked up beside me. He held out my coat for me to put on which I did slowly.

"How nice." He smiled and lead me out the door. I only hummed in response and walked out to the wooded area with him. He pulled out his wand and flicked it into a broomstick again.