Headspace (Book 1) ✓

10. forever

Lyra was still shaking and I placed an arm around her back to let her know she wasn't alone. No more. She had fought enough, been through enough by herself but she didn't have to anymore because I was right here for her. Tracing my thumb over her cheek, I tried to lift her face from her legs. The breath she let out smelled of bile and I couldn't figure out what went wrong.

Still silent, she gestured towards her bag and I placed it on her feet while she scrambled through the contents to find something. Tearing open the wrapper, she placed a sour candy in her mouth and slowly began sucking on it, probably to avoid the nausea. I wondered why she had so many of them stored in her bag. Did that mean this happened to her often?

My hand on her head, I pulled her head closer till it was resting on my chest. A hand holding her together and another one wrapped around her cheek, I could feel the way her neck moved when she slowly sucked on the candy. Drawing circular patterns on her warm skin with my thumb, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"It's alright, Lyra." I reminded her. "You're not alone. I'm right here."

Breaking our contact, she lifted her head to look at me. Though she didn't utter a word, her eyes asked a million questions at first and I couldn't decide which ones to answer first. She looked so helpless and lost but when a huge tear flowed from her eye, I couldn't hold it any longer.

Wrapping my arms around her, I kept hushing her till she didn't hesitate anymore and leaned in to my touch. Once she found comfort in my eyes, she started letting it all go, crying and pouring her eyes out on my shirt. I patiently held her till her sobs turned into mere gasps for air and ran my fingers through her black, silky hair to calm her frantic nerves.

After what seemed like years, she finally pulled apart and barely whispered. "D- Diego?"

"I'm right here, sweetheart." I helped her stand up on her feet, not ignoring the fact that she looked really weak. I was about to suggest she eat something but my brain caught up, reminding me what caused all of this in the first place.

When she was about to utter a thank you, her gaze fell on the mirror and all of a sudden, her eyes widened at her reflection. As if she saw a ghost, as if her reflection haunted her. Pushing me away, she rushed to the sink to retch out whatever was left in her system.

Honestly, I was so confused and overwhelmed that I just stood there and watched her as she kept on puking, crying, gargling, washing her hands and repeating. Many times, over and over again. I wished I would have been more in control of my own emotions. I wish I could have held her hair and rubbed her back to remind her she was going to be fine. I wish I wasn't such an idiot whose brain stopped working when I needed it most.

Outside the washroom, I heard another bell ring, which meant we had been in the bathroom for about 45 minutes now. Once she was done puking, I gave her a bottle of water and she slowly sipped, afraid she would puke it out too.

I had never seen her so broken, so disgusted. Lyra was always the confident girl who wore smiles and brought happiness along wherever she went. Who was this girl I was meeting for the first time?

"Lyra? It's okay." When she shook her head with a frown, I hugged her again. But this time, I made sure she was not facing the mirror. Rather I was. And in that moment, when I glared at the mirror on the wall that made my Lyra go through so much already, I could actually make out the fact that Lyra and I were so close. I would just have to tilt a bit and she'd just have to stand up on her toes and we'd be kissing. Though now wasn't the time to think about this at all.

I was immediately pulled out of my sweet, imaginary trance when she spoke, her voice barely audible. "I'm not pretty, am I?"

"What?" I nearly spat out. Thinking about it, Lyra was extremely beautiful. With her long black hair, pale skin, grey eyes and the purest heart ever. "That's so not true."