The Butterfly Effect

𝖝𝖎𝖛 | 𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔬𝔫𝔢: 𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫

And it wasn't 2017 anymore.

"Hi Nathan!" A fan yelled.

A faint smile graced Nathan's lips as he offered a wave to the fan, but his eyes betrayed a mix of emotions as he hastily darted into the sanctuary of the tour bus.

"Is he alright?" The fan asked Zaire.

"I don't know, but we have to leave soon, so good night, guys," Zaire blew a kiss and rushed after Nathan.

"What happened to him?" Kian questioned as he climbed out of his bunk.

"We'll explain later, but right now, we have to help Nathan," Javier said.

"What is going on?" Andrew and Beth simultaneously asked.

Nathan's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor, his sweaty hands fumbling to remove his outer layer of clothing. His breath hitched in his throat, and a loud gasp escaped his lips, only to be followed by rapid, shallow breaths as panic engulfed him.

His gaze darted around, meeting concerned faces encircling him, while his trembling hand reached up to brush away the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "Don't touch me," he warned, holding a beer bottle in front of him.

"Nathan, please calm down," Andrew said.

"Andrew! He's having an anxiety attack. The last thing he needs is you telling him to calm down." Beth chastised the older man. "Everybody back up," Beth said, taking the beer bottle from his hands. "How can we help you, Nathan?"

"Water... I need water." He panted as if he had just eaten the world's hottest hot sauce.

Jordan returned with a cup of water and handed it to his friend. Nathan gulped down the water and threw it onto the chair.

"Nathan, look at me," Beth said. "Open your eyes." He slowly opened his eyes one by one. "You're going to do this exercise with me, okay?" She said and turned towards the others. "Can you guys wait out there for a minute? It's not good to surround him."

The others respectfully filed out of the space, leaving Beth alone with Nathan to guide him through the grounding breathing exercises.

"Breathe in for five seconds," she instructed, and Nathan pushed her away. "Nathan, you have to do it,"

"Elizabeth, back the fuck up." Nathan snarled. "I'm being so deadass."

"Nathan, you are okay. This process will be a lot easier if you listen to me. Do you remember square breathing?"

Nathan nodded and did the breathing exercises accordingly.

He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the chaos in his mind and concentrate on the sensation of his breath. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Slowly, he felt his heart rate begin to steady, but the remnants of panic still lingered in the corners of his mind.

"Do you want to talk about what just happened?" Beth asked.

With his heart finally slowing to a more regular rhythm, Nathan wiped away the tears that had pooled in his eyes. He pulled his knees close to his chest, feeling slightly exposed and weak. "May I speak to Jordan, please?"

"Of course." Beth smiled and rose from her feet.

Jordan walked in seconds later and took the same position as Nathan. Since Jordan was Nathan's friend for so long, he already knew that after these types of things. He needed peace and quiet for a couple of minutes.

Jordan knowingly nodded when he heard the sounds of Nathan's weeping.

"Something about seeing her still triggers me." He admitted. "Especially when he's with her." As the vision continued to haunt him, he squeezed his eyes shut. "And she looked so... so..." He cut himself off with another sob.