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“Do you mind telling us? All I saw was you fainting, and I barely caught your head before it hit the ground,” I say, catching her attention.
“I had an anxiety attack,” she explains, confirming Scarlette’s suspicion.
“When’s the last time you’ve eaten anything?” the paramedic asks.
“Yesterday noon. Gillian didn’t give me a break today,” she admits, but only in a whisper to make sure the paramedic and I are the only ones who can hear her.
And, suddenly, I’m feeling very murderous.
“Did you drink anything today?” he goes on, but she shakes her head. “Alright, Ms. Fuchs, you are dehydrated and probably have very low blood sugar. I’m going to need you to eat and drink something unless you’d prefer to come to the hospital,” the paramedic says. She shakes her head again.
“I’ll drink more,” she replies, and it seems to satisfy the paramedic enough to leave us.
“Nevaeh,” I start, but she sits up and lets out a small groan.
“I have to go,” she says, but I close the distance between us to place a hand on her shoulder and keep her sitting.
“I’m getting you something to eat and some water. Call your boss, tell him what happened. He should have made sure you got a break for lunch, and the fact that he didn’t is unacceptable. Tell him to get his ass here before I get him fired for violating labor laws,” I say, making her lips part in surprise.
Nevaeh hasn’t seen this side of me yet. The side where I’m ready to tear down everyone who hurt the people I care about.
Yes, you caught me.
I like Nevaeh.
And now that she’s wiggled her way into my stone-cold heart, I’m not letting her go again. Above everything, my attraction for her and complicated feelings, she’s my friend. I’ve grown inexplicably fond of Nevaeh over the past five weeks. Hell, over the last five months. She’s just so…wonderful. There is no other word my mind comes up with except wonderful. In every way. She’s funny, sweet, kind, yet passionate, doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind, and has a fire so bright, I really want to play with it. Yes, even if it means I’ll get burned. I don’t care.
What’s a little pain when the pleasure of her company has me addicted to the way I feel when I’m with her?
“It’ll be alright, Adrian. I need to get back to work,” she says once I return with some water, electrolytes, and an energy bar as well as a bagel.
“Nevaeh, I don’t boss women around. It’s not who I am, so I’m very sorry about this,” I start and lower my face until we’re mere centimeters apart. Unable to control myself and needing some contact, I grab her chin between my thumb and index finger and tilt it up so she’s looking directly at me. “Sit, eat, and let me take care of you until you feel better. That’s not up for debate. Okay?” Her eyes drop to my lips, studying my mouth as I speak before she brings her gaze back to my eyes.
“Okay,” she mumbles.
I release her and hand her the water, waiting for her to drain half the bottle before handing her the electrolytes. The softest, sweetest laugh escapes her lips before she takes a few small sips of that, too.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” I start, squatting down next to the couch again while I watch her dig into the bagel.
Nevaeh nods several times as if she’s thinking about my question and somehow knows what I’m about to ask.
“You want to know how long I’ve had anxiety, don’t you?” She lowers her bagel to look down at me.
“No. I want to know if your employer and boss know that you have it and that treating you this way can trigger an anxiety attack strong enough to knock you out,” I clarify, which seems to surprise her a little.
“No, they don’t know,” she admits, looking away from my face as she takes a deep breath. “Do you know how people look at you when they find out you have a mental illness like anxiety, depression, ADHD, or any of the other ones? They look at you like you’re not a human being. They view you as incapable, less than. I’m a woman trying to make it in a male-dominated field. If they find out I have anxiety?Pfft, they’d send me packing the first chance they got.”
She pauses to shift her eyes back to my face, a sad smile playing on her lips.
“I’m not ashamed to have anxiety, but I will not give anyone who I don’t trust the knowledge of it so they can use it as a weapon against me. It’s happened in the past, and I won’t let it happen again,” she explains, taking another bite of her bagel. As soon as she lowers it, I grab one of her hands and place it in both of mine.
“I won’t tell anyone. You have my word,” I promise, squeezing her hand where it rests in both of mine.
“I trust you, Adrian.” My heart practically expands in my chest at those words. Trust is a big thing for me, and knowing Nevaeh trusts me? Well, let’s just say I’m one lucky man.
“When you’re ready, will you tell me more about it?” I ask, and she flashes me a genuine smile.
“I’d love to.”She’d love to.
