A random scene written using the characters of I Never Said "I Do"

The air sticks in my lungs like glue, crawling up my throat and glazing my chest in its crippling grasp. My heart beats through my skull like a resounding drum as the fear clouds around me and hangs in the air as if it were a thunder cloud about to burst. The words scroll past my vision and his face shimmers in my mind's eye, sending an icy chill down my spine. I bend, slumping under the weight of the world crashing down on my shoulders and smacking into me with all the power and rage of a wrecking ball. 

"Kayci?" I yelp in surprise, hands fisting in my lap and head snapping toward the owner of the voice. "Are you okay?" Rhiannon pushes, lowering herself to my level and tilting her head inquisitively. I sigh and cover my face with my hands, breathing in a sharp gasp of oxygen. 

"Yeah, I mean, well no. But it's fine." I shrug and offer her a comforting smile but Rhiannon scoffs and plops herself down beside me on the cold linoleum floor. 

"Mhm, talk to me." She prompts, a ready and waiting expression filling her features and soothing my frazzled nerves. I bite my lip and shake my head, playing absent-mindedly with the silver bracelet dangling from my wrist. 

"It's Hayden, he's being... pushy. About Damien. But really what right does he have, you know? He's been absent from my life for three years and I'm with Damien now, I'm happy. What makes him think he has any right to tell me what to do?" I sputter, feeling my lungs clenching in a panic. Rhiannon sighs and offers a somber smile. 

"Maybe he's just worried." I scoff and roll my eyes. 

"Yeah, maybe he was at first. But now he won't stop, he won't back off, and he won't leave me alone; it feels like I'm drowning. Just like with him, its making me feel just like Caleb used to make me feel. Trapped." Rhiannon pinches her lips tightly together and pats my shoulder. 

"Hayden is nothing like Caleb and you know it; he'd never hit you or make you believe awful lies." She argues but her words hardly register within my unnerved state. 

"I know, I know. But I remember how it felt with Caleb. I remember the tension in my chest and the dark cloud that used to follow me wherever I went. I remember feeling just like this; drowning with no hope of reaching the surface. No matter how hard I tried to calm him down or please him. I can't do it again. I won't. I wish I'd never come back here Ri, I wish I'd never spoken to Hayden again." 

"Kayci, it's okay, I promise." 

"No! It's not, it's not okay! He needs to stop! Pursuing Damien is my decision! He makes me happy and I know what our relationship is! I know it's not technically normal but what's really considered normal anyways?" 

"I don't care if Hayden doesn't approve. No one said he had to, but respecting my choice is another matter and he can't find it within himself to do that. All he can do is push, judge, and force his will. I won't let another guy walk on me like that! I won't! I can't. Why is this happening?" I whine, finally allowing the tears pressing behind my eyes to spill over. Rhiannon deflates and wraps me up in a hug, her seemingly frail embrace surprisingly strong. 

"I was happy, Ri. It felt good, everything did. Damien and me. Hayden as my friend. Feeling like I had someone to depend on. Why did he have to hurt me? He said he wouldn't." 

"I know, I'm sorry. I wish I could help you somehow." 

"Me too." I agree and sniffle, pulling back from her hold. "But you can't and I won't put you in the middle anymore. You don't deserve that. I just need him to let me breathe, to stop hovering over me like a hawk stalking its prey. I need him to let me be, as I am. Because I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing." 

"I know, you deserve to be you. He doesn't have any say in who you get to be or who you choose to be you with. Are you sure you don't want me to talk to him?" Rhiannon inquires, her face full of worry and willingness. 

"Yes, I'm sure. Neither one of us have gotten through to him so far, nothing else you do will change anything. It just has to sizzle out, kind of like a flame. Hopefully this will be over soon." Rhiannon nods and I sigh. 

"What does Damien say about all this?" 

"He's fine, he knows how I feel about him. He knows what I want and he's not concerned about what others think. Hayden's actions have no effect on him, even when Hayden blatantly avoids him. Damien's good about it." I explain, feeling my lips tugging into a joyous smile. Rhiannon smiles too, her grin only adding to my rising spirits. 

"Then don't let this pull you down. You were direct and he ignored you. Now it's up to Hayden to step back and let it all go." 

"But what if he doesn't?" I wonder worriedly. 

"Then we take it step by step, together."