Alexa and Katie in the Future (Part 1)

Chapter Four - Katie

I thought that maybe I didn't hear him right.

"Marry?" I asked.

"Yes. We've been dating for a year and a half now and she's made me the happiest man alive."

I thought of the arguments that my parents had had when they were married. I loved my parents, and I hated seeing them unhappy. I didn't want to see my mom unhappy again. Joe was great, but there was no way for me to know if he'd be a good husband to my mom.

"Joe... I, um." I couldn't finish what I wanted to say because I was having a panic attack. My throat felt like it was closing and I was having trouble breathing.

Count backward from 100, Katie

I wiggled my fingers and toes, hoping something would work. My mom and Jack were still looking at the Tisch building, so Joe tried to help me calm down while he called my mom telling her what was going on.

I couldn't tell when my mom and Jack showed up because I was sitting on the ground trying to focus on my breathing. I hadn't had a panic attack since that time at Wired with Aiden. I wished Aiden was there. He never failed to make me feel better. I dreamed of him whisking me away in his arms and carrying me to a magical land.

Thinking about Aiden helped me to relax and when I opened my eyes, I was fine. My mom was standing over me, fanning my face with her map of campus and Jack was pacing nervously. Joe was holding my back up so I wouldn't fall and hit my head.

It was this moment that I knew Joe would be good enough for my mom. He cared not only about her, but about her kids. That really meant something and I decided that he would make my mom a happier person if they were married.

My mom was so worried about my attack that she made everyone hurry back to my dorm. She wanted to make sure I got some rest.

When we got back, there was still no sign of my roommate. I was a bit woozy and my mom got my bed ready so I could easily slip in. Joe grabbed me an extra blanket and plugged my phone in which apparently I had dropped during my panic attack.

"Do you want me to stay the night with you, honey?" my mom asked. "Joe and Jack can go back to the hotel and I can sleep in the extra bed since your roommate hasn't come yet."

"No, it's okay, Mom. I'll be fine. You guys should just go and get some sleep. I'm going to relax for a little and then I'll go to sleep."

"Okay, sweetie. We'll be back to say bye in the morning. Your classes start on Wednesday, right?" my mom confirmed.

"Yup," I replied.

"Alright, kiddo. We'll see you in the morning," Joe waved.

"Bye, Katie," Jack said.

It was around 10:00 when I decided to get ready for bed. I got in my pajamas, put my hair up in a messy bun, and I wiped all of my makeup off.

I was just about to fall asleep, when my phone started buzzing.