Wednesday Briefs - Cyan Chapter 11

Wednesday rolls around so fast. It seems like only yesterday I was writing my pretty little Cyan, and here I am again, getting him into even more trouble - although I guess Robin's the one in trouble this week. You can probably guess how from the prompt I chose

Robin was entirely numb. His mind raced so fast it got nowhere. It wouldn’t have been that difficult for Gillian to find the article. She’d been there when Cyan told them he’d been badly hurt at his last school, and it was just like her to have checked it out. What he really couldn’t comprehend was why she would have publicised it now, like this. It was inestimably cruel, even by her standards.

Of course, she would deny it, and there was no way he could prove it was her, but he knew with a sick certainty that overshadowed everything, except his own horror and fear at what this was going to do to Cyan.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t register someone gently removing the paper from his fingers. He didn’t 

register anything until his name was called in a short, sharp cry.

Robin came back to himself, to find Cyan on his knees. The paper was on the floor, fallen from his limp hand.

“He just went down,” Alex said. “I couldn’t stop him. I thought he’d passed out.”

“Cyan?” Robin ignored Alex and dropped down next to his friend. Cyan was staring at the ground, his eyes wide and fixed. He barely seemed to be breathing. Knowing what he did about Cyan’s anxiety attacks, this spooky silence was scary.

“Cyan, are you okay? Stupid question. Of course you’re not. It’s going to be okay. People know you now. They like you. This won’t make any difference. Well, yes it will. For a while. You know what kids are like. They’ll throw it in your face for a while, but it won’t last. It will all blow over soon, and there are a lot of them out there – a LOT – who will be sympathetic, not mean. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

There was no response whatever from Cyan and Robin glanced up at Alex. “Get someone,” he said.

“Will you be alright in here on your own?”

“Have to be. Just go.”

Alex nodded once, and disappeared.

“Cyan?”

Robin tentatively touched Cyan’s shoulder. When there was no response, he tilted Cyan’s chin up, trying to meet his eyes, but Cyan seemed to be far away, his eyes glassy and his expression blank.

“Come on, mate. You’re stronger than this. You can ride it. I know you can. I’ve seen how strong you are. You stood up to those bullies. It was me who made you have the anxiety attack. I guess because you thought I’d betrayed you. That you’d be alone. But I didn’t. And I won’t. You’re not alone Cyan. Not this time.”

Still there was no response.

“In the article, it said you had no friends, not really, at least none that stood by you. They called you ‘isolated’. But you’re not anymore, not here. You have lots of friends. Okay, they’re mostly my friends, but they like you, too. They’ll all still be there for you. Well, most of them.”

There was no indication Cyan had even heard him.

Robin cast about for something to say that would get through to Cyan. He got nothing. He wasn’t the best in situations like this. It was Gillian who always had something to say, and she was the last person he was going to approach this time.

Wracking his brain, Robin prayed someone would some, but the door remained frustratingly closed.

Eventually, remembering that physical contact could sometimes be more comforting than words, and completely forgetting how Cyan felt about being touched, he shuffled closer, and put his arms around Cyan. Cyan remained stiff in his arms.

“It’s okay,” Robin said. “I’ve got you.”

Seconds ticked by, and Cyan remained stiff, then his arms slowly rose and wrapped around Robin, and his head fell heavy on Robin’s shoulder.

“I’m scared,” Cyan whispered. “My life is over. I may as well be dead. I wish I had died. I’ve always wished I’d died, right from the start, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Robin said, the words coming out sharper than he’d intended. “You’re life’s not over. 

It’s just stared. I’ve only just started getting to know you and I already know that my life would be…empty if you weren’t in it. I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

After a few more seconds, Cyan drew back and stared at Robin. “Why?” he said.

“Because I like you. You’re my friend and I—“

“Friend?” There was a very strange tone to Cyan’s voice and Robin had no idea how to read it. Was Cyan pleased or not that they were friends.

“That’s good isn’t it? That you have a friend. You almost sound as if you don’t want me to be your friend.”

Cyan was silent, searching his eyes and Robin stopped breathing. It was the most intense moment of his life and something about it scared him. He had no idea what was going on but suddenly warmth flooded him and all the places he was touching Cyan tingled.

“I don’t know,” Cyan whispered, and Robin was suddenly very aware of how plump and red his lips were. Had he been biting them? Surely lips aren’t really that red? Not without lipstick on. Did he have lipstick on? Of course not he—

“You’re touching me.” Cyan’s lips wrapped around the words, and for a moment they didn’t register in Robin’s head at all.

“Oh Sorry.”

When he went to pull back Cyan stopped him. “I like it,” he said.

“You do?”

Cyan nodded and his beautiful lips twitched up at the corners. The tip of a pink tongue appeared and moisture glistened over the surface, making Cyan’s lips seem even more inviting. Inviting? Inviting what?

“Robin,” Cyan whispered moving closer. “Can I—?”

And that's it for this week. Will he or won't he :)

Now go check out the rest of the flashers. There are some really good ones this week

Wednesday Briefs

M A Church
Chris T Kat
Jon Keys
Jim Dunaway
Cia Nordwell
J C Wallace
Sarah Hayes
Avery
Ravon Silvius
Johayan
Tali Spencer
Kazy Reed
Julie Lynne Hayes