Finding Delaware (State of Us #1)

by Bree Wiley

The closer we draw toward Gville, the worse my anxiety gets. It always starts in the pit of my stomach, squeezing my muscles until it spreads into my chest, shoulders, and neck. I can feel my back stiffening against the seat when we pull into town. My fingers itch to pull my anxiety meds out of my pocket, but I don’t. Not only because I don’t want to freak Logan out, but...well, I don’t want to freak him out. It’s not the same as it was before. Honestly, living in a place where I feel safe to be myself has done wonders for my mental health, but years of pretending and hiding growing up did their damage. ‘General Anxiety Disorder’ is what my psychiatrist calls it. Triggered by thoughts or feelings of helplessness. But I’m doing better. We found a great care plan and a fantastic therapist, and I’ve hardly had any anxiety attacks in the last year. Though, I also had the vastness of the ocean and a large city with plenty of space and freedom. Gville is small. Tiny. Claustrophobic.