Breathless Novels & Stories

The gasps coming from me sounded horrible and fear made me panic harder, and panicking made it harder to breathe. Strong arms encircled me and held my shoulder, a distant voice speaking very calmly and instructing me to inhale. I was still gasping, my fingers white from fisting too hard while a soothing hand landed on my chest, and I could hear the word, “Breathe.” Being repeated rhythmically and in what felt like hours, cool, fresh air rushed into my lungs and my gasping ceased.

His breath came out slow. "I fear my hope is fleeting."

Not trembling like mine. For a fraction of a second, I hesitate. This is the point of no return. Then I place my hand in his. His fingers close around mine. Warm. Firm. Grounding. The contact sends a strange calm through me. He leans slightly closer. From the outside, it probably looks romantic. Intimate. Perfect. But only I hear the quiet murmur meant just for me. “Breathe.” Two syllables. Low. Controlled. My lungs finally obey. I hadn’t realised I’d been holding my breath.

She was hyperventilating. "Breathe, Bella." She couldn't seem to pass air into her lungs. She grabbed her throat. She was choking. On what?! Her body tingled crazily, her hair follicles throbbed and her feet felt like lead. She couldn't breathe, but she felt alive. And that scared the pee out of her. Her eyes darted up to his, silently begging for help. His forehead dropped to hers, "Baby, breathe." He whispered again. Her eyes flared, 'I don't know how!', she would have yelled out if she could. He smiled,

The images cling to the corners of my vision refusing to fade. The air feels thick, pressing down on me, choking me as if it wasn’t quite real, hands trembling uncontrollably. “Breathe Tish, inhale, hold exhale.” I hear Kim’s gentle voice guiding me. My breaths come shallow, jagged at first, like I am learning to breathe again slowly. I loosen my grip on the mattress, willing my pulse to slow down. Eyes closed, I breathe in the faint scent of rain filtering through the small cracked window, mixing with the stale air of the room. “Breathe in and out.”

Breathing. But no longer broken

Being near him during the heat is a nightmare. It surprises me that I’m still standing at all, even after minutes of heat clawing through me and breathing in his scent. “No.” My voice cracks as I stumble back, shaking my head. “No, I don’t need you. I’ll manage. I’ll—” “You’ll collapse,” he cuts in, tone sharp, matter-of-fact. “Your body’s already giving in. How long do you think you can hold on?” My knees threaten to buckle. He’s right, damn it. I can barely breathe—every inhale is a fight. My skin burns, my vision swims, and my body screams for something I refuse to give.

I can't breathe again. I try not to let Adrielle see this, or she'll have to worry about both of us. I clench my hands tightly, as if that will control my anxiety and trembling, but it doesn't. My fingers seem to have a will of their own and won't stop trembling, as do my lips. I try to take a deep breath to get air, but it doesn't happen. My vision is blurry and starting to darken. Everything around me is deafeningly silent, and I can no longer focus my attention on anything. I turn to leave the room hurriedly for some fresh air. I take quick, steady steps down the hallway, trying to get out of there as quickly as possible, but the hallway seems to stretch even further, getting longer and f

I couldn't breathe. "Slow down," I forced out. My voice trembled as I spoke but he ignored me. He didn’t respond. "Adam," I tried again, louder this time, but it came out shaky. "Slow the damn car down!" The panic was clawing at my throat, making it harder to breathe. My chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths. A familiar tightness wrapped around my lungs, squeezing mercilessly. I was spiraling. My fingers shot out, gripping the edge of the dashboard. "I can’t…" I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut. "I can’t breathe…"

No one can. I am thrashing, fighting for my life, but nothing is working. Where is everyone? I'm dying and this is the end for me. Bubbles coming out of my mouth and I can't do anything to save myself. I'm losing oxygen. "Victoria!" I hear a light voice. My shoulders start shaking. "Victoria!" It's getting louder. "VICTORIA!" It's so loud. My eyes shoot open and let out a loud gasp, I want to sit up but something is holding me down.