Page 74 of Even in the Dark

Dylan:I think… Yeah, I think maybe it’s different with her.

Dr. Morley:Alright. How so?

Dylan:A few days ago, she asked me about my comics. You know how I’m into comics?

Dr. Morley:I didn’t know that, no.

Dylan:Yeah. And she’s totally not the kind of girl who’s into comics. Furthest thing from it. But then she goes and asks if she can read one. And she does. In my room.

Dr. Morley:So you two read comics together in your room?

Dylan:You make it sound dirty. We were literally just reading.

Dr. Morley:Sorry, no. I got that.

Dylan:I told her she was going to hate it. And I could tellsheknew she was going to hate it. So why the fuck would she read it, then? Not just one—a couple of them… But then she gets into it. Like she’s really hooked. But that’s exactly what she’d do if she’s smart, right? That’s exactly how a woman would lay a trap for a guy like me. Fuck! I just totally let myself get sucked in.

Dr. Morley:So explain to me why you think she would be making this up. Why would she pretend to like these comics if she doesn’t, really?

Dylan:You think I know how her mind works? I don’t! That’s the problem. I have no idea how this girl works. I thought I did. I thought she was just your basic two-faced liar. But I know now she’s not. I know that much. I just…Fuck.I just don’t like being played. I hate being played, man.I hate it.

Dr. Morley:Okay, look. I don’t know this girl. And I sure as heck can’t pretend to understand how a woman’s mind works. I’ve been married twenty-one years and I still haven’t figured it out. But there are a couple of angles I think we can look at that might help in a situation like this.

Dylan:Okay…

Dr. Morley:First, does this girl—does Scarlett try to push you into anything physically when you’ve made it clear you’reuncomfortable? Do you feel ‘pushed’ in any way around her?

Dylan:Like, to fool around?

Dr. Morley:Sure. Yes… Or even to just hold hands or… whatever. Anything like that.

Dylan:[No response]

Dr. Morley:You just thinking?

Dylan:Yeah… I mean. This thing happened earlier tonight. But it’s…Shit,man—I don’t even know.

Dr. Morley:Okay. Take your time.

Dylan:You’re talking like a shrink again.

Dr. Morley:Sorry. Hazard of the trade.

Dylan:So she came over tonight. It was… okay. It was weird. But okay, I guess. Then she just… This is gonna sound like I’m messed in the head—because it’s nothing. It’s not anything.

Dr. Morley:Who cares how it sounds? No one on the line but me, Dylan.

Dylan:Yeah. So, she… she came and lay on the bed.

Dr. Morley:Okay… And you weren’t expecting that.

Dylan:Not sure. Wasn’t really thinking. But… it was just—it freaked me out. That stuff just… because of the things Eli always said. Because of… Fuck.Shit.Forget it. [Thumping noise]

Dr. Morley:Dylan? Can you listen to me for a minute?

Dylan:[No response]

Dr. Morley:Dylan. Are you there?

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