Page 79 of I See You

Sevyn tilted her head, studying him. "You’re still angry about last session," she observed, her tone softer now.

Xavier scoffed. "Nah, I just don’t like being disrespected. That nigga Hassan really thought he was ‘bout to run my session?" His lips curled in annoyance. "Who even is he to you?"

Sevyn froze for a second, caught off guard by the question. She had been asking herself the same thing all week.Who is Hassan to me?

She had no answer—at least, not one she was willing to say out loud.

Instead, she straightened up in her seat, brushing past the question. "He’s not important to this session, Xavier. You are," she said firmly. "Now, if you’re done pouting, we can actually talk about why you keep letting your anger control your life."

Xavier studied her for a beat, then exhaled sharply. "Man... I ain't tryna be that nigga forever," he admitted lowly. "But I swear, I don’t know how to turn that switch off."

Sevyn leaned forward slightly, catching the way his body finally relaxed, even if just a little. "Then that’s where we start," she said. "Not by ignoring it. Not by fighting it. But by understanding why it’s there."

For the first time that day, she felt a small sense of accomplishment. Maybe she didn’t have control over everything happening in her own life right now, but at least here, in this office, she could help someone else get back on track.

"I'mnotabouttosithereandpourmyheartoutlikesome damn sob story," Xavier muttered, arms crossed over his chest, his frustration barely contained.

Sevyn leaned back in her chair, unfazed. "Good. I don’t do sob stories."

His eyes snapped to hers, caught off guard. He had expected soft words, sympathy—maybe even a look of pity. Instead, she was calm, unaffected, her expression unreadable. He sized her up, waiting for a crack in her composure, but she didn’t flinch.

Finally, he exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "Shit gets to me too easy," he admitted, his jaw tightening.

Sevyn’s face remained stoic. "What kind of shit?" Her tone was calm, controlled, but she couldn’t ignore the exhaustion creeping into her bones. She was running on empty—mentally, emotionally—but she forced herself to stay professional, even as he lingered in the back of her mind. Hassan.

Xavier flexed his jaw, his fingers tapping restlessly against his knee. "Coach, media, teammates—they all got something to say. I drop one pass? Now I’m ‘unreliable.’ I react to some DB talking reckless? Now I’m ‘a problem in the locker room.’ I hate that shit."

Sevyn nodded, absorbing his words, jotting down notes, even though she already understood what was happening beneath the surface. "So when you feel disrespected or doubted, it triggers something."

His hard gaze snapped to hers, sharp, assessing. Testing. But Sevyn held her ground, unfazed by his intensity. She had been stared down by men far more dangerous than him. Men who carried a different kind of weight in their eyes.

Men like Hassan.

Her chest tightened, the thought of him slipping in uninvited.Get out of my head,she scolded herself, forcing her focus back to Xavier. "Triggers?"Xavierrepeated,hisvoicelacedwithskepticism,like the word itself was an insult. But there was something else there too— curiosity.

"Yeah," Sevyn said, her voice smooth, unwavering. "What happens in your body when you get pissed? You tense up? Your breathing change?"

Xavier’s gaze flickered, the wall he’d built around himselfstarting to crack. She caught the shift in his expression—hesitation, recognition.

"My whole body locks up. Feels like I gotta move or I’m gonna snap." His voice was quieter now, like he was admitting something he wasn’t sure he should.

Sevyn nodded, scribbling notes, but she already knew. She had seen this before. "That’s your fight response kicking in. Your body sees disrespect as a threat, and the only way you know how to deal with it is to react."

Xavier’s jaw clenched again. She could see the battle happening behind his eyes. He wanted to argue. Wanted to deny it.

“…That a bad thing?" His voice held the slightest edge of uncertainty now.

"Not if you control it," Sevyn said simply. "But right now? It’s controlling you."

He flexed his fingers, tension rippling through him. He didn’t like the thought of anything having control over him—she could see it plain as day.

JustlikeHassan.Therealizationhither,uninvited.The similarities were glaring—the way both men carried themselves, the way they bristled at the idea of not having control. She swallowed, shaking the thought away.Focus, Sevyn.Comparing clients was unethical, unprofessional. But the truth settled in her chest like a weight.

Hassan had been in her head all day. And he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

Sevyn watched the shift in Xavier’s body language—the way his shoulders loosened slightly, the way his smirk carried the weight of an unspoken truth. The session had taken an unexpected turn, and now she was even more intrigued.

"You ever met somebody that don’t take you serious?" Xavier asked suddenly, shaking his head with a dry chuckle.

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