Page 11 of Don't Leave
“It’s going well.” With that, I launch into what had been discussed during my last session. “I took your advice and spokewith two of my professors about changing my courses for next semester and they gave me some great suggestions. I’m probably going to drop my history course for a sociology one instead. I’ve also made an appointment to speak with my academic advisor about the majors I’m interested in exploring.”
She nods approvingly. “That all sounds great. It seems like you’ve got everything under control. That must feel good.”
“It feels great.” A smile tugs at the edges of y lips.
“I’m sure the sociology class will help with your decision to pursue a career in psychology,” she adds. We’ve spent time discussing possible majors since I’m currently undecided. I’ve narrowed it down to psychology and education since math and science are two of my stronger subjects.
“That’s what I was thinking. Professor Mullens also mentioned a couple opportunities for me to assist her grad students with their experiments next semester.”
Her brows rise as she nods. “What a wonderful, not to mention valuable, experience.”
“Yeah,” I agree, “I’m really excited about it. I’d love the opportunity to help out with or even participate in something like that.”
“That all sounds amazing and if nothing else, you’ll get a better feel for that particular area of study.”
I beam. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“And classes are still going well? Are you feeling overwhelmed now that we’re two and a half months into the semester?”
I do a quick mental rundown of each class and the assignments coming due before shaking my head. “No, everything is going smoothly. There’s a lot of reading but I’m staying on top of it by doing a little each day and that helps to keep everything manageable. I still have A’s in all my classes.”
“Tackling small chucks at a time is a smart way of staying on top of your classes.” She takes a few quick notes. “Tell me how you’ve been doing otherwise. Any anxiety since we last spoke?”
I shake my head. Now that I don’t have to worry about Luke sabotaging me at Western, it feels like a massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Sitting down and discussing the past with him made me realize that he probably needed closure. Even though I’m glad we were able to do that, I’m worried this new relationship with Luke will cause problems with Cole.
“Have any other issues popped up?”
“No,” the whole Cole-Luke situation flits through my head, “not really.”
“Not really?” Her brows arch in question as she picks up on my hesitation. Have I mentioned that Dr. Thompson is really good at what she does?
“Well,” I nibble on my lower lip, silently debating whether or not to tell her about Luke, “there’s someone here who I knew from Dartmouth last year.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?” she asks.
We both know how much I’ve struggled with my failure and the fight it took to get back on track. It’s something I’m still working on. Any setback has the potential to send me spiraling back down the rabbit hole and I’ve worked too hard to allow that to happen.
“I don’t think so. We grabbed a coffee yesterday and talked about everything.”
Surprise flickers in her eyes. “How did that go?”
I blow out a steady breath our conversation replays through my brain. “Better than I could have expected it to go. When I realized who he was, it made me sick to my stomach that someone from my past could dredge up my mistakes and spread it around.” I fall silent before admitting, “Who could destroy the new life I’ve created for myself.”
Her dark eyes fill with both understanding and compassion. It’s one of the reasons I feel so comfortable talking with her. “Now that you’ve had a chance to sit down and face your fears, do you still think that will happen?”
“No, I don’t.” I think about the fear that had swamped me over the previous week. “The guy who is now here is the one who rescued me from that bedroom.”
If Dr. Thompson is surprised by what I’ve just revealed, she never allows it to show on her expression. “I see.”
“Yeah,” I agree with a small smile. “He wants to be friends.”
Her smooth brow furrows. “Are you comfortable with having a relationship with him?”
I take a few moments to turn the question over in my head before nodding. “Yeah, I am. After we began talking, I realized he wasn’t here to hurt me. He was genuinely concerned about how I was doing. Even though we don’t know each other, there’s a bond between us. I ended up telling him everything that transpired throughout the semester leading up to that night. As strange as it was, it felt good to talk about with him because,” I gulp in a breath, “he was there.”
With a nod of understanding, her expression turns thoughtful. “Striking up a friendship Being seems like it might be good for both of you.”
“I think he’s interested in being more than just friends.” As soon as the words escape from my mouth, I wish it were possible to suck them back in again. I don’t know why I mentioned that. It doesn’t matter what Luke wants.
