Page 47 of Don't Leave
And I definitely shouldn’t feel awareness prickling at the bottom of my belly.
“Is everything okay, Cassidy?”
Surprised by the question, I say, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Why do you ask?”
For a long moment, he watches me. It’s almost as if he’s silently combing through all my thoughts and emotions.
It’s a disconcerting sensation and yet…
I don’t know.
For some unknown reason, one I don’t have a grasp on—or maybe I do, maybe it all stems to what happened last year—I feel like I can talk to Luke. Like I can drop all the pretenses and be honest with him. There aren’t many people I feel that way with.
My teeth sink into my lower lip as indecision floods through me. It would feel so good to talk to someone about everything that’s going on in my life. It’s not like I can pop into Dr. Thompson’s office. I never realized how much I’d come to depend on her until I started to avoid the counseling center. I miss her objective opinions and thought-provoking questions.
I’ve spent the last ten and a half months working with a therapist. This is the first time I haven’t had someone to sit down and unload on. I could always talk with Brooklyn, but she has her own issues she’s trying to navigate through. The last thing she needs is to get mired down in my drama.
“It seems like there’s something on your mind.” He gives me a half-smile before adding, “We’re friends, right?” He waits for me to signal my agreement before continuing. “If you need helpwith something, I’ve got a strong shoulder to lean on. You can always talk to me.”
His words crash around inside my head before my muscles gradually loosen. He’s right. Wearefriends.
I suck in a breath before deciding that I can’t keep all this too myself. It feels like I’m going to explode. Once I turn on the spigot, the floodgates open and everything comes pouring out in a torrent.
After I’ve told him the story, my shoulders slump as his dark blond brows shoot up across his forehead and he releases a low whistle.
I can’t help but wince.
Apparently this situationisjust as bad as I suspected it was.
Perfect.
“And you haven’t told Cole yet?”
I shake my head.
“Yikes.”
When a smile trembles around the corners of his lips, I’m crumple up a piece of notebook paper and throw it at him. For a moment, he looks stunned as the wadded-up ball of paper hits him square in the chest before he bursts out laughing. A few of the students working close by glare in our direction.
As my attention returns to him, he stifles his laughter before angling his body forward and resting his elbows on the table. “Sorry. That is a completely serious and jacked up problem. Please continue.”
I narrow my eyes and continue to scowl. He isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know. Had I realized he would find humor in this situation, I wouldn’t have bothered to share it with him. “Just so you know, I’m two seconds away from packing up and leaving.”
His expression becomes serious. “All right. The obvious answer is that you need to tell Cole. Honestly, it’s not that big of a deal.”
How can he say that?
It feels massive.
I glance away before admitting, “I’ve told her intimate details about our relationship.”
His brows slide upward, but this time, he’s smart enough not to chuckle. Or he’d find himself alone.
“The way I see it, whether you told her about what you guys do, she probably would have suspected it anyway. I mean, come on, you’re in college. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
Hope fills me. “You really think so?”
“I do.” He leans even closer before adding, “You went through a difficult time last year and Cole accepts that. Whether he realizes it or not, you’ve had a lot of shit to work out in your head. And you were seeing her before you even met or got involved with him. Her being your therapist doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things. You just need to get it all out in the open and then, I promise, you’ll feel better.”
