Page 72 of Don't Leave
Unable to hold her steady gaze, mine slices away because we both realize that wasn’t going to happen.
“It just felt too weird,” I admit.
“Cassidy…” She takes a deep breath but doesn’t say another word until I glance back at her. “I realize that discovering your boyfriend’s mother is also your therapist must have been a surprise.”
That absurd statement is met with a gurgle of laughter that sounds as if it’s being strangled from me.
“For obvious reasons, if you decide to come back for counseling, I wouldn’t be able to treat you.”
Oh, the horror.
I can’t even imagine it.
“No, probably not,” I add weakly.
She clears her throat. “It would be a conflict of interest.”
To say the least.
“But I want you to know that if you’re still interested in receiving counseling services, there are two other therapists who work in the office. Either one would be an excellent fit for you. Or, if you’d prefer to go off campus, I can give you a referral. It’s up to you.” She reaches out, laying her hand over mine before giving it a gentle squeeze. “My chief concern is making sure you have the support and assistance you need to be successful at Western.” There’s a pause before she adds softly, “I’ve been worried about you.”
The sincerity of her tone confuses me but then again, maybe it shouldn’t. Dr. Thompson has always been kind, thoughtful, and caring.
My mind tumbles back over the past couple of weeks. My breakup with Cole has been difficult. Even though it was touch and go for a while, I managed to handle it on my own. And that feels pretty good. Maybe I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was actually able to apply a lot of the tools and coping mechanisms I learned in counseling to the issues I was having.
It’s the reason for learning them in the first place.
Huh.
How’s that for an ah-ha moment?
“You know what?” A hint of a smile plays around the edges of my lips. “I think I’m good.”
The fact that I’ve learned how to deal with my own problems instead of needing someone to hold my hand feels like a breakthrough.
One I can’t help but take pride in.
“Have there been any anxiety attacks?”
The slight smile tilting my lips upward grows as I shake my head. “Nope. None. My chest has tightened up a couple of times, but I was able to breathe through it. And I do a lot of self-checks to assess how I’m feeling. When I need to talk things out, I have a few friends to do that with.”
And that’s new as well.
Not seeing Dr. Thompson has been difficult but it’s nice to know I can handle life on my own again. It’s a huge step in the right direction, which is kind of an amazing realization considering that these past two weeks have totally sucked.
Although, without them sucking, I wouldn’t have realized just how much I’d grown.
She nods, genuine pleasure lighting up her face. “It seems like you have everything under control. I’m proud of you, Cassidy.”
My gaze holds hers and for the first time since she sat down, some of the tension leaks from my muscles. It feels a little like it used to between us, which is nice.
That’s the moment I remember that I was sleeping with her son.
“Cassidy,” she says, interrupting the freight train of thoughts steamrolling through my head, “it’s all right.”
I shift on the bench as heat floods my cheeks. “What do you mean?”
“Your relationship with my son has nothing to do with me. It’s two separate situations and although I can’t work with you professionally as a therapist, I want you to know that I have no issues with you seeing Cole.”
