Page 66 of The Weight Of It All
Reed barked out a laugh, and the tips of his ears turned pink. “Oh.” He readjusted himself and turned back to thefiling cabinet. He pulled out a file in particular and slid it across the table. “Open that.”
I doubted he’d be showing me anything I shouldn’t be seeing, so I turned the file around the right way. That was when I noticed the name on it.
Henry Beckett.
Me.
This was my file. I glanced up at Reed, and he smiled encouragingly. “Open it.”
With a nervous breath, I flipped the folder open and saw my photo and a bunch of numbers on a chart on the first page.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, that’s just what I write down after every session. It shows your progress.”
“Oh.”
“Come over here,” Reed said, picking up the folder and walking around the table to the mirror. “Stand in front of the mirror for me.”
I wasn’t comfortable doing this. At all. I didn’t like my reflection a great deal. But I did as he asked, even if I didn’t really look at myself.
“Look at this photo,” Reed said.
It was the picture he’d taken the first day I came here. It was the image of the man who had cried in front of the bathroom mirror because he didn’t like what he saw… I didn’t like the photograph either.
“Now look at yourself in the mirror.” He waited for me to do as he asked. “See the difference?”
And I could. I’d seen my reflection in the bathroom mirror every day for the last four weeks and never truly noticed a great difference. But here it was, right in front of me. My before photograph and me today.
The photo was me four weeks ago. I looked pale, exhausted, and sick, if I was being honest. Admittedly, ithadn’t been a good few days, but I was also a lot bigger than I remember being.
My reflection today had clearer skin, with a healthier glow. There were no black circles under my eyes, and there was less weight around the neck and jaw and less weight around my middle.
“See the difference, Henry?”
I nodded. I could see the difference. Like holy shit, I could see a visible difference in just four weeks. It wasn’t hugely drastic, but it was there. “Yeah.” I smiled. “I can.”
Reed beamed a smile at me. “Good. So next time you catch yourself in the mirror, please don’t frown.”
There was a knock at the door, then Emily stuck her head in. “Reed? Nadia’s here.”
“Yes, I’ll take the appointment, thanks. I’ll be out in a bit.” Reed took the file and slipped it back into the filing cabinet. He walked right up to me and put both hands on my shoulders. He leaned down and kissed me softly. “Can you be at my place in about an hour and a half? There’s something else I want to show you.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
He left to take his next client, and Emily smirked at him on the way out. When he was gone, she smiled at me. “Well, that went well.”
I bit my lip so I didn’t grin like a clown. “It did,” I said. Emily looked around then stepped inside and closed the door, leaving just her and I in the room. Oh crap. “Is this the ‘break his heart and I’ll break your face’ speech?” I asked, trying for jest, but I’m pretty sure she could smell my fear.
Emily laughed. “Not quite. I’m glad you two sorted it out. I want to see him happy, and I think he’s had a thing for you since your first day. You made him laugh, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen him smile like he does when he’s with you.” She studied her running shoes for a moment, then she looked rightat me. “Please don’t hurt him. His last boyfriend burned him pretty bad, and Reed might be a big strong guy, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get hurt.”
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t ever do that to him. I don’t exactly know yet what Reed and I have, and to be honest, I still can’t get my head around the fact he’s even slightly interested in me that way.”
Her lips twisted in a knowing smile. “He sees the person inside, Henry. And what you seem to think he should find attractive, isn't what he's after. He’s one of those rare types that’s attracted to things like honesty and humour.”
“Oh. Well, those I have in spades.”
“Believe it or not, he was worried about being good enough for you.”
