Page 37 of Wildly Yours
Serena waves and parks next to me. When she steps out, I feel my breath catch. She's water for my parched throat.
Her hair is braided down her back, and she's wearing a light dress that looks like it was made explicitly for her. She's all I can see as I walk to meet her. Seeing her calms my racing mind, even if just for the moment. I know what's facing us when we step inside.
"Good to see you're off the crutches already."
"I'm still a little sore, but I think your attention helped things along."
Her smile is as bright as the first sunflowers of summer.
"You ready for this, Cody?"
My hands are shoved in my pockets to hide the twitchy energy that seems to be shooting out of them. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay. Let's check in."
I follow her through the front door and down a short hallway to another door that is open. When we step inside the small room there are two chairs, a low table, a water cooler, and a lot of pictures on the walls. Some are of the bay, some are the forest, and some have motivational and inspirational sayings on them. I guess I should have expected that.
We sit for a few moments before another door opens and a woman peeks out her head. She sees Serena and smiles. "This must be Cody."
I reach out my hand to shake hers as she guides us in.
"I'm Sara. Nice to meet you."
We sit on the couch that is on one side of the small room, and Sara takes the chair opposite us. She opens a folder and reads something, and then clicks her pen.
"Thank you for coming today, Cody. I know this means a lot to Serena. We've had a number of sessions together to help her process what happened seven years ago, but it will be helpful for her and hopefully you, to bring your perspective."
I nod as my stomach starts to roil.
"Why don't you share with me what happened when you left."
***
One hour later and I feel wrung out. I need a cup of coffee or I'm not going to make it back to Owl Creek in one piece. We walkout to the parking lot, Serena still blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.
"Is it like that every time you see her?"
"Not always, but she doesn't let me hide from things, if that's what you're asking."
"I've never in my life had someone so gently yet relentlessly pursue my beliefs. That's was brutal."
"It gets easier when you see how much it helps to question why you believe what you believe."
I box her against the door of her car before she can get inside.
"Does that mean you're going to question what is holding you back from trusting me?"
Her eyes flit across my face like an animal in a trap. I need to know that we're both in this, not just me. The trouble is, I'm not sure she'd believe me if I told her that. Everything is changing between us so fast. We were as close as two people could be and then I changed that overnight, and now I'm trying to change it again. Because if there is one thing I know from all these years of keeping my distance, it's that she is the one person who I struggled to stay away from the most.
I missed her laugh, I missed her curiosity, I missed her dogged determination to get things done. Most of all, I missed her touch. Now that I've kissed her again, it's all I can think about. I feel a pull toward her that can't be suppressed. It's a skin hunger nothing will satisfy except her.
"You. You are what's holding me back, Cody."
"But I'm working on it. I showed up today, didn't I?"
"One therapy session isn't enough to transform yourself. You have to do the work."
"Are you doing the work?"
