Chapter 2 – Leon #3
Perhaps Leon didn’t know James, either. It seemed they both put up walls to protect themselves.
The bad boy and the mensch , what a pair.
He took a deep breath and shot a glance at Katherine. She nodded back like some sort of mediation bobble head. James fidgeted nervously as he waited for Leon to continue.
The weight of James’ hands, still held securely in his, made the decision for him. He could give James this, and maybe give them both some solid ground to start over on.
“I will admit, I didn’t have the most supportive parents.
I mean, my da never really got the chance to be supportive.
Died before I ever came out. Mam never really cared what my sexuality was but when her boyfriends did, she never said a word.
I learned to stand up for myself, but only when it really mattered.
I chose not to stand up to Antonelli because his opinion doesn’t mean bupkis to me, but it sucked thinking you believed what a dumb schmuck like him said because you not only kept quiet, you laughed.
So, it felt like you thought I didn’t matter, even though you just met me. ”
James nodded, his grip tightening, and his knee pressing into Leon’s. “I hear you, Leon, and I’m sorry. I promise I’ll try to do better and… maybe try to be an actual mensch from now on?”
The smile James gave him was sweet and tinged with a hopefulness that made the final tension in Leon’s body release.
It would be nice to not have to fight anymore.
Hell, he could probably be doing a better job of being a trans ally in the workplace too.
Maybe instead of fighting their own lonely battles, they could try fighting together.
Queer allies facing down the old guard. At least until they all finally retired.
James’ thumb began to trace an absent pattern on the back of Leon’s hand and when their eyes met, it was almost like they were meeting again for the first time.
“I guess only time will tell, but… if–”
The clock behind Katherine began to chime as the minute hand reached the top of the hour.
“Well, gentlemen, that’s the end of our session today.
I think we’ve made some incredible progress towards fixing your relationship, and I can feel a palpable difference in the energy you’re leaving with versus the energy you arrived here with today.
I think that’s a perfect place for us to end and pick up again next week,” Katherine said, closing her notebook and standing up.
Leon blanched, and James hesitantly pulled his hands back as he turned to sit facing forward on the couch. “Is that completely necessary? It sort of feels like the conflict has been mediated, and we have next steps in place to further improve our work together.”
Katherine cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at them. “Well, typically in couples counseling I recommend a minimum of four to six visits, so as to give us time to delve into any additional problems that arise.”
Leon nearly fell off the loveseat, and James made a choking noise. “Couples… couples counseling?”
Katherine’s other eyebrow lifted to meet her first one.
“Yes, couples counseling. I am a couples counselor?” she said, gesturing to her diploma and the bookshelf behind her.
If Leon squinted he could just make out a few titles, which…
yes, all definitely pointed towards this being a couples counseling room.
“We… this was supposed to be conflict mediation. We’re coworkers? Just coworkers?” James sputtered, his voice rising to a rather impressive octave as his cheeks tinged an endearing pink.
Endearing? Well, that was definitely a new thought. Maybe Katherine knew what she was doing after all.
Katherine began to nod slowly and walked over to her laptop, clicking the mouse a few times before pursing her lips.
“Ah… you know, I was a little curious why a request for couples counseling came in through your company. I thought perhaps you were a couple and coworkers, and you might have the same insurance and healthcare navigator who put in the request for you. I used to offer conflict mediation while I was getting my MSW, but have since switched solely to relationship counseling.”
She gave them a wan looking smile and Leon couldn’t help but laugh good naturedly. James laughed as well, looking uncomfortable as ever, but his small smile seemed genuine.
No wonder they had been forced to hold hands.
Leon hadn’t held hands with anyone since his ex and that had been almost ten months ago.
It had been sort of nice and actually, now that his hands felt strangely empty, he could admit it might have played a role in their successful session.
Almost like a lie detector test, testing the genuineness of their words.
Leon stood up and placed a hand on James’ shoulder, a move he never would have made before that evening. James looked up at him, and his blush deepened, highlighting the light stubble growing across his jaw.
“Well, to be honest I’m not all that surprised that Kevin would somehow fu–” Leon’s own cheeks pinkened and he cleared his throat, “mess this up. Still, I’d say we have definitely been counseled, regardless of if it was as coworkers, a couple or…
friends?” Leon offered, and James’ answering smile was shocking in its intensity.
His left canine was slightly crooked and he had slight dimples.
That damn word endearing made an appearance in Leon’s head again.
“Friends… I… I like that,” James said.
Katherine clapped her hands together, doing an adequate job at not looking as flustered as she must have felt. “Well, I also offer counseling to friends. If you ever want to try that, or if either of you need a couple’s counselor in the future, I have a few openings.”
James sputtered again, but before he could get himself too worked up, Leon moved his hand off James’ shoulder and offered it to him as a hand up.
It didn’t make much sense that after they had just held hands for almost half an hour, the feeling of James’ hand in his would still feel so novel, but somehow it did.
As James rose to his feet, Leon noticed that their height difference put them at the perfect height for walking hand-in-hand… if that was a thing they ever chose to do. For the moment though, Leon dropped his hand and they exited the warm office.
“So… that was a bit wild, huh?” James asked as they waited for the elevator together.
“Pretty wild,” Leon agreed, pulling out his car keys and beanie from his jacket pocket.
A comfortable silence fell between them, and Leon checked his watch as they boarded the elevator.
It was too late for him to stop by the store to grab groceries, but also not late enough to put off eating until the morning.
James seemed to be doing a similar time check, grimacing down at his phone, glancing at the slowly descending elevator number, and then back at his phone.
“There’s a place just around the corner that’s open late on Wednesday nights. They do a drag show, and have some of the best coffee and sandwiches around.”
James shot him a surprised glance, and then a knowing look entered his eyes. “The Rainbow Bean?”
Leon hummed in acknowledgement. “Yeah, one of the owners went to the same university I did, and they sent out a newsletter blast to all the alum when it opened.”
James looked surprised again and Leon smiled to himself. James had a lot to learn about him if they were going to be friends.
As the elevator door opened, and their shoulders brushed, Leon could also admit he had a lot to learn about James as well.
He’d been glad to hear James’ mom was still alive, but he had no idea the level of caregiving duties James was still responsible for.
Leon had a little knowledge from his childhood, but maybe he could do some digging and see what sort of support a coworker…
or maybe a friend could provide to a caregiver.
They were certainly a long way away from needing Katherine’s services again, but as they stepped out into the freezing March air, and James seemed to instinctively lean into Leon’s side, Leon couldn’t help but think perhaps they would be back here someday.
THE END