Chapter 26
26
TOBY
PanPuppy:
I don’t need a ride today. Got called into work.
I throw the message into the Kink Manor group chat and hope no one questions it. As a condition of my not getting expelled for violence last month, I have to start meeting with a counselor for anger management. I told everyone in the house that I got off with a warning. I mean, I did mostly. Counseling isn’t exactly a punishment.
Going to one on one counseling is definitely cutting into my discretionary funds, but it’s the safer alternative. I could technically attend group meetings for free at the community center, but there’s a good chance that meetings are a condition of Michael’s parole. At least, that’s the case in all of the television shows.
“Tobias Walker? ”
I jump up from my seat in the hole in the claustrophobic waiting area and head for the disembodied voice coming from the now open door.
“Is the room out there so tiny to keep you in business?” I ask no one in particular as I glance at the childish artwork on the walls in the short hallway. I didn’t bother to make note of what all counselling this Doctor Monroe did. They were just the cheapest option that covered anger management and was also covered by my insurance.
The woman’s laughter from the room to my right pulls my attention away from the unique drawing of what looks like a dog eating a person with another person on their back.
Stupid ADHD…
The lady finishes rounding her desk and takes a seat before motioning me to sit across from her. “You’re not the first to think it, but you are the first to outright ask at the first session.”
“You’re Doctor Monroe?” I squeak and sit like I was dropped from a plane to land in the rather uncomfortable pleather monstrosity one might call a chair. The woman in front of me looks to be barely twenty and gorgeous to boot. My inner puppy is panting at how hot she is.
Down, Boy!
She chuckles as she opens a folder and picks up her pen.
“Thank you for the compliment, Tobias,” she says and I wince to realize that my inside thoughts did not stay inside my head. “But I am a very happily married woman and before you ask, I am certain my wife is not the sharing sort.”
I gulp and start shaking my head maniacally. “I didn’t… I wasn’t… I mean… You’re… and I’m… and Shy…”
Shiloh…
I grab the armrests of the chair and take a deep breath before starting again.
“You are drop dead gorgeous and I will never deny that, but there’s already someone in my heart that means more to me than anything else in the world and until I get him settled with someone who deserves him, I won’t ever look for myself.”
Doctor Monroe looks up at me with an eyebrow raised.
“Why don’t you think you deserve him?”
Of course, she had to pick up on that. Let the fun begin…
An hour later and thirty bucks poorer, I’m emotionally wrung out. Powering on my phone, I pull up the rideshare apps to determine if Uber or Lyft is getting my money today. With how far out of the way this office is, I’m looking at a fare of at least thirty bucks to get back home. Seeing that Lyft has the shorter wait time, I cancel my Uber request before I lose even more money and crouch down against the wall of the building to wait.
Zoning out, I let the twenty minute wait pass while ignoring the world around me. I even ignore the pings of the house group chat while they are all discussing something. It’s about dinner time, so it’s probably just Scott calling everyone to eat. It’s not like me going to “work” is big news or anything. Maybe Eric is up to something?
The honk of a horn shakes me out of my musings and I look down at my phone to see my Lyft has arrived. I always double check the name of the driver, ever since I got into the wrong car after class one night and ended up having to pay for two trips when the other person just stole my ride and the driver didn’t bother to fix it.
My driver is… Jay?
Glancing up at the car idling against the curb, I see the disappointment on my roommate’s face as he stands in the open door of his newish car. He had to trade in the vamp cruiser last month after it finally kicked the bucket. I forgot he’s driving such a nondescript vehicle now.
There’s no hiding it now…
I shuffle toward the car and drop into the backseat in embarrassment.
“As much as I’d like to lay into you, Pup,” Jay says when he pulls away from the curb, “I’m not going to. I reckon you’re having a shitty enough day as it is if Shiloh moving out has you going to therapy already.”
“HE WHAT?”