Chapter 2
“Do you need another one?”
Ash offers the tissue box when Jenny keeps sniffling even after blowing her nose for the third time.
Not uncommon with first time patients. Plus, Ash is notorious for diving deep right off the bat.
Sure, there are times when he switches to his more pampering mode, but it doesn’t happen often. And not in Jenny’s case.
“Thanks.” She plucks another two from the box, dabbing at her swollen eyes. “We’re done, right? Right?!”
Ash snickers. “We’re done.” Is he a sadist? No doubt about that, but it’s all for a good cause. It is. The fact that he enjoys himself is a whole other thing. “Here, have some water.”
Once she’s all cried out and hydrated, he walks her out.
Dawson is his next one, and Ash finds him already waiting outside. On time, as always. If only all his patients were like this.
Jenny’s blotchy, tear-streaked cheeks turn a shade brighter when she notices Dawson. She lets out a groan, attempting to cover up her face.
“Here I was hoping to get to my car without anyone witnessing my snotty face.”
Standing up, Dawson gives a gentle laugh. “No judgement here. I’ve been there. Actually, I’m still there, almost every session.”
“Oh, shit. Are you telling me this happens every time?” she asks with mild horror.
“At this practice? Definitely.” He looks at Ash, his eyes narrowing. “Plus, this one built his whole career on making people cry.”
“Indeed, I did,” Ash admits, smiling at Jenny when she lets out a bark of laughter. “Take it easy today, okay?”
“Oh, I will. Fuck keto diet. I’m treating myself to hot chocolate.”
“I approve of this plan,” Ash says. “If you haven’t been there yet, look up Lost and Ground café. I promise that after you’ve had their stuff, you’ll forget all about the jerk who made you cry.”
“Sounds like exactly what I need. Thanks.” She sniffles. “Oh, by the way, do you wanna see a picture?”
Said picture is likely referring to the ex-boyfriend who is the whole reason she’d sought out Ash’s services in the first place.
She’s already swiping through the gallery, so saying ‘no, thanks’ would be redundant.
“You can show me, but I won’t comment on—” The phone is thrust in front of his face. “Jenny, what the fuck?”
“What?”
Ash takes the phone and zooms in. Good god, straight people’s tastes will never fail to astound him.
Unimpressed, he turns the phone around. “I spent the past hour trying to get you over this?”
She stares at the picture, and her expression twists. “He looks better in a different lighting.”
“You mean in the dark?”
Dawson guffaws, and quickly covers it up. “Sorry.”
“If you need to cry over someone, at least pick a guy who’s worth the tears. I even feel bad charging you.” Ash sighs and hands her the phone. “I’ll see you in three weeks. And you better start the session with: You were so right, Ash. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”
She nods quickly and smiles, her tears having dried up. Giving the picture another glance, she grimaces. “Shit, I really needed that reality check. Thank you! You’re a legend.”
“Happy to help,” Ash says drily. “Go get that hot chocolate, Jenny.”
“I will. See ya!”
Ash waves after her. Shifting his gaze to Dawson, he steps aside, gesturing inside his office. “Your turn, mister.”
Dawson doesn’t move. He stares at Ash, nonplussed. “And here I thought that you don’t hold back in our sessions.”
Ash rolls his eyes. “You have no idea how easy I’m going on you.”
“That’s disturbing, but kind of sweet?” He walks inside. “Can you really be that blunt with your patients?”
“Technically, the session was already over. Let’s call it friendly advice.”
Dawson’s skeptical expression makes him laugh. Some people just need brutal honesty, okay?
He returns to his chair while Dawson takes a seat on the sofa, making an instant grab for the chunky plushie.
“Nice of you to promote your cousin’s business while running yours, by the way.”
“It works out pretty well, yeah.” Not to brag or anything, but Ash is totally responsible for Gabe’s café flourishing.
They share a laugh. As it slowly trails off, Ash focuses on taking Dawson in.
What he sees makes him smile. “You look well. Something good happen?” He might not have Gabe’s ability to sort through people’s emotions like punnets of strawberries in a grocery store, but Dawson’s energy is so bright and strong today even he can see it.
Dropping his gaze, Dawson focuses on the plushie with a little too much intensity. “Well…”
“You’re blushing,” Ash points out, just to be a dick.
“Ugh, I hate my face,” Dawson groans, touching his overheated cheeks.
He pulls his legs up to sit cross-legged, the plushie hugged to his chest like a protective shield.
“Cal and I are doing pretty good right now. We even had…” He clears his throat, the volume of his voice dropping. “We even made love.”
Ash hurries to rein in his surprise. It’s not often that something takes him aback, at least not at work. Then again, ever since he started seeing Dawson, he’d found himself surprised more times than he cares to admit.
“How do you feel about it?”
Dawson shoots him a disgruntled look, which is undermined by his intensifying flush. “Can’t you tell?”
“I can. I just get a kick out of seeing you flustered,” Ash says, seeing no point in lying. Dawson knows him well enough by now.
Dawson huffs. “Dick.”
Ash chuckles. “I mean it. It’s a good look on you.
” The way Dawson sends a shy smile towards his lap is more endearing than it has any right to be.
Ash knows he shouldn’t have favorites among patients, but ah well…
he’s broken about every therapist-patient rule there is.
So what if he’s a little too invested in a patient’s well-being?
“I assume intimacy is back on the table, then?”
“I… Yeah. I mean…” Dawson rubs the back of his neck. “We’ve already done it once—actually, two more times. Or maybe three? I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Dawson throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “I don’t know which ones count! Shut up,” he grumbles, even though Ash didn’t say anything.
“I admit, I’m surprised.”
Dawson grunts an agreement. “You and me both.”
“Last time we spoke, you had rather ambiguous feelings about the prospect of getting intimate with Cal again, after everything.”
“Yeah, well…” Loosening his death-grip on the plushie, Dawson brings his gaze down to stare at it. He runs a finger around the donut between the plushie’s paws, while a small, dreamy smile curves his lips. “Things happened that kinda put everything into perspective.”
Being the nosy bitch that he is, Ash fights the temptation to sneak a peek at Dawson’s thoughts. There’s no good reason why he should, seeing as Dawson is in a sharing mood today.
Instead, Ash leans back into his chair to make himself comfortable. “Tell me about it.”
Dawson’s teeth sink into his bottom lip. “Cal found the divorce papers.”
Ash winces in sympathy. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you manage to tell him the truth?”
A guilty expression passes across Dawson’s face. “I tried to sweep it under the rug, but…it became obvious I couldn’t keep it from him anymore.”
“How did he take it?”
“He signed the papers and told me he wanted me to be safe and happy, even if it meant being apart.”
Ash’s brows climb up so high he wouldn’t be surprised if they caught in his hairline. “That’s very…noble.” And the last thing he expected to hear.
Dawson makes an annoyed sound. “And the last thing I wanted. It’s fucked up, isn’t it? That all this time I wished for him to disappear from my life and now I can’t imagine it without him.”
If it were anyone else, Ash would be warning them against the number of red flags popping up left and right. But Dawson’s case? Ash is officially in uncharted waters.
“Fucked up or not, sometimes the best way to find out what we want is to face the very thing we don’t want. It’s like you said—perspective.”
Dawson nods, seemingly happy with the answer. Then, “He asked me to marry him.”
Ash’s gaze instantly travels to Dawson’s ring finger, which is bare. “Is that why you’re not wearing your ring?”
“Yeah. Starting fresh, you know?”
“That’s smart. Well, congratulations. I assume you said yes?”
“I said yes,” Dawson confirms with a short laugh. “You’re invited to the wedding, by the way. Whenever that might be. If that’s allowed, or whatever.”
Ash sends him a wink. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Okay, good. Now I just have to tell all the others.” A look of horror settles in Dawson’s features. “Oh god.”
“What?”
Covering his face, Dawson mumbles, “My sister will blow a fuse. And so will Kieran.”
Ash isn’t proud of how quickly his focus leaves Dawson and latches onto the mention of his friend. He takes a few seconds, making sure his expression and voice both remain neutral. “Not big fans of Cal, I see.”
Dawson makes a noise between a laugh and a cry and drops his hands in his lap. “Understatement of the century. Kieran all but ripped me a new one last time I saw him.” He gives Ash a firm look. “At the movies.”
“What happened?” Ash plays dumb.
“You.”
“Did I get you in trouble?” It’s hard not to laugh at Dawson’s obvious displeasure.
“Yes,” Dawson deadpans. “Technically, I’ve been in trouble with him ever since I decided to nurse Cal back to health after the accident, so…” He shrugs. “Although I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as ruffled as he was that day.”
Ash bites his lip to keep from smiling like a lunatic.
Is that so? Kieran seemed like such a loose cannon; Ash was sure he would react strongly at the smallest provocation. Did Ash’s low-tier teasing really make him so wound up that even Dawson was taken aback? How cute. How…flattering.
He has, of course, heard about Kieran from Dawson’s stories, none of which indicated what an intriguing personality Kieran has.
Or pointed out the fact he might even be persuaded to play a game for Ash’s team, if that little sneak peek into his mind told Ash anything.
Despite all his teasing, he didn’t expect Kieran to react like that.
And given Kieran’s shocked reaction, he didn’t expect it either.
Like Ash said: intriguing. He can only imagine the thrill if Kieran let him uncover a whole new world for him.
Okay, enough fantasizing about adorable, angry brats. He’s at work.
“I have a penchant for bringing out strong emotions in people,” Ash points out unnecessarily.
“Don’t I know it,” Dawson says with a huff. “To be fair, you were doomed from the beginning. For some reason, Kieran despises psychologists. You might have picked up on that.”
“I have, yes.” It’s not uncommon to come across people who consider therapy a scam. Still, he’d really like to find out what the story is behind Kieran’s prejudice. “I don’t take it personally. It would be hypocritical of me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I went to study Psychology to spite my parents,” Ash explains, smiling indulgently. “Didn’t expect to make a career out of it.”
“A troublemaker. Figures.” Dawson shakes his head fondly. “What did your parents want you to be?”
Ash doesn’t bother reminding him he’s supposed to be the one asking questions.
“A businessman, ideally. Or a lawyer.” Just like them.
Dawson’s expression turns a little sheepish. “Is it bad that I think you’d be damn good at either?”
“Not at all. I know I would.” What better superpower to have than being able to see people’s thoughts when you’re trying to sell them something.
Well, apart from hearing their thoughts, like his father can, which would be even more convenient.
“But look, I still get to experience the joy of managing my taxes and making sure my paperwork is up to date. Best of both worlds.”
Dawson laughs. “When you put it like that. You’re not too bad of a therapist either. A tad shady. But decent.”
“Wow. Thank you, Dawson, that means a lot,” Ash says, matching Dawson’s dry delivery.
“You’re welcome.”
“Now stop distracting me,” Ash chastises gently. “I believe I’m owed an intriguing story featuring painting and cacti.”
Dawson’s face couldn’t be brighter. “Oh, you are in for a treat…”
Ash sits back and just listens, the elation in Dawson’s voice bringing a smile to his face. So much has changed since Dawson first came to see him.
He only hopes this happiness will last for Dawson. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.