|60| • Everest
"So you're saying I'm unhinged?"
Gabe scoffed, giving me a look which made me doubt my own words, he plopped his back on the chair, huffing. "No, man. I'm saying, if you want to be a good man to yourself and Amelia, you need to let go of the trauma."
"Trauma?" I snorted, narrowing my eyes. Now he sounded like Florescent, I didn't like that word.
Whenever they said that it felt as though they were exaggerating the entire situation.
Closing my eyes, I took a sharp inhale, thinking this through.
There we were, sorted in my truck, parked beside Loren's Therapy.
Why was I here?
I was meant to be home, or at the mechanic shop, not here, contemplating whether to go in or not. I didn't know why Gabe was adamant to come with me, perhaps he knew I would have turned the truck around if he wasn't here, pushing me to do so with his glare — just as he was doing right now.
"You already booked the appointment." Gave began, "No, you booked the appointment.
" I corrected, pointing at him. I guess it was partially my fault for telling him how I reacted with Flo and that damned wine cork.
Now, he concluded I needed help. How annoying.
"Potato potato," Gabe sang, waving his hands.
"Look, it's right there! The step in the right direction.
" He urged, his eyebrows drawing together slightly.
Why did he have to make me feel guilty? Narrowing my eyes, I held the steering wheel like my life depended on it.
To be a better man, he said.
"Okay." I huffed out, it wouldn't be so bad, right?
Letting a stranger see me vulnerable, telling them the reason for my anxiety.
It was as though I was going to strip down to nothing but my underwear and let the woman observe me as she scribbled in her notebook.
Gabe sat up with a cheeky smile. "Okay?" He asked, treating my words. His excitement made me chuckle. I nod.
"Okay. Let's do this. I'll...go there."
"Great, because your appointment is starting in about five minutes," Gabe told me, checking his watch.
Humming, I turned off the ignition, shoving the keys in my pocket.
"So what are you going to do?" I asked him; he offered to follow me but was he going to wait in the car for the while I was there?
"Well, I'm going to explore the street, get a bouquet for my lady, eat in a restaurant, anything to pass the time. As long as you go in there and face your fears."
I snorted.
"I'm not scared."
"Sure." He deadpanned with a smirk. Tired of the bickering, I got out of the car, slamming the door shut and so did he.
This was it, I was going to therapy. The thought didn't sit right with me, as I stared at the tall building, I felt goosebumps.
"You're going to be okay," Gabe said, holding my shoulder in reassurance.
All this while, I thought it was Gabe who would need therapy after getting out of the coma, turns out it was me.
Nodding at him, I walked into the building.
It was a commercial building, each floor belonged to different businesses, the second floor was where Loren's Therapy was hosted.
What I did notice was that the floor was dedicated to the healing of the mind, there was a counselling door, a relationship advice door and a therapy door with the name 'Loren' scribbled on it.
From looking at my watch, I saw that my session had begun, so I placed my hand on the doorknob, twisting it open while holding my breath.
The first thing that hit me was the calm aura. The neutral yet welcoming colours of the wall and the pieces of furniture. There was a desk and chair at the edge, while an L-shaped couch and a single-seater sofa faced each other, a coffee table separating it.
"Good afternoon," I flinched at the voice, forgetting the woman I'd seen when taken into the room.
Closing the door, I forced out a smile. "Hey, good afternoon.
" Standing awkwardly, I observed the woman.
She was most likely in her middle age, her brown hair fixed in a military bun, her dark brown eyes glistening at mine.
"You must be Mr Simon, correct?" She got up from her desk, taking a notebook before strutting to the single-seated sofa.
Silent, I nodded. The urge to turn and bail was deeply rooted in me, the only reason I didn't follow through with it was because of what Gabe said.
Loren smiled at me. "Please, sit, get comfortable.
" Perhaps she noticed the obvious distance I kept between us.
Clearing my throat, I walked over to the L-shaped seat, the soft cushion making me relax a bit. "My name is Loren Poe, you can just call me Loren. I'll be your therapist for them while you're here."
Your therapist.
Perhaps I was sick in the head after all.
"Everest, Everest Simon," I replied, looking at her notebook which lay on her lap.
What was she going to write in there anyways?
"I must say, I had a conversation with your friend, Gabe.
He told me you were in the military, the reason for your.
..reflexes." She chose her words carefully.
So Gabe told her about me, I didn't know how to feel about that.
"But that was all he said, I wanted to hear the rest from you, Everest." I wasn't sure if she was lying, but I shrugged nonetheless.
"Okay." Saying with my head down. It kind of felt like I was there for an interview, the nerves matched up.
"I understand that you may feel cautious, but I promise you there's no reason to be nervous. "
Her gentle voice nearly penetrated my mind. There was no reason to be nervous, somehow, I almost believed her. Sinking into the comfort of the couch, I tried to relax my nerves. The woman -- Loren, smiled as though she noticed this.
"So, why don't we start with an introduction? Tell me, Everest, who are you?"
To be honest, the session was much better than I thought it would be, after I was done, I called up Gabe and we began driving to his apartment.
And of course, he kept bringing up the words 'I told you so' in my ear when I explained how calm the session was.
I was to go back on Thursday, we'd arranged for it to be twice a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays, which meant I wasn't going to pick Amelia up on those days.
Speaking of which, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Amelia about this.
If she hadn't already caught on from the card she picked up yesterday, I planned to keep it quiet until I felt comfortable enough to tell her. A bit of me felt guilty about keeping it from her, but that was the right thing to do...at least I hope it is.
The drive from Gabe's place to mine was a quiet one, I quieted my mind to enjoy the silence, gazing at the peaceful environment as I drove by, it was a bit after five so the sky was still bright, the sun nowhere to be seen.
Humming to myself, I drove into the condo, parking at my designated spot.
When I turned off the ignition, my eyes caught the sight of a grey Camry a few meters from mine, and for some reason, I continued staring at it.
I saw a figure come out of the car, before rounding the passenger side.
That guy...I recognized him from before, my fist tightened the longer I stared at him.
It was that boy, the one who was hell-bent on touching Amelia every chance he got.
Raphael? Or whatever the hell his name was.
Watching, I wondered if he'd gotten himself a girlfriend already, but seeing as he was in my condo, an unsettling feeling swelled in my belly.
The numerous questions that began swarming my head were answered when I saw Amelia come out of his car.
My eyebrows pulled together.
What the hell? Did he drive her home now?
I wanted more than anything to storm over there and demand an answer, but with a few deep breaths, I was back in my right senses.
Whatever it was, I'd just have to ask her.
As it seemed, they were still engrossed in the conversation they had, with the Raphael guy.
Clenching my door, I climbed out of my car, walking into the condo without looking their way.
My shoulders were tensed. As I walked up the stairs, anger bubbled in me.
When she said she'd find someone to take her home, I thought it would be the girl in her little friend group, not him.
Goodness, it was only the second day and he was dropping her off at home?
I wasn't one to get this jealous but everything about this pissed me off.
I thought when I asked Amelia the day before if she was comfortable with him touching her that way, she got the drift.
I didn't like his closeness. He reminded me of Darrick.
But he did it with a smile, and not an evident disdain.
When I reached our flat, I unlocked the door, going to the bedroom with a huff.
The feeling weighed heavy on my chest. Wouldn't bringing this up again be like I didn't trust her?
Shaking my head, I changed out of my clothes, going to take a shower.
Midway, I heard the main door creak open and close again.
She was done with her conversation. Trying to ignore my thoughts, I placed my head under the running shower, letting the warm water calm my nerves.
I stayed in the shower longer than intended, when I was done changing into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, I walked back into the kitchen to find Amelia there.
She hummed to herself with a smile on her face, whisking eggs.
Noticing me, she looked up, a grin spread across her face.
Guilt ate at me, here I was, second doubting while she was here. ..with me.
"Evie! Good evening!" She seemed ecstatic, leaving the bowl of eggs she was whisking to come to see me.
I smiled, tensing as she came to hug me.
Amelia's hands wrapped around my side in a tight hug.
"Hey, baby," I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse.
Perhaps she noticed my lack of enthusiasm because she looked up at me, pouting. "What's wrong, Evie?"
The concern caused my heart to swell.
What was wrong? I was jealous, worried..
.guilty. That was what. Huffing, I dropped my head to her shoulder, and she stumbled back with a light laugh, holding me up.
"Everest...are you okay?" My dear asked once more, her thumb reassuring me as it traced circles on my back.
My mind was noisy, I wanted to ask her, but those words weighed heavy on my tongue.
Taking a deep breath, I held her waist, giving it a light squeeze. "I...I saw you this evening." I admitted after a moment of silence. Amelia hummed, not letting go. So, I continued. "Why? Why did that guy drive you home today?"
The words came out almost strangled. Our hug was cut short when she stepped back, tilting her head, an almost confused look on her face.
"Raul?" She asked gently, so that was his name?
Narrowing my eyes, I nodded. My hand went to rub the back of my neck, almost regretting asking her this.
"Oh, Kaji was going to see her cousin today, so he offered to take me instead.
I honestly didn't mind taking the bus, but, he wouldn't agree to it.
" Amelia explained casually, smiling at the end as if reminiscing her day.
"Why do you ask?" My little lady pushed, playing with her hands.
I guess the ball was now in my court.
"I just...don't like it."
Her smile faltered, she looked up at me with an expression I could not decode.
I decided to elaborate instead of ending it there.
"Baby, to be honest, I don't like him.
He's too touchy, too...friendly, and I know I don't know him that well but I don't need to.
" As I said this, I moved to the couch, wanting us to sit and talk, she followed but didn't sit.
Instead, she cupped her elbow, this time, her expression was sad.
"Oh...but he's my friend, I mean...do you want me to stay away from him?"
I sighed, putting my head in my hand. "I'm not saying that I'm just asking you to set boundaries with him," I say, hoping she understood where I was coming from.
It was a bit selfish telling her who and who not to associate with.
I wasn't going to do that. Pushing my head up to look at her, I pulled her in, holding her waist.
"Just as I set boundaries with Florescent." I continued, our gaze unmoving. "I...I will."
This made me grin, pulling her closer to me. "Thank you, baby."
She smiled, looping her hands around my neck, "I'm sorry." Amelia apologised, much to my surprise. I was the one getting jealous yet she was the one apologising. Chuckling, I shook my head, tilting her jaw with my thumb to kiss her lips. "Don't be," I muttered against them, kissing it once more.
"Let's have a date tomorrow." I brought it up from the top of my head.
Amelia giggled, scrunching her eyebrows, I could see how her eyes glistened at the idea.
"A date? Really?" She seemed excited already, smirking, I nodded.
"In here, I'll order takeout...I just want us to be together.
.." The last thing I wanted was us being distant when living together.
She blushed, narrowing her eyes. "We are together, baby.
" She whispered the ending, nibbling on her lips.
Goodness, there she went again, calling me that without a warning.
Pulling her towards me, I settled her on my lap, trailing kisses against her collarbone.
Amelia let out a soft sigh, holding my shoulders.
"I like that," I said, tasting every inch of her skin until I reached her cheeks.
She hummed, closing her eyes. "L-like what?
" Amelia asked, her voice almost inaudible.
I grinned.
"I like when you call me baby."