Dr. Dawson Cole: I don’t think you’re supposed to call your therapist names, Miss Prescott.
I suck my bottom lip into my mouth, the good kind of nerves blossoming in my belly. They’re the ones everyone wants to feel. The ones that give you a steady high that rides out for a long time even after the words that caused them are gone.
Me:Please forgive me, Dr. Cole.
The three floating dots appear, disappear, then pop back up a few seconds later.
Dr. Dawson Cole:You’ve inspired me to try a few variations of tea.
I don’t know what to think of that, but I kind of like knowing that I’ve influenced him to some extent.
Dr. Dawson Cole:How are you feeling today?
Me:I’m okay.
Dr. Dawson Cole: You can’t see it, but I’m tapping my foot in exasperation, hardly able to withstand the wait to hear your *actual* answer.
Me: You want my honesty?
Dr. Dawson Cole: Nothing but.
Me: I’m at home alone right now because Lance went out with his colleagues. I asked him to stay home, but yeah, that didn’t happen. So I’m all by my lonesome watching TV as the silence envelops me.
Dr. Dawson Cole: Dare I ask, are you watching Dawson’s Creek?
I laugh out loud without question.
Me: No, but maybe I should be.
Dr. Dawson Cole: You will do no such thing without consequences.
A call comes through as I’m sitting there, contemplating on how to respond. I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not. Either way, it’s definitely coming across playful.
I answer the call. “Consequences, huh? I have to say, I’m almost tempted.”
“Of course you are,” Dawson replies, his deep voice strumming through the receiver.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand you're a woman who likes a challenge.”
I blink, images of the harsh ocean waters coming to mind.
Out of the blue, he asks, “When do you think Lance will be back?”
I pull my phone away from my ear to check the time. It’s just after five. He texted an hour ago saying that he was leaving the office. “Honestly, who knows.” It’s likely I’ll sit here for the next few hours without company until I get to the point where I’m ready for bed.
“Okay,” he breathes out. “I’m about to drop a proposition on your lap. Not as your therapist, but as…a friend.”
This piques my interest. I sit up a little bit, unsure of where this is going but also knowing that Iwantto hear what he’s going to say next. Excitement zips through me in a way that feelsextremely missed. Unlike before, the promise of betrayal doesn’t enter my mind and try to make me feel guilty. Even if it would, I wouldn’t let it. If Lance is out enjoying time with his friends, there’s no reason I can’t do the same.
Dr. Cole’s voice comes through the speaker. “I bought one of those pizza making kits from my neighbor’s kid for a fundraiser, and I think it’s actually a sin to do them alone. In fact, the packaging on it implies that more than one person should make it.”
A tiny smile graces my lips. I kind of wish he could see it but also not mad that he can’t. He’s extending a lifeline, I realize. A bulb to replace the one that went out in me weeks ago.
And maybe I shouldn’t accept the offer, but also—fuck it.
There might be nothing right about going along with this. It’s absolutely highly possible that Lance wouldn’t like it, but it’s hard to know what he thinks at all anymore, considering the fact that he’d rather spend time with his golf friends than with his fiancée.
