I exhale slowly.
“That’s the part I’m afraid of,” I admit. “I don’t want to become that guy. The one who brings it up every time he’s losing an argument.”
“That’s awareness,” Nina says. “That’s not weakness.”
Jess squeezes my hand.
“I’d rather hear you say you’re hurting,” she says softly, “than watch you disappear.”
“That won’t happen,” I say immediately.
Jess pulls her hand from mine.
She doesn’t move away, not really. She just twists on the couch to face me fully, one leg tucked under her, expression steady.
“You said you’re happy with the relationship you have with your dad,” she says quietly. “That you don’t need to revisit it.”
I frown slightly. “I am.”
“Are you?” she asks. “You barely see him. And when you do, it’s polite. Distant… cold.”
I stiffen. “That’s not-”
“It is,” she says gently. “There’s no anger. No affection. Just… neutrality.”
Dr. Nina doesn’t interrupt.
Jess keeps going.
“I don’t want that for us,” she says. “I don’t want cold or worse, polite. These past months, living like roommates… was horrible.”
Her voice trembles just slightly.
“I want you. All of you. Even the ugly parts.”
Something tight forms in my chest.
“You think I have a bad relationship with my dad?” I ask quietly.
Jess places her palm on my forearm.
“I have no right to judge,” she says quickly. “I haven’t spoken to either of my parents since we got married. Ok, but that also means that I know what passivity does to a relationship. It doesn’t explode. It just… erodes.”
“You say that like you’ve thought about it,” I mutter.
“I have,” she says firmly. “Believe me, the coffees I have with Claudia are not gossip sessions. No matter how much I try to make them that.” A faint smile flickers across her lips. “She makes me talk about myself. The bad parts. The parts I’d rather pretend don’t exist.”
Dr. Nina watches silently.
“I’m not saying I’m succeeding at therapy,” Jess continues, “but I’ve gotten better at being uncomfortable.”
I shift slightly.
“Are you trying to get me to go back to Dr. Brett?” I ask, irritation edging into my tone.
She shakes her head immediately.
“No. I know you can’t force someone to talk. And I would never try to force you.” She pauses. “But remember right before Itold you about… everything? You said something had to change. Because I wasn’t being honest.”
