“Hey, it’s okay. You’re gonna be fine.”
I sniff. “It’s just the end of an era, you know? I’ve lived with her for ten years, and now I’m going to have to live with some creep that walks around the apartment in his underwear.
“I’m sure you can find someone that knows how to put on pants.”
I hand my phone over, showing her the photos of a guy who, for some reason, has mirrors in every single room and whose reflection shows the lack of clothing.
A small gasp escapes Crystal’s lips, and she bites down, holding in a laugh. “Oh wow, he looks like he’s changed in one of the photos…the Y-fronts change color.”
“That was the third one I’ve looked through where I’ve seen someone in their underwear.”
She hands my phone back to me after hearing her name being called by the owner.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I mutter.
I sit back and close my eyes for a minute. I am Mia Sinclair. I left home at eighteen and moved to a new state, rebuilt my life from ruin, and now I’m a soon-to-be PhD graduate. I can handle moving in with someone new as my best friend leaves me for six months. Six months is nothing.
A gravelly voice pulls me out of my spiral. “Mia, is that you?”
I look up, long floppy hair, hazel eyes, a scar running through his eyebrow and down to his cheek. He’s roguishly handsome, and somewhat nervous as he talks to me.
“Hi, Nate,” I say to Alfie’s patient.
I don’t often see patients outside of work, the last week or so excluded from that statement given Alfie’s new extracurricular activities, but when I do, it feels like seeing a teacher outside of school. Not right. Awkward. Like I should hide behind a bush until they move along and don’t recognize me.
“Are you okay? You look upset,” he asks me.
“Oh, I’m okay. I’m just looking for somewhere new to live. My roommate is moving overseas.”
I try to rack my brain to see if there is anything from Nate’s notes that I should be cautious about. Alfie works with a range of people. Some of them incredibly unwell, some of them court-ordered after being found guilty of a crime, some who could pick up the almond croissant sitting in front of me and use it as a weapon if they so chose. I don’t make the rules, I only know the risks that come with working with people, and that is that all humans, in therapy or not, are unpredictable. You never quite know how life is going to turn out; that much is certainly true as I think about Alfie and his behavior the last few weeks.
“Nate!” Crystal calls out for him to collect his order.
I give him a small smile. “See you Wednesday.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Mia.” He gives me a toothy grin and as he goes to collect his coffee, I pick up my things, almond croissant included, and head home.
???
Wednesdays are my busiest day of the week. I work for Alfie in the morning, usually skipping lunch to help out before the afternoon patients arrive and I leave Alfie to fend for himself. Whilst he’s looking after some of our court-ordered patients, I’m teaching classes as part of my doctorate at Elwood University. It was an elective I chose to do to see if academia was something I wanted to pursue after graduating. As it turns out, I’d rather have a hot rash on my ass before leading another Psych 101 class, so it turns out, no, academia is not for me.
Alfie taps his watch, his eyebrows hiked up as I tidy up my desk. God, he’s so handsome, even when he’s being an overbearing ass.
“Yes, Da—"
I stop myself as Nate walks through the door and into the waiting room. His eyes light up when he sees me, and I blush a little. I can't believe I nearly called Alfie Daddy in front of a patient. What is wrong with me?
“I’d better get going,” I mutter, mostly to myself, but I feel the gaze of both men lingering on me.
“Come in, Nate, I’ll just be a second,” Alfie says.
Nate steps toward Alfie’s office but turns to me first. “Any luck in finding a place?”
“Oh, not yet, but I’m still looking.” I smile awkwardly and catch Alfie’s eye. He looks displeased, and for once I’m grateful that I’m about to leave him for the afternoon rather than face an interrogation.
“Let me know if you need any help. I’d be happy to help you look at places.”
