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“I don’t hate it. I think I’m good at it. There have been loads of happy matches because of me. I’m good with data analysis. I see patterns and trends in matches’ behavior. It helps to pair people together and gives them a greater percentage chance of being happy.”
“That does sound romantic.”
“Love isn’t always about romance. It’s about finding someone who has the same qualities as you, someone whose qualities make you better.”
Rane liked the idea of having someone beside him who encouraged and inspired him. “Your work sounds like it does you good. You should not give that up.”
“Thanks for the career advice.”
Rane smirked. “As for this new style of therapy, I’m not so sure. When I found you in the corridor, you were frantic.”
“I wasn’t frantic. I’d had a surprise; that’s all. My therapist moved me on to my next stage of treatment.” Nell dropped her hands into her lap.
“What the hell did she make you do?”
Nell looked away. “I had to touch an alien.”
“Touch him where?”
“Nowhere dodgy, you pervert. Wherever I liked. She brought in another therapist, someone experienced in helping with this kind of trauma. He sat in a chair. I had to touch his knee.”
“And that felt...” that sounded dodgy to Rane.
Nell grimaced. “Honestly, I wanted to run. I did it. I touched him. He didn’t feel safe. It didn’t make me feel any better about aliens.”
“It isn’t working?”
“It’s new. It is going to help. I trust my therapist.”
Rane scrubbed his chin. He didn’t trust this therapist if she made Nell feel so terrible. “How did you feel when I touched your hand just now?”
“Not great.”
“Did it make you feel as bad as touching a stranger?”
“I guess not.”
“It’s odd that your therapist wants you to interact with an alien you’ve never met until today.”
Nell shrugged. “I did think it was odd when she invited Doctor Non into the therapy session. He tried to be nice and put me at my ease, but it didn’t work.”
“You’ve checked this therapist’s credentials?”
“I’m not an idiot. She’s legit and knows what she’s talking about. I’ve stuck with her for over two months. My other therapists had vague ideas of helping me move past my problem. But I don’t want to move past it. I want to solve it.”
“Maybe moving past it is solving it.”
Nell grabbed her coffee. “I need to deal with this in my own way.”
Rane sat back in his seat. He understood Nell’s hurt. This was a big issue for her. If he could, he wanted to help. It pained him to see someone in distress and not sure how to deal with it.
Nell placed her mug down. “I didn’t figure you for a Starland type of alien. Are you here for some good times?”
He let out a sigh. Since Nell had shared with him, he decided she deserved the truth. “Not so much good times but more for a distraction. I messed up recently during a diplomatic negotiation. I’ve been suspended.”
Nell’s eyes widened. “What did you do?”
“Nothing that deserved getting suspended. You can imagine what these meetings are like, lots of stuffy diplomats talking in circles and not making progress.”
