Glancing at the clock in the hallway, I see it’s three thirty. Roman should be in therapy right now. Running my normal hourly checks with my patients, he’s all I can think about at the moment. All day, my mind has been somewhere else; I can’t focus on anything but him.
It’s been two days since I left his apartment and he still hasn’t returned my calls. I had the notion to go by there yesterday, but thought against it. I know why he’s upset; I’m not an idiot. But if he’d only give me the chance to explain myself, then we could just get back to normal.
Cleaning up the bed sheets, I gather fresh linen from the storage closet and dress the bed. Wiping down dressers and bathroom counters, I think of ways to get through to Roman. Hmm, maybe I should ask Maggie. But no, I don’t want to involve her.
Lost in thought, I don’t notice Amanda walk into the room. Her presence startles me as I walk out of the patient’s bathroom. “Shit, you scared me.”
She chuckles. “Sorry. Uh, someone is here to see you. He says it’s urgent.”
“It’s not Roman?”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t know who it is. Want me to tell him to get lost?”
I toss the trash into the trashcan and wipe my hands clean. “No, I’ll go out there.”
Following her to the nurses station, I see a figure standing there. As I approach, the figure looks familiar, and as he turns around my stomach sinks. I freeze as the man turns around to face me.
His putrid voice causes chills to crawl up my spine. “Hello Melanie.”
I stare at him with hatred and disgust. “Easton.”
Roman
THE BALANCE BEAM trembles underneath my palms as sweat makes it slippery. Losing my grip, Tom steadies my balance. I growl with frustration trying to get my body to walk. I’ve had countless sessions with Tom and each session gets better, but today I’m all over the place. I’ve landed on the ground more times than ever because I can’t focus. It’s been two days since I’ve spoken to her and it’s driving me insane.
Tom notices my frustration and tells me to take a break. Sitting on the soft mats, he sits next to me and breathes out loud. “What’s going on Roman? You’re off today.”
“Sorry, it’s Melanie. I can’t get her out of my mind.”
He questions, “Something happen between you two?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I glance at his watch, noticing it’s after three thirty. Usually she’d be here to watch me work, but I guess she’s too busy. “Two days ago, I kind of blew up at her and well, we haven’t talked since.”
“Why did you blow up?”
Glancing at Tom, I ask, “What are you my shrink now too?”
He laughs at my question. “I’m just trying to figure out the source of your problem. If I can find the source and resolve it, then you can clear your mind enough to focus on walking again.”
Letting out a deep sigh I tell him what happened. “She was over my house for dinner and everything was going according to plan. Well, I guess until I almost told her how I feel about her.”
Tom flashes a confused look. “What do you mean almost?”
“I mean, I almost said the words and she literally ran into the bathroom. Like she didn’t want to hear them.”
Tom nods. “Ah, I see. So you’re upset that she rejected you.”
“Well, no. She di
dn’t reject me. After she came out of the bathroom, I asked her to leave.”
He scoffs. “And why was that?”
My voice grows louder as I recall that night. “Because I was pissed and hurt. I don’t know, I felt like she didn’t want me. I thought we had a strong connection. Maybe I’m wrong.”
Tom raises his palm signaling me to pause. “Wait, but you asked her to leave. She didn’t want to right?”
“No, she asked to stay.”