Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits 1.50)

nt me to join you?” I swivel in the chair and enjoy the sight of her tight ass swaying from side to side.

“I have an hour to get ready, Noah. Walk in this door, and I’ll redefine frigid.”

I chuckle and turn back to the computer. With a swishing sound, Skype automatically loads, and as I click on the browser to check my email, my eyes drift to the list of people signed in to Skype. Mrs. Collins is one of them.

Figures. She and Echo have a session scheduled so Echo can drop her worries on Mrs. Collins before we head to the gallery.

Rehashing the crap that’s happened this past week, I select her name and wait to see if she accepts the call. Two seconds later, I’m greeted by my overenthusiastic therapist.

“I thought it would be you,” says Mrs. Collins. “How are you, Noah?”

“Good.” And it’s an honest answer. “Got a few minutes?”

She’s wearing a Poison T-shirt and no makeup. “For you, I’ve got plenty of time. What’s going on?”

I inhale deeply and jump, telling her about the party, getting arrested, getting free and meeting my uncle. Watching her reaction was like seeing snapshots of a person on a rollercoaster determined not to let the rider next to them know that they are terrified of the hills. Mrs. Collins is good at hiding her expressions, but meeting with her so much has taught me that her eyes can betray her. In them I’ve read disappointment and elation.

I shut the hell up, and there’s a moment of silence. Mrs. Collins nods like I’m still talking then says, “So where does that leave you now?”

“Here. In a hotel room with Echo, Isaiah and Beth. Getting ready to stand with Echo at the showing and preparing to be her shoulder for when she sees her mom.”

“How do you feel about everything that’s happened?”

I lean forward. “Like shit for hurting Echo. With my mom’s family, I feel like I’ve been run over by an oil tanker. Knowing that Echo and I can walk through hell together and come out stronger on the other side...” I halfway smile. “It’s the closest I’ve been to being a king.”

The smile falls, and I rub my hands together as I relax back in the seat. Mrs. Collins tilts her head. “What?”

“Do you believe in happy-ever-afters?” I ask.

“I believe I’ve seen a few movies in my time, but I’d like to know your thoughts.”

“Do you ever answer a question?” I push.

“Yes. I answered that one. What are your thoughts on happy-ever-afters?”

I pause. “I believe in happy for now. I want Echo and me to work. She loves me. I love her. I’ve seen enough already to know that life isn’t always shits and giggles. Life is hard, but it’s going to be easier with Echo by my side.”

“Even with Echo a thousand miles away?”

“Even with that,” I answer. “There’s no reason that we still can’t be happy.”

“That’s all any of us can ask for, isn’t it?” She grins.

I glance over at the closed door of the bathroom. “When this started, Echo covered her arms again. Hunter thinks she should cover them tonight. She doesn’t want to, and I’m in agreement with her, but am I wrong on this?”

“It’s healthy for Echo to accept her scars. There will be people who can never understand Echo because of it, and then there will be people like you that love her regardless. It’s something she’ll have to learn to deal with.”

I nod to let her know I get it.

“And Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“There will be times that she backtracks. There will be days that it’s easier to cover them. A few days of doing so out of months isn’t a backslide. Sometimes we all need a moment to lick our wounds. And sometimes she might just be cold.”

I chuckle. “True.” After a few beats: “I’m mad at my mom.” Though not as much as I was.

Mrs. Collins places a hand over her heart. “It’s okay to be mad at her.”