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She huffed out a laugh. “I’m not entirely convinced you’re real. Usually, people aren’t this nice about my . . . panic.”
“That’s funny because I could say the same thing about you.”
“We’re two peas in a pod, I guess.” This strange kinship prompted her to say even more. Things she never would say. “I have anxiety, by the way. I think a level-two boyfriend should know that.”
It was a gamble. One that could end horribly.
But God, she didn’t want it to. She stared at his features, waiting for the familiar judgment or an eye roll that she had received from so many others.
It didn’t come.
“Level two? Have I been promoted?”
“On accident, but yes. You have.”
“Then thank you for telling me.”
“You have to have thoughts. Maybe questions.”
“Only one.”
“What is it?” Maybe it would be about her medication or how she even got her job.
“How do I help you with it?”
“What?” She had never been asked that before.
“I know at work you handle it remarkably well, but I want to be able to help you feel more comfortable. What can I do?”
“This,” she said. “Just being here.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“I mean, that is more than enough.”
“Not really. I consider being with you one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. And if that’s all you need, then I’ll happily do it. But if you ever need more, just ask.”
Amelia blinked. She was so flabbergasted that she couldn’t form words. Maybe he wasn’t judgmental. Maybe he was like her parents.
But she felt a tug, a fear begging to be listened to.
Anxiety is easy. ADHD is not.
There were debates about medication. Debates about how it manifested in women. It required nuance.
“People would pay top dollar for this shit, Amelia,” Andrew had said. “And you’re using it just to do what the rest of us can do easily.”
If Daniel questioned any of it, she might break. And she’d already done that tonight. Maybe it was best if she focused on answering his question and kept her other diagnosis to herself.
“The hand thing helped,” she said. “And maybe tell me to stay home. Or that it’s okay to.”
Daniel nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Then, in the vein of that, I think we should go back to the condo.”
“Yeah. I definitely agree.”
“You need some rest.”
“I don’t want to ruin your night,” she repeated.
