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“I wouldn’t say they are secrets, per se, but the couch does make my patients feel more comfortable. They almost feel like they’re at home talking to a friend. They’re essentially you, but the only difference is that I’m not going to charge you a boatload of money to do it.”
Daxon grinned, then pointed at it. When he sat down in the nearby chair, I growled. I didn’t intend to lay down, but I did sit.
“So, where do I start? Do I tell you about my childhood, and you notate something in one of your damn notebooks that you’ll use to later explain why I’m so fucked up?”
“We’re not here as doctor and patient, but rather as friends. You can start anywhere, but I assume by your last remark that you think your childhood has fucked you up in some way.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s nothing like that. Do you remember what I said about Costa Rica?”
“About the ayahuasca cleanse, then a one night stand?”
I nodded. “Well, the one night stand is none other than a student in my class.”
“No way! Damn! I bet that was a shock. How does it make you feel?”
“Honestly, I’d tried to get her to transfer to another class, but there wasn’t another one available and she needs this course to graduate.”
“Doesn’t it feel weird having to teach someone you had sex with before?”
My friends all knew how I was with women. I never committed, and to be honest, I’d rarely slept with the same girl more than a few times. As I answered Daxon truthfully, everything came spilling out. I told him about how I’d lost control in my office and took her right there against the door, to actually showing up unannounced at her place. My indecent proposal of sorts came next, followed by the last few months up to the night of the charity event. I expressed my concern about how she’d just abruptly ended things, and the awkwardness between us now.
“I know a secret relationship is hard, or I guess it would be, but the two of us had been doing well. I can’t believe she just up and broke things off like she did. The worst part is that I’m sure it was something I did, but I don’t know what. Nicole hates me. I see it in her eyes, and I hear it in her voice during class.”
“And how does thinking that make you feel?”
“It fucking sucks, man. I just told you that it was the worst part, but I’m realizing that’s also a lie.” His brow arched, and since I’d told him this much, I decided to just throw the rest of it out there, too. “I think I’ve fallen in love with her.”
“You think—”
“Okay, damn. I have fallen in love with her, but she won’t even let me talk to her so that I can tell her.”
Daxon’s advice that followed was basically to give her time. He mentioned the stress that a secret relationship with her professor likely put her under, and that maybe once classes were over and done with, she might hear me out. I was pretty sure the longer we stayed apart, the less likely that was, but I didn’t want to even bring that thought to fruition.
“And there’s something else.”
“What more could there be?”
As soon as he asked the question, I saw his eyes widen and I quickly clarified myself.
“It’s nothing like that. Nicole’s not a normal student, per se. She’s the daughter of a powerful Titan, and the niece of another.”
“What’s her last name?”
“Courtland. Nicole is—”
“Jonas Courtland’s niece?” At my nod, he shook his head in amusement. “You know he’ll kill you if he finds out that you’ve been fucking his niece. I’ve met Logan a few times over the years, but we know Jonas, and more importantly, he knows us. He knows you. Do you think she’s said anything to him about you?”
This time, I was the one to let out a laugh, albeit mine was more sarcastic in nature. “I’m still alive, so I’m assuming she has not.”
Daxon got up and walked over to a small refrigerator that he had behind his desk. When he returned, he had two beers in his hands. He handed one off to me, and the two of us drank it in nearly complete silence until I remembered what I had gone to the sports bar to begin with.
“I think you should still just give her some more time. Things will get better. But enough of my grilling you for the day, man. Let’s try to catch some highlights from the game.”
He turned on the television, and thankfully, we were able to catch the last few minutes of the game before turning to the highlights. Noah had a great game as usual, but Romeo’s was off the charts. Next week, he’d hit that thousand yard threshold, and luckily he’d be playing at home so we could all go and celebrate afterward.
NICOLE
Just two days after my mother’s death, I was back in Chicago. It was the last place I wanted to be, but my father had asked my brother and me to return to school. We would be back in a few short weeks, and he’d indicated he would consider a memorial service then. My mother had requested that nothing be done, in fact, she’d insisted that we remember her as she once was, and not for what she had become in the last six months. I understood her not wanting others to dwell on her cancer, but she was so important to not only my family, but so many others in the community.
