Page 27 of Their Tracked Obsession

I rolled my eyes, “Pick a color so we can get the fuck out of here.”

“Christ. I choose…” Sin glanced back and forth between the materials, but shook his head with a frustrated sigh. “Fuck. I can’t decide.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Same reason as you, moron. I hate this shit as much as you do,” Sin admitted as his cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his jeans pocket. “Even the damn wardrobe consultant was no fucking help. Hello?”

Sin listened to the voice on the other line while I mouthed at him, “Who the fuck is it?” probably five times before he pushed my face away with his hand.

Sin covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “It’s the shrink. Fuck off.”

Good old Dr. Stevens. Perfect timing. We needed a damn distraction.

“Heya, shrink.” I waved at the screen once Sin made the call into a video chat. “Long time, no therapy. Haha. Get it?”

Sin glared at me as if I were a mental case ready to go straight to the ward. “You’re an idiot.”

“Nah, it’s funny. Right, Dr. Stevens?” I asked.

“A classic, Saint.” The young Gen Z smiled at me.

I imagined we’d share a high five. Christ. I was an old-timer.

Stupidly, I chuckled until Sin stared at me. “What?”

“Can we please get on with the problem at hand?” Sin asked.

“Sure. No one’s stopping you. Geez.” I huffed.

“Good.” Sin cleared his throat. “Thanks for calling on such short notice.”

“Absolutely. The floor is yours, gentleman,” Dr. Stevens said as he took a seat and adjusted his screen. “What seems to be the problem?”

Our shrink popped a Sour Patch Kids candy into his mouth. A blue one. Must be his favorite treat because he had the candies in his office too.

“We’re worried Liv is getting cold feet before the wedding,” Sin said.

“Okay.” Dr. Stevens nodded. “A natural response.”

“Not helping,” I mumbled.

Dr. Stevens chuckled softly. “Fair enough. Why do you think Liv is uncertain?”

“Because of the way she acted while we were sparring. She was confident. Too assertive…” Sin explained while lost in the memory. “She told us she didn’t want to do lessons anymore.”

“And how did this make you feel, Sin?” Dr. Stevens asked.

“Upset. Worried. Like less of a man.”

Dr. Stevens glanced at me. “How about you, Saint? How did you feel?”

“Same. Worthless even.” I rubbed the back of my neck, nerves creeping in. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m fucking proud of her accomplishments, but I guess I’m not used to this new version of her.”

We had taken Liv’s decision hard. Straight to the heart like an arrow piercing right through the organ, blood vessels leaking fluid until it came out at the seams.

The young Gen Z had grown up a bit since we last saw him. He had more facial hair with a manly, well-groomed beard. Boy was a real man now.

“It appears Liv’s confidence intimidates you.” Dr. Stevens chewed another candy. “She makes you both feel inadequate.”