Michael is pacing around his new therapist’s office like a caged animal, brain rolling at about 200 miles per hour with a new thought every five seconds.
“It’s just— It doesn’t make any fuckin’ sense, yanno?” Michael pauses, turning to look at the young woman with his hands out in question. “He keeps claiming he hates my guts and that I’m a snake, yet every time I see him, he… he gives me that… that look.”
The young woman tilts her head. “What look, Michael?”
“You know the one,” he huffs, turning away from her now as he feels his cheeks start to heat up. He didn’t feel comfortable talking about this to anyone, never mind a young girl who looked fresh out of college. Maybe a full hand older than Tracey. “The one that… that, like, hookers give you on the street.”
She stares at him, almost puzzled. Michael swallows and debates just leaving the room then and there. Shifting his feet in the silence, he reminds himself why he feels uncomfortable with her in the first place. Her age, she’s young. Say it in a way she’ll understand. God, what the hell did Tracey call it?
“Fuck me eyes.” Michael deadpans, hands slapping against his sides in defeat. “He gives me fuckin’ fuck me eyes, alright?” He sees her eyes widen a bit in realization, but he keeps going before she could speak, unable to stop himself. “And I fuckin’ know he is, huh? I’ve seen them before. Long time ago.”
She nods slowly. “And did you act on them?”
“What? Now?”
“Now,” she shrugs, “In the past. Did you ever respond?”
Michael chews his lip. The words are on his tongue, but he can’t spit them out. Instead he watches the memories unfold in his mind, a shirtless Trevor and musty, cold motels coming into view.
Seeing him struggle, the doctor clears her throat and adjusts herself in the chair. “Alright, how about this instead. Do you want to act on them?”
Michael blinks. “Now?”
“Now.” she nods. “If Trevor— Trevor, right? If Trevor was here, giving you that look, would you accept it?”
Michael fidgets for a good chunk of time, tongue suddenly like lead in his mouth. His chest tightens with every tick of the clock on her desk. This is a question he’s been asking himself for weeks, months even, and yet—
“I don’t know.” he says truthfully, but sounds defeated. His eyes have lowered to the floor as he sinks back down into the couch provided for clients. “I really don’t— Part of me, I guess… I want too? But the other knows it’s just a bad idea.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well first off, god help anyone who gets romantically involved with Trevor.” Michael tells her. She smiles small at the tease. “Second, it would just reopen old wounds, or… or bring up old feelings, and I don’t wanna hurt him again.” he presses his lips together. “I’ve done enough with that.”
“So bringing up old feelings, that’s strictly on Trevor’s side?” she asks after a moment. “Am I reading that correctly?”
Michael opens his mouth to say yes, but the words catch in his throat, stuck like velcro. The more he tries to push the word out, the heavier his chest feels, a mixture of blue and purple emotions swirling inside. Guilt, anger, love, loneliness.
Fear.
“I don’t know.” he repeats. It echos in his own ears.
She gives him a minute to collect himself before speaking again. “That’s okay, Michael.” she assures. Her voice is calm and sweet, which Michael appreciated. “Let’s see if we can break this down a little. Maybe it’ll help clear your head on it.”
Michael just shrugs. He’s gotten this far with his big fat mouth, what else could happen? He’s probably not coming back after this session anyway. Not after the embarrassment he’s put himself through.
“Why don’t you know?” she asks, following up with more before Michael could call her out on such a stupid question. “What’s stopping you from saying yes?”
Stupid question to loaded.
His face must pale, because she adds, “Take your time. Your my last client for today. I won’t charge if we go over.”
What a difference from his last doc. Maybe he won’t have to cause an accident with this one.
It takes awhile. He really tries to think, get his words right, say it how he wants, or rather how it feels. After what feels like forever he finally grows frustrated enough with himself to growl, “I don’t fucking know. I don’t know anything.”
The doctor frowns. She tries to speak, but Michael keeps going, losing himself in his own self-hatred fueled rage.
“When it comes to him, just— fuck, I don’t know! He was my best friend for years, and yeah we had some fun here and there but it wasn’t serious; I-I didn’t think it was, at least.” he rants, “And then suddenly he’s back in my life after ten years and it…” he comes to a pause, the room falling silent for a moment.
“It feels the same.” he says more quietly. Almost like he was in disbelief.
Nodding slowly while writing some things down, she looks back to Michael. “What does?”
“When I look at him,” Michael keeps his softer tone, and his eyes away from hers. “It feels the same. Just like it did twenty years ago.”
Smiling softly, she sets her pen down and folds her hands on her notepad. “What does it feel like?”
Michael huffs at the question, nearly shaking his head. It was too difficult to answer. He felt so much when he looked at Trevor; anger, guilt, want, regret, and so much more. One he’s been pushing down though, for years, is the feeling that grows the strongest when the other man is around.
“Like… a warm shower after a cold night.” Michael mumbles. He imagines steam hugging his body the way Trevor used too during brutal North Yankton storms. “Warmth. Comfort.”
“Do you feel safe?”
Michael wants to laugh, say absolutely not and she’s insane for even asking a question like that, but he can’t. Trevor’s done some awful things, most of them Michael has seen with his own two eyes, yet one thing he never felt while around Trevor, was threatened. Trevor would never hurt him, not like that. He may throw a punch or two, say some mean things, but Michael knew he’d never really hurt him. Just like he could never really hurt Trevor.
“Yeah.” he whispers. “Yeah… Yeah, I do.”
“Can you think of a word to describe the feeling?”
Michael thinks. A word pops in his head, so naturally it makes his eyes sting.
“Home.”
There’s a long few seconds of silence before the doctor shifts in her chair, placing her notepad on the table in front of her, giving Michael a friendly, comforting smile. “You made a lot of progress today, Michael. I’m really proud of you.” she says in honesty, “Opening up like that isn’t easy for you, I know. Thank you for trusting me enough to let it happen.”
Michael doesn’t say anything, just swallows thick.
“I think we can go somewhere with what we covered today,” she continues, “But, there’s a few parts where I won’t be able to help you. I would suggest having a conversation with your family, and maybe calling that agent you’ve mentioned before. Davey?”
Michael finally looks at her, confusion on his face. “Davey? The hell he got to do with this?”
Her smile falters a bit. “Well, I figured he might be able to pull a few strings for you if you explain what’s going on. Then you can have a talk with Trevor and take it from there.”
Michael’s lost. “Pull strings?
Her smile is nearly gone now. She sits up in her seat, thinking maybe she read this whole thing wrong. “Michael, are you in love with Trevor?”
It’s a smack in the face that leaves his cheek stinging, and another when he realizes he can’t answer with a solid yes or no. He stutters, mouth gaping like a fish.
“I… don’t know.”
He watches her bite her lip, almost like she was hoping for a different answer. “What?” Michael turns towards her, feeling his heart picking up pace in his chest.
“This session started with us talking about your wife, Michael.”
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