Alette

26: surprise surprise surprise

T W E N T Y - S I X

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Alette's POV

"So, would you like to talk about what happened Faye?" Dr. Esa asked gently, after we had made some general small talk at the beginning of our session

I looked down at my lap, playing with my fingers.

"I'm n-not sure," I told her honestly, not knowing what it was that I wanted to talk about.

"That's okay," she soothed.

"I-it's just that, I've b-been trying to forget about it by repressing it this whole time," I sucked in a breath, "But it's hard, because I keep thinking about what could have happened if Reece hadn't come to save me. Or what would've happened if I listened to Tai in the first place," I rambled.

"Well, let's start by mitigating those thoughts, and focusing on the facts yes?" she said, "Let's just think about your reality and what really happened, rather than what could've have happened."

I took in a shaky breath, steadying myself.

"U-um so Tai told me to stay inside, a-and I didn't want to be b-bother so I t-took the garbage out. Then a..."I gulped, "A m-man grabbed me and he touched me w-without c-consent. H-he hurt me and he made me feel disgusting," I closed my eyes, trying to calm my breathing down, "B-but then Reece came and saved me," I finished, opening my eyes and looking at her.

She smiled brightly at me, "Good job Faye! See now if you focus on your reality, you won't struggle with all the extra overwhelming thoughts."

I nodded at her slowly, my breath evening.

"What else has been going on Faye?" she asked me, putting her pen down and sitting back.

I bit my lip, turning slightly red, "I-I have a d-date today," I mumbled shyly.

"Oh hey no way! That's fun, are you excited?" she wiggled her brows making me giggle.

"Y-yeah I'm so excited," I said softly.

I bit my lip, holding myself back.

I couldn't.

"He is so kind Dr. Esa," I gushed, smiling like a fool, "I told him about my past, and he doesn't think differently of me. He makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin, and he's smart, and he's gentle, and he's giving, and he's patient, and he is such a good listener, and I l-"

I cut my sentence off, my eyes widening.

Dr. Esa raised an eyebrow, a knowing look in her eyes.

I cleared my throat, "U-um y-yeah I have a d-date and I'm excited," I mumbled, feeling my face heat, thinking about what I had almost just said.

Dr. Esa nodded, ignoring my slip, "So do you feel more secure in pursuing something with him now?"

I hesitated, and then nodded, "I'm definitely more secure now, because I know, through his actions, that there is something worth pursuing. Also..." I said, feeling distressed all of a sudden, "It has to mean something. It just has to. Everything he's done, I know now that it has crossed the line of friendly. So if he says at this point, that he was just being nice, well...I would be very mad at him," I huffed.

Dr. Esa chuckled, "Based on what you've told me, I don't think you're wrong at all for assuming that he's being more than just friendly, and there is something there."

I smiled, nodding along with her words.

"It's okay to take a chance on things, even if you don't think they're going to work out. Getting hurt sometimes is just a part of growth. Now I'm not saying that you should put yourself into bad situations, or put up with toxic relationships just for the ounce of happiness they may give you, but it's okay to let people in. You don't have to shut yourself off completely to protect yourself. We would all turn into cold and cruel people if we became so distrusting and distant from others. There's bravery in vulnerability." she said gently.