The Couch

The Greatest Love

FLASHBACK - FRESHMAN YEAR CON.

A hero complex wasn't a switch you turned on and off. That was a hard lesson for Spencer to learn and with the help of Dr. Spears, he was doing a better job of realizing when the cape on his back was smothering him. When it came to his girlfriend, he knew she was strong enough to get help after her relapse. He couldn't shoulder the blame for not seeing the signs before it was too late. He couldn't change that and it took a while for him to get that through his own head. Now here he was trying to keep a healthy balance between his relationship and the lasting rough patch they were going through.

What scared him the most was being left in the dark. He couldn't help Olivia if he didn't know what was going on outside of what he saw on a daily basis. Afraid that he has missed signs to something bigger, he continued to hang around even though it was taking a toll on him. He decided to turn to the one person who would know Olivia the best, other than himself.

Spencer tapped his foot, his nerves getting the best of him lately, "Hey, Coach."

"Spence, what's up. Unlike you to call at this time of the day. Don't you have class," Billy asked.

"No class today," he relied dryly.

"Uh oh, what's going on, son? I know that tone."  The day before, Billy and Coach Garret had another heated exchange and he assumed that was why Spencer was calling.

"You and Mrs. Baker's careers ever clash," the star receiver blurted out. "I know her being a Laura has nothing to do with football but..."

"I take it you and Liv are still having issues," Billy sighed. The previous conversation Olivia had with her father about the tension in her relationship with Spencer had stayed a secret up until this point. Billy attempted to recover his slip of the tongue, "I could sense it that night after the raid."

"Yeah. Things been weird for awhile now. Things were cool until she started that NIL article and sense then she's been distant. Don't know if it's because Wade is my teammate or something else is going on that she isn't telling me," he explained, the sadness and hurt dripping from his tone.

"Ah, I see. It's just an adjustment. Every relationship has its challenges and this one happens to be one of yours. As far as my career clashing with Laura's, we clashed on different things. Like our time commitment to our careers more than anything. But we eventually found balance and worked through it. Wasn't easy but like I told Liv, if you want this to work, you gotta fight for it," the coach explained. "By the time you're graduated and in the NFL, you'll both have a better grasp on all this. You're only in your freshman year, give it time."

"Thanks, Coach. It's hard being patient when I'm not even sure what she's feeling right now. Our communication used to be on point," Spencer shared with a heavy sigh.

Communication once being the strongest part of their relationship, now suddenly the weakest was alarming. Spencer's head was spinning trying to figure out why.
——-
After talking to his coach, Spencer decided he would give communication another chance. Olivia would be off work soon, so he could wait at the Bakers'. When he arrived, Olivia's car was already parked outside. Spencer frowned but used the key she had given back to him.

The house was eerily quiet. "Liv," he called out, going to the kitchen where Olivia was usually sitting at the island. Maybe her car was there and she had left with one of the other girls. Climbing the stairs, he could hear soft cries and quickly moved up the staircase. "Liv, you in here?"

FILL IN WITH SPELIVIA

—————
PRESENT DAY

In their next session, Yolanda began with a mindfulness activity. With the last several meetings resulting in Olivia getting emotional, it was important to make sure she was present.