Her Therapist

Chapter 34.

ESTHER

I do what I'm told, and I sit on the chair, averting my gaze when I feel his on me.

"You really don't have to call her. I'll..."

"You'll what?", he presses, and I lift my head to find him already watching me intensively.

"I...I will..." I try to think of something. Anything. But he takes out his phone from the pocket of his doctor's coat. "No, no! Sebastian, don't! I'll earn my salary, I don't want you to..."

"To what Esther? Is this about that?" His voice is strangely stern. I still haven't experienced that. I mean yeah, he yelled at me, but this is different. Very different. Strangely different. Scary different. As if he cares.

He does care, my consciousness says. Admit it.

I swallow hard, looking at my lap. "About what?"

"About your pride."

"I don't wanna lose it", I mumble.

"Lose what? Your pride? You won't, I promise you that."

"You're gonna tell her to give me money before I earn it. I'm only working there for a couple of days. What will people think of me? Workers there?"

"Since when do you care for what will people think about you? Let alone say?" He frowns, leaning on the desk, his eyes prickling in me. I gulp again, trying to swallow the dumpling that has formed in my throat.

"I..."

"Spare me. I'm gonna call her no matter what you say." I let out a frustrated sigh when he dials her number and waits for her to respond.

"Does she even know how to answer?", I ask bored, looking at my bitten nails.

"Yes, she knows", he responds way too sharply.

I only nod. "Maybe she won't ans..."

"Hey, Nanny!", he tweets, and I raise my eyebrows. "How are you... Good, I'm good...Hey, I'm here with Esther...Yeah, I'll tell her hi from you, she greets you, too, yeah..." I roll my eyes at this. "Well, no, I don't have any problem, I was just wondering if you could give her the salary...Yeah, well, she needs to pay something, it's urgent...Yeah, I understand...Okay, I'll tell her...No, no problem... Thank you, Nanny, I'll come soon to see you...Okay, love you, too, bye."

I slowly dart my gaze to him when I sense him ending the call. "Done", he says with a smile that I find very white, and...

Attractive?

No, not attractive, more like annoying.

"Okay", I whisper, averting my gaze from his brown eyes which I feel can see my rotten soul. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I did have to, and I'm glad I did. No need to thank me, Esther", he says with a voice soft as a baby's butt, which makes me want to cry.

No one has ever done something like this for me. Each boss I had hated me, but I can guess why is that, I was a pain in their asses from the beginning. But I was a pain in Sebastian's ass, too, yet he does nothing but help me, and intend to understand me.

I turn to him, my eyebrows knitting. "Why?"

He shakes his head, confused. "Why what?"

"Why do you do all of this for me? It can't be just because I'm your patient."

"I do a lot for my patients", he says.

"Like for that Wendy?" He frowns at the mention of her. "You said, or someone said that you put her in the safe house. Also, what's with the redhead?"