Paid Love (Dr.Strange x reader)

Chapter Sixteen

Sighing, the woman wearing a work skirt, heels, and a blouse with a jacket looked at the clock. She placed her pen onto her notepad which was lying on her lap. You watched her remove her glasses, one of the only moments you dared to look her in the eyes.

"You know, it's almost three PM again and you've barely said a word. Again."

You looked down at your shoes.

"How did you meet Stephen?" she then asked, completely out of the blue.

You looked at her in confusion. "How does that matter?"

"It doesn't but if you're not going to talk with me about your past, or how you're feeling, it's better than nothing." Her calm, therapist-like composture made you skeptical. Like the first time you arrived here.

"It's a long story."

She gave you a thin smile, probably thinking of multiple ways of making you talk. That's at least what you thought.

"You can trust me. I'm a professional and literally tied to the law. I couldn't tell anyone what we're discussing here, even if I wanted to. Even if I'm the kind of person who likes gossiping." She chuckled. Making jokes was probably one of her ways to make you trust her. Again, you thought.

But you stayed silent.

"I'm sure you experienced a lot and it seems easier at the moment to shove all this in the back of your head in a tiny little box but trust me..." She placed her elbows on her lap, leaning in."This box is going to get fuller and fuller until it overleaps and explodes, overwhelming you with everything at the same time."

"I'm not ready."

"No one ever really is. But the goal is not to completely empty the box in one session. Even a small little step can help a lot. As long as you are willing to cooperate and work."

"The session is over. Stephen is probably already waiting outside."

She simply nods, not being happy with the answer you gave her.

You lift yourself up from the couch and leave the room. God, you were so glad this was over. Until the next session, of course. The fresh breeze welcomed you outside as you already saw Stephen's car parked. You walked up to it, opening the door and entering.

"Hello. So? How was it?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Alright." He nodded, looking back forward. "Hey, how about we go to the mall?" He then asked.

"Why?"

"I thought maybe you would need some things."

"Not really."

"A distraction?"

"Hm..."

He turned to look at you, placing his arm over the steering wheel. "You've barely been out. I mean, I'm glad you're not running off again while I'm working but... You seem so distant lately." He really was glad that you stopped running off but sometimes he wondered if it was a good sign or not. At least the running off could be looked at as a sign of energy and will. But now that you barely did anything...

It has been weeks since that incident with Dylan. And your mom. AND Stephen lying about it. You had to admit you were glad that Stephen had taken care of the funeral and literally anything else. Without him, you probably couldn't have been able to afford a funeral. And a graveyard spot. You felt shitty about the fact that you hadn't thanked him for that yet and now he wanted to spend even more money on you.

"You don't need to spend more money on me."

"First off, I'm happy to. Second, I just think you need a distraction. Third off, I don't think I have to remind you of our agreements and rules, right?"