Method Acting || Joe Keery

T H I R T Y • N I N E

"Hey," Maya's voice breaks me out of my trance, and I look up from my book.

I smile to Maya, as she sits down on the couch in our break area next to me.

"How was your first sesh with the brain doc?" Maya asks me.

It's been about a week since my coffee date with Gemma, and Maya of course needed an instant play by play of the whole thing. She was extremely supportive of the idea of therapy when I brought it up, having seen a therapist herself before. She even helped me find a therapist quickly, and I'd had my first session yesterday.

I save my page before placing my book down, noticing Maya cringe as I fold the corner of my page to mark my spot.

"Let me buy you a book mark, PLEASE," She begs.

I shake my head.

"Books should be used," I taunt playfully, already knowing her stance on this.

As she rolls her eyes, I take a breath.

"Therapy was good, I think. We didn't really do much, I kind of just gave her my life story. Maybe she can help me write an autobiography after," I joke.

Maya smiles at me.

"Well, that's the annoying bit over. Until you need to find new therapists, and have to retell that story again and again even though they already have the notes," Maya complains.

I laugh.

"Hopefully I won't need to find another one for awhile. It was kind of good to share my story though, it's easy to forget how much we are made up of our experiences and the people we meet," I say thoughtfully.

"Do you have any homework?" Maya asks me.

I groan.

"She wants to know what I want to work on first, but honestly I don't know. I feel like I have too many issues to just pick one," I say.

"Maybe working on decision making?" Maya points out playfully.

A small nose scrunch is my only response.

"How is it going in the new house?" I ask her, subtly changing the subject.

Maya leans back into the couch, getting comfortable and I swear her eyes begin to shine.

"It's amazing," She says softly, "I've lived in a lot of houses before, with my parents being divorced and travelling for work. But, none of those houses felt like home the way sharing a house with Robert feels like home,"

You can see the peace in Mayas face as she talks about home with Robert, and my heart begins to buzz.

Seeing how happy my friends are with each other soothes the pain in my own love life, like a cool, healing cream applied over a raw wound. It's not instantly healed, but feels a little better.

As if summoned, Robert walks into the room, and leans over the couch behind Maya to give her a kiss.

"You look happy," Robert says to her, the love he has for her emanating from him.

"I am," Maya says, content.

Robert looks up at me, and I give him a smile.

"You're due on set again soon," He tells me.

I raise my eyebrows as I check the time, and realise I only have 10 minutes.

"Oh my god, how long was I reading for!" I exclaim as I gather up my things.

I thank Robert and say bye to Maya, before rushing off for my scene.

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