Mistress Therapy

Eight - Nate And Calvin

Nathan

As we locked eyes, everything else seemed to fade away, and my heart raced at the sight of her. It was a new sensation, and I couldn’t help but notice her petite figure. For some reason, gazing into her eyes made me feel a sense of safety, and it hit me just how beautiful she was. I had never really thought much of her during our sessions, but seeing her now, dressed up and elegant, made me realise how charming she looked.

She was about to speak when I heard a familiar male voice. I immediately recognized it, and irritation swept over me. He was the last person I wanted to encounter, and memories of our intense argument five years ago resurfaced as we made eye contact.

Calvin and I had been like brothers since junior high, the closest of friends. But we were fundamentally different from each other—far too different.

Calvin had squandered his college years on drugs, parties, and promiscuity. Despite my efforts to help him turn things around, including a fistfight that followed his promises to change, he eventually fell back into his old habits.

By the time we were twenty-eight, his financial troubles were mounting. I stepped in to assist him, unaware that he was using the money irresponsibly—on drugs, women, and parties—while his business faltered. One night, I received a drunk text from him and traced his phone to an underground party. I dragged him out, and we had a heated argument.

"You’re heading down a dangerous path," I said, frustrated. "Wake up! We’re almost thirty. Do you even have any savings?"

Calvin's response was bitter. "Sorry, I’m not as privileged as you, Nate. You don’t know my struggles. Why didn’t you tell me about your engagement? You claimed you didn’t like her."

“It’s an arranged marriage,” I explained. “It doesn’t matter.”

He scoffed, his anger flaring. "I hate you, Nate. You have everything and still aren’t satisfied. You’re a terrible friend. I wish I’d never met you!"

In a fit of rage, Calvin punched me. "This isn’t you!" I yelled, struggling to defend myself as he tackled me and continued hitting me.

“You don’t get to define who I am,” he spat. “Twelve years later and you still see me as nothing but a junkie and playboy. Enjoy your perfect life, Nathan. And, happy married life in advance, I just wish I didn't have to hear about it from our other friends," he said to me, before he stood up and left me in that dark alley.
After that night, I never saw my best friend again.

Calvin cut off all contact and vanished from his old apartment, leaving no trace of where he went. I later learned from mutual friends that he had started his own company but continued his reckless lifestyle, albeit in a more sophisticated manner. The betrayal left me with a deep resentment toward him, and I hoped never to cross paths with him again.

Yet, today, I did. To my dismay, Calvin was with Heidi, who seemed to be in a romantic relationship with him. A troubling feeling washed over me, as I couldn’t shake the sense that Heidi didn’t belong with someone like Calvin and would only end up hurt. Although I barely knew her beyond our therapy sessions, I couldn’t just stand by and let her suffer.

Fortuitously, I saw Heidi waiting by the road. I offered her a ride, and she reluctantly accepted.

“So, you and Calvin are dating or something?” I asked cautiously.

“Dating?” she echoed, surprised. “No, we’re just friends.”

“Really? Because it looked like he was pretty close to you. If you're ‘just friends,’ why was he so affectionate?” I pressed, noticing her annoyance.

“I don’t need to explain that to you, Mr. Nate,” she replied sharply, folding her arms.

“Calvin isn’t the best company,” I warned her. “I’d stay away if I were you.”

“Your view of Calvin is different from mine,” she countered. “It’s none of your business who I associate with. Now, I’d prefer if we dropped the topic.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I murmured, but she remained silent.

“Thanks for the ride, Mr. Hendrix,” Heidi said as she unfastened her seatbelt.

“Nate is fine, I believe I mentioned that before,” I replied, and she looked at me with a faint smile.

“Right, Nate,” she said, her tone more relaxed. “And about your question at the gallery, you can fall in love with her. Just give it a try,” she said warmly before stepping out of the car and waving goodbye.

I sat there, momentarily stunned, unable to shake off the fluttering feeling her smile left behind.
Shaking my head, I drove away, trying to push the strange sensation aside.

When I got home, Jacqueline greeted me with a sharp look.

“You’re late,” she said from the sofa, where she was watching TV.

“I was gone for five hours. It’s not a big deal,” I replied, and she tossed a pillow at me.

“What was that for?” I asked, annoyed.

“That’s for not fixing the kitchen lights,” she said, standing up with her hands on her hips. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to cook dinner with that awful lighting?”

“Alright, I’ll get it done after I wash up,” I said, heading upstairs.

“No! Get it done, now!” Jacqueline demanded.

“Could you please quiet down? I’m really tired and don’t need your yelling,” I said, closing my eyes. Jacqueline walked away and went upstairs to her room.

That’s right, her room. We had never slept in the same bed, and I had never touched Jacqueline, not even a kiss. We had hugged and held hands in public out of necessity, and on our wedding day, I had only kissed her on the cheek.

Living with her hadn’t been so bad a few years ago, but now I couldn’t tolerate her nagging and lack of tidiness. She complained about everything, rarely cleaned, and didn’t take care of the house.

I always had to come home from work and handle the chores, which was becoming increasingly difficult. Jacqueline worked as a teacher at a kindergarten owned by her mother, so she was out in the morning and back in the evening.

Despite this, she never took care of the road.

After visiting the psychologist, she had improved somewhat—she cooked and cleaned more—but our relationship remained the same.

Heidi had talked about love, which seemed impossible to me because I was not attracted to Jacqueline, and falling in love felt like an unreachable goal.

Maybe if we went back to Heidi for therapy, things would change.