LANA MASON
Three Weeks Ago
As my and Harry's names were called by a petite blonde woman, we both stood from the cushioned chairs in the reception area and followed her down a short and narrow hallway to her office. It was cozy inside and sort of reminded me of a classic vintage or antique store in the city, but it smelled of lavender rather than dust and decay.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Bonner," she extended her hand to me first.
"Lana," I introduced myself and watched Harry do the same after me.
"Please, take a seat," she gestured to the red velvet couch against the wall, and she sat in a royal blue velvet armchair. "How are you both doing today?"
"A little nervous, I think," I answered truthfully, glancing at Harry to see his reaction, but he appeared as cool as he always does. "We've never done this before. I've never done any kind of therapy, so...I'm just not sure what to expect."
"Well, that's perfectly normal for your first time," she assured me. "The purpose is just to create a safe space for the two of you to discuss whatever difficulties you're experiencing in your relationship with a mediator involved. I'm just here to spark conversation and try to offer sound advice to help you work through everything."
I nodded, mindlessly playing with the rings on Harry's fingers as I held his hand in my lap. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"What about you, Harry?" She asked. "Any reservations?"
His chest puffed up as he breathed in, slowly shaking his head after thinking about it for a moment. "Not really, but I agree with what she said. I've never done therapy before and it seems like there's quite a bit to unpack."
With a friendly red-lipped smirk, Dr. Bonner said, "Well, then we should get into it, shouldn't we? Can you start by telling me how you two met and how long you've been together?"
I rolled my lips together to keep from laughing as I looked up at Harry. He gestured for me to tell the story. "Well, I was his daughter's nanny. I responded to an advertisement that his now ex-girlfriend posted last spring, and we sort of got together during the summer. It was June and we had known each other since the end of March."
"I see," she nodded. "Was there any overlap with your previous relationship, Harry?"
"No, not at all," he shook his head. "Allison and I had broken up before we hired Lana together, and I moved out of the apartment I was sharing with Allison a couple of weeks after Lana started working for us."
"Can I ask why you and your past partner broke up? Allison?"
Harry paused, and I think that was the moment we realized we were truly in the midst of a therapy session. It seemed like we should have known that when we walked into the building and Dr. Bonner's office, but it felt more real after she asked that winning question.
"She cheated on me with a man she worked with," he answered bluntly. "I was suspicious of it, but I'll admit that I never confronted her or tried to work through it. I was absent in the relationship toward the end, which is why I believe she cheated."
"Mm," Dr. Bonner's thin brows knit together like two skinny, symmetrical caterpillars. "How did that make you feel when you found out?"
I looked up at my fiancé as he blinked back at our new therapist, brushing my thumb back and forth over the knuckle of his index finger. It felt promising to me that he paused again to consider how to answer the question truthfully to a stranger and in front of me.
