The Love Of My Life

Chapter 18

Tony's POV 

Thursday finally rolled around, and even though I knew this day was coming, it hit me harder than I thought it would. Today was Maya's first therapy session, and if I'm being honest, I think I was more nervous than she was. I could feel it in the way my stomach churned the second I opened my eyes. I kept telling myself this was a good thing—it was a good thing—but the thought of her sitting in that session, peeling back the layers of whatever she'd been holding inside, made my chest tight. We woke up moving slowly, dragging our feet around the hotel room like we were trying to hold onto the morning as long as we could. Normally, even on days off, we'd find something to do—maybe walk around whatever city we were in or plan a little outing. But today felt different. Neither of us was in any rush to go anywhere.

Maya stayed quiet as she shuffled through her things, pulling out clothes and packing her bag with whatever she thought she might need. I watched her from the corner of my eye, pretending to look busy scrolling through my phone. She didn't seem nervous, just... calm. Too calm. Like she was holding everything in so tightly, it might snap.

"Want to grab some breakfast?" I finally asked, breaking the silence. She paused, glancing at me, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if she'd say yes. Then she nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good." she finished, We got dressed without saying much, her slipping into jeans and a sweater, me pulling on a hoodie over my t-shirt. It felt like any other morning, but there was this unspoken weight hanging between us like we were both hyperaware of what was coming next. We ended up at a small diner a few blocks from the hotel, one of those places with sticky tables and the smell of coffee that clings to your clothes. The kind of place we always seemed to find ourselves in when we needed comfort more than anything fancy.

Maya ordered pancakes and fruit; I got eggs and bacon. We didn't talk much at first, just the occasional comment about the weather or how the diner reminded us of a spot back home. But as the food arrived and the coffee started to kick in, she seemed to relax a little, even offering me a bite of her pancakes like she used to when we were dating."You okay?" I asked her after a while, my voice soft enough that it wouldn't feel like I was pressing her. She looked up from her plate; her fork paused mid-air. For a second, I thought she might brush it off or change the subject, but instead, she set her fork down and sighed. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm trying not to think too much about it. Just... one step at a time, right?" she said,  "Right," I said, nodding. "One step at a time." I finished.  We finished breakfast in a quiet rhythm, not uncomfortable but thoughtful like we were both bracing ourselves for what the day would bring. When we left, I paid the bill and held the door open for her, and we walked back to the hotel without saying much.

By the time we got to the room, it was like the weight of the day had fully settled on both of us. Maya checked the time and started setting up her laptop for the session. I stood off to the side, watching her move around the room with a calm determination that I admired more than I could put into words. "You need anything before you start?" I asked, trying to sound casual even though my heart was pounding. She shook her head. "I'm good. Thanks, my love," she said. There was a beat of silence before she glanced over at me, her expression softening. "You don't have to leave, you know." she said, "I know," I said quickly, my voice catching. "But I think you'll feel better if you've got the room to yourself. I'll just hang out in the lobby or something." I said, She didn't argue, just nodded and gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Grabbing my phone and headphones, I kissed her on the forehead before heading out. "You've got this," I said quietly, more to reassure myself than her. The door clicked shut behind me, and I let out a shaky breath, leaning against the wall for a moment. The thought of her sitting in there, talking to a stranger about things she hadn't even fully told me, was both terrifying and hopeful. I wanted this to work for her, for us.