Synergy: Restitution (Synergy Series #3) [BWWM]

Chapter 1. 'Four'

Therapy I

"What makes you angry?" the therapist asked, looking around at the sea of new faces in front of him. He loved the first session with a new class, because you never knew what to expect. Most people would keep quiet unless directly spoken to, not willing to open up about their issues. Most people didn't want to be here at all, and would literally rather be anywhere else. Angry people don't like talking about why they're angry. Most of them don't know why they are. The answers were often interesting.

Dee sat quietly in the corner of the circle, her legs outstretched in front of her. She focused her vision on the high tops she was wearing on her feet, unwilling to make eye contact. She hated having to spend time with people she didn't know, especially to talk about why she was angry.

"Nobody?" the therapist's voice asked, looking expectantly around the room. Dee made the mistake of making eye contact for just a second, but she quickly looked away again. She didn't want to be picked out.

"How about if I ask you why you are angry?"

A few people looked up with frowns on their faces, Dee included.

"You're angry because I've asked you why you're angry, right?" the therapist asked, and this time, a few people chuckled.

"It's true, isn't it?" he confirmed, and a few people started to mutter between themselves.

"Nobody likes that question."

**

"Can you put these on the table?" Dee asked her younger sister, handing her a plate of party food. The house was buzzing with noise already, with kids running around their feet and adults laughing and joking. Nobody seemed to be helping, and Dee was feeling the pressure.

Dee glanced out of the kitchen window as she prepared food, seeing that her son was still okay. She smiled as he took charge of a game with his friends, laying down the rules respectfully. He had really grown into his own; still, she found it hard to believe that her little boy was turning 4 today. Her kids were probably the only thing in her life that got her truly emotionally, and she reminded herself to hold it together. She had a lot of people coming over for his party, and she couldn't be losing it in front of everybody.

Dee's family had turned up early in true Thompson family fashion. Most people would be happy, because it would mean more hands to help, but her family were anything but helpful in a gathering. They congregated together in groups, reminiscing and drinking too much, so help went straight out of the window. Dee was lucky she had her younger sister Kiki, though she was tied up herself trying to soothe her 7-month-old daughter, who was starting to cry in her arms.

It was a full house, with Dee's family and friends, and all of their children. Her best friend Tip had managed to get all four of his children for the occasion, and Shaneeka was there with her twin boys. Her friend Keisha, who she used to work with, had brought her three boys over, but the eldest was 12 now, and he seemed less than impressed that he'd been dragged to a kid's party. The last time Dee saw him, he was sulking in a corner on his phone.

"Kiki!" Dee snapped, as she watched her sister feed her daughter some of the food from the plate she'd just handed her. They were meant for later, and she had a lot of people to feed.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back, snapping her head around to look at her sister. "She's fussing."

Dee rolled her eyes as she watched her sister walk back to the table with the food and place it in the centre. She could see herself getting frustrated with everybody today, though she tried to remember what she'd learnt in class.

Court-ordered therapy was not what she thought it would be. She imagined everybody sitting around talking about their feelings and crying with a bucket load of tissues, but it seemed everybody there wasn't that different to her. She had actually become pretty friendly with a couple of people there, but they weren't quite friends yet.

She'd thought about inviting them to the party a couple of days beforehand, but she thought better of it when she remembered the circumstances she'd met them in. She didn't need hot-headed people around her children. She didn't care that she sounded judgemental, or contradicting. She knew she was there for the same reason as them but you could never be too careful.

"Need some help?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. Her thoughts of therapy evaporated as she noted who it was. She knew without turning around.

"That would be good," she sighed, turning around to meet his gaze.

As always, she landed on his blue eyes first, but a few more seconds allowed her to take in his outfit. Jason was dressed in a smart but casual shirt, with a pair of tan coloured chinos on his legs. His style always looked smart without too much effort, and honestly, it was a million miles away from the saggy pant jeans and hooded top that Trey had turned up in.

"What d'ya need?" Jason asked, walking over to the kitchen counter and placing his hands on top, waiting for instruction. He could already tell that Dee was stressed. She liked to think she could keep her feelings under wrap, but he always knew.

"Um..." Dee sighed, looking around at the mess on top of the counter.

"Could you take these ones and put 'em on the table," she pointed, gesturing to an array of plates stacked high with food.

"Then they need chopping up," she finished, as she continued buttering sandwiches.

Jason carried out her orders, without saying a word. He was surprised that nobody was helping her already, but he knew what her family could be like. He'd already seen her brother Jarell playing card games on the front porch on the way in with a couple of people he didn't recognise. He could only assume they were friends of his. Dee's mom had greeted him in a slightly tipsy manner when he'd entered too. He knew what Monique could be like in party situations, even when she didn't mean to be. Her jovial celebratory drinking could turn nasty if she had one too many, and her kids were always on guard to make sure she didn't cross that line.

"Is Trey not here?" Jason asked as he made his way back to her from the table. He couldn't help but notice a lack of Tushaun's father around the house, though he was aware he'd been spending a lot more time with him lately.

"Yeah, he's just gone to the store for a few things," Dee replied, barely looking up from her sandwich-making.

Jason raised his eyebrows, but kept quiet. He was surprised to hear Trey of all people was running errands.

Jason was never negative about anybody, but he had never liked Trey since the moment he met him. Something didn't sit right with him. The guy was never around when Tushaun was a baby, but as soon as Jason's back was turned when he was working away, Trey was suddenly the doting father. He didn't trust him as far as he could throw him and he loved that little boy like his own. He didn't want to see him hurt or used.

Dee and Jason continued to prepare food in silence as the hustle and bustle of voices around them faded into the distance. Every now and then Jason looked over at Dee to see if she was okay, but her face gave nothing away. He watched her as she reached up to grab something from the top cupboard, her body stretched as far as it would go on her tip toes, but still her fingertips barely grazed the item she wanted.

He couldn't help but look at her backside in her high waist jeans, her figure completely back to the way it was before she'd had their son. Her cropped top showed off a portion of her abs and back, and it was clear to see that she was still confident in her skin. He loved that.

Chuckling to himself as she got no further, Jason leaned over behind her and retrieved the box, bringing it down to her hands.

"Thanks," she muttered, and Jason could have sworn he saw her blush.