"Sang, sweetie, did you hear me?"
I blink a few times and turn to look at the handsome face beside me. His emerald eyes gaze at me through a pair of black framed lenses, and the concern etched on his face is distressing.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Kota. What were you saying?" I reach out and try to un-furrow his brow with my fingertips, causing him to smile, which is what I was going for.
"I asked if you were ready to meet with Dr. Roberts. He's going to be there in about half an hour, and I know that you don't want to be late."
Half an hour?
"I thought that we weren't supposed to be there until after the lunch rush," I whine. I look at the clock and see that it's already 12:20. I sigh and lean into him. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?"
He puts his arm around me and pulls me in tight. "It's okay, Sang. We'll find a way to get you through this, I promise."
For the past week or so I've been zoning out. I don't really know what else to call it, but I seem to just disappear for a while. The guys tell me that I don't respond to them at all, and if they try to jolt me out of it, I either ignore them completely or become violent. Sean says that it's my brain's way of coping with everything that has happened. It just makes me feel like more of a burden to them all. Owen tells me to give it time, but I don't know how much longer they're going to put up with me like this. They've got their own healing to deal with right now and don't need to be trying to fix me too.
"Oi, Trouble! Don't mess up your fucking hair! I spent way too long getting it just right!" Gabriel grabs my hand and twirls me while lifting me to my feet.
"What about my hair, Meanie?" I ask him.
"We were running out of time and you were, um, you know. So I did your hair while you were sitting here." He looks uncomfortable, like he's afraid I'll be mad.
I reach up and give him a light peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Gabriel. I know that it's hard to deal with me right now. I'm sorry you had to do that."
He just shakes his head and frog marches me to the bedroom. He hands me a soft, rose colored knit dress and a matching wide patent leather belt with a heart clasp. "Put these on and then I've got a couple of different pairs of shoes for you to try, okay?" I nod and he leaves me alone to change.
I'm careful of my hair and smooth the beautiful fabric down over my hips. Of course, it fits perfectly, and I am once again amazed by him. He comes back in and hands me a pair of calf height tan leather boots. They have little buckles in the shapes of hearts at the top and I love them instantly.
"That looks fan-fucking-tastic on you, Trouble," he murmurs while spinning me around. "I really outdid myself this time." He places a thin wire headband in my hair and steps back. "Perfect."
I beam at him and he offers me a little bow and his elbow. "May escort the lady to her chariot?"
I giggle and do a wobbly curtsy. "But of course, good sir." I take his arm and we meet Kota and Mr. Blackbourne at the car.
***
"Lovely as always, Miss Sorensen," I say as I kiss her knuckles. I look over at Mr. Lee, asking him with a look if everyone is in place. He nods and I help her into my new car.
"I thought Kota and Gabriel were coming with us, Owen," she voices as I pull away from Sean's condo.
I turn my head and give the smile that is reserved only for her. "They will be meeting us there. They have a little bit of business to attend to first." She nods and strokes her fingers absentmindedly along the soft leather seat. She bites her bottom lip as she fidgets in her seat. "Nerveous?" I ask her.
