Anemone

Plum: White

She didn't see him in the fall. Summer came and went with its heatwaves and surprise showers, leaving like the tide and taking Amias with it.

The leaves crisped along with the air, and one day when Dr. Naran stepped into her office and flicked on the lights, she noticed a plain envelope situated on her desk. It aligned with her nameplate and was addressed to one Dr. Indira Naran. Straight, angled, admirably penned.

She draped her cardigan over her chair before taking a seat, flipping open the fold, and sliding out the creased sheet.

--

Dr. Naran,

I decided to go back.

Not for good. Never for good, actually. I don't think I could ever life there again after... everything. I could have called your office but I couldn't say the words. I don't want to go. But I have to, don't I? Or these tallies will never turn pink and I'll never learn to stop counting the leaves.

I don't know how long I'll be gone or if I come back, but if I don't, there's one thing I had to tell you.

Thank you for letting me stare out your office window.

The seasons always looked so different there.

With Appreciation and Hope to Return,

Amias Yeo

--

Dr. Naran smiled and tucked the note into the safety of her first drawer. Maybe she'd give him a call later and ask how he was doing, but for now, she would wait for the new patient that was to come in today. From the information the was told by her receptionist, he was new in town and had some personal troubles he needed help sorting through.

She hoped she could help him. That's what she was here for.

Luckily, he came on time and knocked on the door a few times before he poked his head through the doorway.

"Dr. Naran?"

"Good morning, Mr. Orellana," she greeted. She stood to shake his hand before they took their respective seats— her in her black office chair and him on the mantis green armchair. She couldn't help but think there was something vaguely familiar about him despite never meeting him before. "What brings you to my office today?"

He shifted awkwardly, but politely kept eye contact with her.

"I'm, uh, having some problems I don't really understand?" he said, scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. She could see one pale pink line on his wrist. "Sorry, I'm kinda new to this and I'm not sure what to say..."

Dr. Naran chuckled.

"That's alright, Mr. Orellana. Everyone feels nervous their first few sessions, but I promise it gets easier over time. How about you start telling me about your move here? If I remember correctly, you've only been here a week."

Mr. Orellana bowed his head in embarrassment.

"Right. I just moved into an apartment down the street," he began. He fumbled a bit with his words. "It was more of an impulse on my part. I don't normally pack up my life and go like I just did, but I just... felt it was right. Besides, it's a nice change of scenery."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"An impulsive decision?"

"Ah, well, you see, I got divorced last week," he confessed. That explained why his mark was pink. "I don't really understand it. I mean, it was a mutual thing and her mark was pink too but— but is it weird for a couple to divorce a little over a year of being married?"

Dr. Naran shook her head.

"About 20% of couples divorce within the first five years of marriage," she informed. Mr. Orellana seeme to sag in his seat when he heard that fact.

"Oh... now I don't feel so bad about it," he sighed. She observed him closer as that nagging feeling in her conscious persisted. Where had she known him before?

Then it clicked.

"Nivek," she said before she could stop herself. He looked up at her, peering through his green eyes. Green that matched the summer leaves.

"Um, yes?"

"Is it alright if I call you that? Or would you prefer if I kept calling you Mr. Orellana instead?" she questioned, amending her slip up like she'd never made one at all. Nivek flashed her a large, amiable grin.

"It's okay if you use my first name," he said. "So, Dr. Naran, what else, uh, am I supposed to do during these sessions?"

"These are problem solving times," she explained, her stare locked on the fringe on his face. "You come in with something you want to solve and we work together towards a solution you can implement in your life. For example, it seems like you're confused about why you got divorced. Would you like to talk about that?"

"Oh! Sure, I don't mind. It kind of started like this..."

Nivek talked and of course, Dr. Naran listened attentively to what he had to say, but she couldn't keep her visual attention away from his hair.

It really was the color of wet beaches.