Therapy (Jalex)

Session 14

Patient: Alexander William Gaskarth

Notes: not as depressed and angry, still extremely closed off

-Dr. Bassam Barakat

-

"Mom, I'm leaving!" I called, opening the front door. My mother walked to the entrance and hugged me.

"Okay, have a nice time," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "Jack's house, right?"

"Yeah." Mom knew that Jack and I were dating, and she and Dad fully supported us. They were just glad that I was finally happy, and that was actually pretty touching. I loved how much they loved me, and I regretted that I wasn't there for them when they needed it the most. "I'm meeting his friends today."

"Oh, good luck darling," Mom cooed, ruffling my hair. "I know they'll love you just as much as I do."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll be back later." With that, I grabbed my skateboard and walked out the door. Once my feet were on the open road, the skateboard was planted on the concrete and I was cruising down the street. Within a quarter of an hour, I was at Jack's door.

"Hey, Alex, glad you're here!" Jack cried as he flung open the door. I left my skateboard on his porch, and we embraced before heading in. Once in his arms, I felt secure. I breathed in his scent and took in his body warmth.

"Let's go to my room," he said, closing the door behind us. "Zack and Rian aren't here yet."

We threaded up the stairs and into Jack's room. The door shut, and then our lips were touching.

"Mm, God I missed you," I murmured, my hands running through Jack's skunk hair. "I know it's only been two days, but it's no fun without you."

More kissing noises. "I missed you too," he whispered between our kisses. "I'm so happy you're here. I can't wait for you to meet my friends."

We broke apart, our chests heaving so our lungs could fill with air. I studied Jack, his swollen lips, innocent eyes. Then I looked down at my ratty jeans. My palms started to sweat.

"What if they don't like me?" I whimpered, glancing in the mirror to fix my hair and straighten my clothes. I was a very self-conscious person by nature.

"They'll love you," Jack muttered, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. His head rested on my shoulder, and I fell apart in his arms. "Because I do."

I turned my head slightly to the right and kissed him again. Even though Jack was silly, he could say the most perfect things. I slipped from his arms to turn around and kiss him, but before I could, the door to Jack's room opened. In walked two boys.

"Heyyyy, Barakat!" called one. Jack turned around and high-fived them both before addressing the elephant in the room, which was me.

"Guys, this is my... boyfriend, Alex," Jack said, gesturing towards me, his tongue lingering on boyfriend. My face warmed, and the two boys looked me over. One was a really buff boy with dark waves, his hair ending right above his shoulder. He was shorter than Jack, but the same height as the other boy. The other had a dark brown sort of bowl cut. He had giant eyes and incredibly white teeth. The two looked friendly enough, but I was still set on edge.

"Hi, I'm Rian," said the bowl cut boy.

"Hey. I'm Zack." The muscly boy was a little quieter, which I didn't expect from such a tough looking guy, but looks could be deceiving. I cleared my throat and nodded.

"Alex. Nice to meet you both," I managed to say.

"Cool! Now you know my friends!" Jack squealed, pecking me on the cheek. I blushed harder, and hid my smile best I could.

"If I had friends, you would be meeting them," I joked lightheartedly, receiving some chuckles from the three boys.

"Real talk though, Zack and Rian are your friends now," Jack replied. "So yeah, I've now met your friends."

"Yeah, Alex," said Rian, smiling, "it's nice to finally meet your boyfriend."

I grinned genuinely. For the first time in forever, I had a true friend circle. Although I did prefer having Jack to myself, it felt great having friends. I felt... complete. True, nothing would ever fill the hole in my heart that Tom used to occupy, but being with Jack made me forget, and that was close enough. It was Jack who made me feel whole again.