When Best Friends Kiss

The Recovery - Part 2

Liam and I held hands as we sat down in the living room with his family.

"Mom, Dad," he said. "I'm not well."

A small smile surfaced on Mrs. Santos' lips. "So, what are you going to do to get better?"

Liam and I exchanged looks. "I think I should stay here for a while. And see my old therapist. If that's okay?"

They nodded and Mr. Santos said, "As long as you need." He looked at me.

"I think I'll be okay in maybe a month? I mean, good enough to go back to Toronto and find a therapist there."

Mrs. Santos' smile faded and worry filled her expression. Still, she nodded again. "Okay... Are you two going to be okay?"

Squeezing Liam's hand, I admitted, "I know Liam shouldn't have made so many changes all at once. Not only did we just start dating but moving to a different city... We probably should've taken things slower. But..." I bit my lip.

"I can't..." Liam's fingers laced mine. "I still want to make a life with Alex. I don't want to spend too long apart. That's why I plan to go to the therapist up there once a week."

"Well," Mrs. Santos said, "are you still going to work?"

"I actually quit my job." He looked down. "It was making me so unhappy. Unfulfilling."

"S-so what are you planning to do so you're not idle? Something fulfilling? What were you planning?" Her gaze pleaded for us to have a plan.

"I don't know yet. I was hoping my month or so here in therapy would help me figure it out."

"Okay." Her head bobbed and her eyes turned more hopeful. "Once you have a plan and things for that plan set up, you can return back to Toronto," she verified.

"Yeah." King jumped onto the couch between us and turned to Liam. He chuckled. "Okay, is this dog magical too?"

Lily peeked around the kitchen doorway. "King is showing his support."

"Speaking of," I blurted. "How did you know Tía was awake?"

Lily shrugged. "I think it's called outer body experience."

We all stared dumbfounded at her.

"Out of body—What?"

"I was sleeping in class and in my dream, Tía appeared. And she talked to me—"

This was giving me the creeps.

"And... Well, it's between me and her. But I knew she was going to wake up."

Mrs. Santos stood up. "Oh my god. We need to go to church more often."

Lily laughed. "I think it's science-based. Not magic."

"Okay," I said, holding out my hands. "I'm going to pretend like that never happened. Anyway, Liam, why don't you call your therapists office and see when you can get an appointment. I'm actually going to head back to Toronto, but I'll be back for Christmas and New Year."

***

Back in Toronto, I wanted to tell Lexi or Bradley what was going on in my life, with Liam and my relationship. Bradley was probably the best as he knew what Liam was going through firsthand. But would Liam mind? I didn't want to stress him out with even thinking about it, so I decided to only mention it if asked. Coming back to an empty house was painful.

"My therapist is out of town on vacation," Liam said over the phone. "I'll have to wait until she comes back on January 4th to see her."

I curled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. "Why don't you see someone else?"