Chase and Madelyn: A love story

Chapter 42

Chase's POV:

It had been a week since I apologized and made up with Madelyn. I felt better, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but today was also my first appointment with my new therapist. I was really nervous, but I wanted to go in with an open mind because I needed to get out of this slump I was in.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Maddie asked.

"It's ok. I'll be ok." I replied.

"Are you sure? I don't mind..." She reassured.

"Thank you babe, but I'll be fine, I promise." I said.

"Ok, I hope it goes well. I love you." She replied.

"I love you too." I said before walking out the door.

When I arrived, I was immediately greeted by a slim bald man who didn't look much older than me.

"You must be Chase! I'm Dr. Stein." The man said.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I said nervously.

I followed him to a small room and sat down on the couch across from him.

"So, what brought you here today Chase?" Dr. Stein asked.

"My fiancé." I replied.

There was an awkwardly long silence. I fiddled with the buttons on my shirt to distract myself from the uncomfortableness.

"Explain..." He said.

"My fiancé, Maddie, wanted me to come. I've been anxious and stressed, and also a little depressed recently. And it's affecting our relationship. We just got engaged like not even a month ago." I responded.

"Congratulations! And I'm sorry you've been feeling that way. Is Maddie the only one keeping you here? Do you have any desire to be here yourself?" He asked while scribbling something down on the notepad before him.

"I mean, does anyone technically want to be here? No offense..." I joked.

Dr. Stein didn't laugh. Tough crowd...

"Is humor usually something you use to deflect or cope with certain situations?" He asked.

I felt my face redden. "Yeah I guess, I'm an actor so it comes naturally."

"That's very cool! But let's get serious for a moment, why are you really here?" Dr. Stein posed.

I paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Because-because I'm sad and I don't know why..." I stuttered quietly.

"When did this begin?" He asked.

"Well I just started noticing it a couple weeks ago, but I've always been an anxious person." I replied.

"Why is that?" Dr. Stein asked.

"Maybe cause of my parent's divorce or bullying in school, I think that's when it started. I'm not totally sure." I responded.

"That's understandable. Why do you think your sadness has become more prevalent now? Has something happened to trigger it?" He asked.

"No, I think it's the opposite." I said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Maddie and I have been through a lot this past year. She's dealt with self harm and being institutionalized for a bit. And then she had a miscarriage which was really hard on both of us. So now that she's happy, I think I've finally focused on myself for a second and realized my emotions." I said. I looked to Dr. Stein hoping for his approval or to say that what I was saying made sense.