Into You

Chapter 28

Here's my late valentine treat! Enjoy kids! 😉😉😉

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"So, Lauren, how did things go yesterday?"

She stared at the woman opposite who simply stared back, her look radiating confidence and calm.

"Why don't you tell me?" Lauren replied shortly.

"Because I'm not psychic, Lauren. I'm just a good observer."

"So what's your famous observational talent telling you then, Joanna?"

Yes, it's childish, but from the moment she pulled up outside, she'd felt a real annoyance at Joanna Foster and her fucking games. She'd played her totally yesterday and left her to deal with the outcome of her manipulations.

"Well," Joanna said, sitting back in her chair and steepling her fingers, reminding her vividly of Camila making the same motions last night in her flat.

"Well," she said again smiling, "I'd say that you were brave last night and did as I suggested. I think you got an answer you weren't expecting and for some reason, I'd say you're a little pissed off at me."

Lauren sat back in her chair, mimicking the woman's motions deliberately, holding her eye contact and slipping into her interrogator's attitude, her eyes cool and unyielding.

"What makes you think that any of that is true?" she asked.

"Because you're trying to hide behind that attitude of yours and because you're behaving differently to yesterday; but mostly because you seem both more relaxed and more stressed at the same time. I may be wrong, but I'm not wrong often, Lauren."

Joanna looked at her and folded her arms, "so go on then," she said challengingly; "tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong, Joanna," she told her smoothly, "I have nothing to hide and no reason to hide anything from you. I'm stressed because I'm here; worrying about what kind of a head-fuck you're going to attempt today, and I'm relaxed because I'm trying to find my safe place because that's what you want me to do."

"Bullshit." The therapist announced calmly after a long silence fell between them, "I think we both know that's bullshit. Or at least I know it is and I hope you do, because if you don't, then we're in real trouble with this therapy because if you can delude yourself that much, then we're further back than I thought we were."

They stared at each other, their silent gladiatorial contest continuing as the minutes ticked inexorably away; sliding from the future to the present and finally into the past. Gone forever, never to be repeated, just one more moment of lost time, one more thing to regret.

"So are you going to talk to me today, Lauren?" Joanna asked softly, "because I think you need to tell me why you're annoyed at me otherwise, we might as well end these sessions now and I'll recommend you to someone else. I'm sure Sinu won't mind as long as someone is helping you."

"You fucking played me," Lauren snapped; the mention of Sinu Cabello's name finally bringing her to her senses. After all, she had arranged for her to have these sessions, gone out of her way to make sure that she got help. Despite her anger, it did feel like a betrayal of a friend and she didn't need another betrayal on her conscience.

"I played you?" the woman said in surprise. "How so?"

"Camila, you knew all about Camila; about her being gay, about everything. You fucking set me up," she accused, "it wasn't about being brave or any shit like that, you just set me up."