Obsessed

Chapter 15

Chapter 15
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"Is everything okay?" He asked, gently.

I let go of Mr. Vastano after it occurred to me how uncomfortable this may be for him. Not to mention, inappropriate. I adjusted my shirt- nervous habit- as I tried to collect myself. I looked up at him, observing that he was still as handsome as ever. He looked down at me, his soft gray-blue eyes showing a mix of concern and curiosity. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." I took in a deep breath before continuing, "A lot has been going on lately and it just felt nice to see a familiar face and,--" I paused, unsure of what I was planning to say next.

"No, no, you're fine. I'm sorry if I came across as rude. I just never expected to see you here of all places, let alone Washington." He furrowed his eyebrows together, making me feel weak in the knees, before asking, "What's been going on?"

I shook my head as I exhaled slowly. "I-- I don't even know where to start." I lifted my arms halfway in the air as I shrugged, then let them fall down, slapping down onto the side of my legs. I tried to laugh it off lightly and instead redirected the conversation towards him. "But, what brings you here?"

"A couple years ago while I was still teaching psychology in Colorado, I received a job offer to work as a therapist here in Washington. I accepted and have been here ever since."

I was hit with a sense of guilt, but at the same time, relief. For two years I thought he lost his job because of Aaron. I thought back to the night I confronted Aaron, he made it sound like that was exactly what had happened. Why did he let me believe that that was the case?

"Wow, that must have been exciting! I'm happy for you." I couldn't help but think of what I would have done had he been the therapist assigned to me.

"I'm currently on a break right now, but," he lifted his arm up to his face and pulled back his sleeve to check his watch, "my next client should be here in about 7 minutes or so."

"Oh, yeah, no worries! I'll leave you to it. I should get going myself, my brother is probably wondering what's taking me so long."

"It was nice seeing you, Ever and I hope you take care."

"Thank you," I smiled, "you, too." I waved at him before turning to walk back to the lobby. But, something compelled me to turn around and call out after him. "Mr. Vastano!" I flinched after I realized how loud I sounded. A couple people walking through the hallways turned to look at me for a second before continuing forward. I hoped I didn't embarrass him in front of his colleagues.

But, he was always so kind, and it was evident he was still that same person. When he turned around to look back at me, he didn't appear bothered like I feared he would. "You can call me Declan, remember?"

"Sorry," I smiled, happy with his response, "force of habit."

He laughed softly before asking, "What did you need?"

I blushed inwardly as I tried to build up the courage to speak. Calling out his name happened on impulse, I didn't think my body would actually act upon it. "I don't know if this is strange of me to ask, but would you maybe be free to catch up sometime? It would be nice to have an old friend to talk to." I fidgeted with my sleeves as I spoke to him, but all the while I comfortably maintained eye contact. My body language was a mix of bashfulness and confidence.

I couldn't understand how he was able to make me feel so nervous. I felt like I was 15 again, and not the young adult I was going to be in a couple months. I continued, "I don't know if you've heard about what happened back in Colorado--". It had almost been a couple months since, but it was still difficult for me to talk about.