“You were with him this morning?” he asked slowly.
“I’m with him a lot.” I took a breath before dropping the bomb on him. “We’re dating.”
“You’re . . .what?”
“I’m ... dating him.” My voice wavered and my entire body tensed.
I hated that I felt this way while talking to my closest friend.
“Oh, I heard you the first time.”
“Joey, don’t be like that.”
“Like what? Worried about you? Piper, this is life changing.”
With a groan, I knew I had to stand. I got off the couch and paced around the apartment, trying to keep myself calm. I had a bad feeling about this that I couldn’t shake.
“It is, but in a good way.”
“How does that even work? Does he know he can’t touch you? Or are you pushing yourself to do it?”
“I’m not pushing myself to do anything. I’ve done a lot of work since moving to Strawberry Springs and I’m getting better with touch. Right now, Theo is the only exception, but?—”
“You let him touch you?” Joey’s voice was tense, and it almost reminded me of my dad. I had to fight against memories I didn’t need to see. “Him of all people?”
“Yes, him. What’s wrong with Theo?”
“There’s no way he’s good enough for you. What are you thinking?”
“You suddenly know whether or not he’s good enough for me based on meeting him once and barely even talking to him? Do you hear yourself right now, Joey?”
I could almost hear him roll his eyes. “This is a massive change for you, and I don’t understand where it’s coming from. Not after everything I’ve done to make sure you’re safe.”
“Making sure I’m safe or making sure I never try anything new?”
“Excuse me?”
I paused. This wasn’t how I wanted to bring up the stuff with Joey and I needed to get things back on track. “I’m sorry. I mean that I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me, but it got a little too easy for me to do nothing. I really wanted to break this, and I have.”
“With someone that might not even be safe for you. What do you know about him?”
“I know a lot. Do you really not trust me to make a smart decision here?”
“You’ve been desperate for this for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
I reared back, eyes wide. “I’m not desperate. I just wanted to change.”
“And you willingly put yourself in harm’s way by doing it. Remember that time when you went to the bar and were in panic mode for a week after?”
That hadn’t been one of my smartest decisions. Going to the bar was far too much for where I was at, but I thought I could do it, and it had ended terribly.
But I survived it.
“That’s not what I’m doing this time.”
“Well, you’re distancing yourself from your friends, not telling us what you’re doing, and making sure to blow up your life while you’re at it. I’m sorry, Piper, but from my perspective, this doesn’t seem healthy.”
“My therapist thinks it’s just fine.”
