Page 147
“Mary Sue!”
Mary Sue Ellen just smiled sweetly as she tied her robe and headed toward the treatment rooms. “Come on, girls. I’ve always wanted a massage! I hope my person is a hunk.”
Isabelle rubbed her now-pink ass, muttering, “Of course he’s a hunk… geez.”
Sage laughed along with Annie while Isabelle shrugged into her robe and followed Mary Sue.
Then Sage turned to Annie, feeling a flutter of excitement mixed with pure terror.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Annie said, grabbing Sage’s hand. “I’ve never had a massage either, and we’re totally going to panic about it together. I’m just saying… prepare yourself.”
Sage nodded, steeling herself. She squeezed Annie’s hand. “Okay. Let’s go.”
The massage table was warm, heated from beneath. The moment Sage climbed on and pulled the soft sheet up over herself, the gentle heat began to seep into her back, her shoulders, and all the tight, guarded places she hadn’t even realized she was still bracing. It was as if her entire body let out a long, trembling exhale.
She turned over to lay face-down in the dim, eucalyptus-scented room, the quiet ambient music weaving through the air like a lullaby. The weighted warmth pressed into her, coaxing her muscles to soften.
How did I get here? she thought, eyes already stinging. A month ago I thought I was going to die… and now I have friends. Cal. Do I deserve this?
She could almost hear Isabelle’s voice in her head: OMG shut up and enjoy the massage!
Sage huffed a small laugh into the padded headrest.
“Good morning, Sage? I’m your therapist today. My name is Sarah.”
Sage shifted slightly and looked at the other woman.. “Oh hi… umm, so… did I do this right? Am I laying down the right way?”
Sarah smiled warmly as she warmed oil between her hands. “You’re doing just fine, honey. Now, are you looking for deep tissue, or perhaps something more lymphatic?”
Sage pushed up onto one elbow. “Ummm… you know… a massage?”
Sarah laughed, a gentle, knowing sound. “All right, I got this. Just rest. Tell me if anything hurts, okay?”
Sage settled back down. “Okay… I mean, I guess I could— ohhhhhhhhh… Ohhh fuck…! Sorry, I…”
Sarah smiled as her strong, steady hands worked into Sage’s shoulders with the patience of someone who knew exactly how to dismantle very old knots.
“Don’t apologize, sweetie. ‘Oh fuck,’ is quite the compliment. I won’t be mad if you leave that on a Yelp review.”
Sage laughed, then let herself drift completely. For the next hour she floated in pure bliss — the scent of eucalyptus and warm oil, the rhythmic pressure melting layer after layer of tension, the quiet music carrying her somewhere safe.
When she finally emerged later, hair loose and wild, wrapped in the impossibly thick, warm robe, something in her posture had shifted. She looked softer. More present. Like she had finally set down a burden she’d forgotten she was carrying.
Annie was already waiting in the serene lounge, curled in a plush chair with the same dazed, glowing expression — as if she’d just had a religious experience.
“The massage?” Sage asked, sinking into the chair beside her.
“The massage,” Annie confirmed, voice dreamy.
“I cried.”
“I also cried.”
“Is that normal?”
“According to my therapist, it’s very normal.” Annie paused. “She said the word ‘somatically’ several times. I don’t know what it means, but I nodded a lot.”
Sage dropped her head back against the chair with a soft laugh. “Where’s Mary Sue?”
