AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Huh?”
“I asked if you called Dr. Gunner.”
“Oh. Yeah. He’s upping my dosage. He didn’t want to switch it up since I haven’t had any negative side effects and it has helped my anxiety.”
Trace nods, sets his trash on the table next to him, and crooks his finger for me to come sit with him. Like an obedient puppy, I get up and sit in his lap. Trace reclines and starts rubbing my back like he always does.
“I get new meds instead of an increase,” he tells me. “I got a recommendation to see a therapist, but I laughed and said no thanks.”
That makes me smile. “It would be kinda odd, wouldn’t it? You’d probably be a bad patient, like doctors are when they have to be.”
“You’re probably right.”
“How was work?”
Trace sighs. “Could’ve been better. I figured it’d be private, but his assistant loves gossip, so I guess news spread among them of what happened. They all know I’m dating a student. The fact that I knew you prior to my hiring doesn’t seem to matter to them. I’m the talk of the office, and I hate it.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I feel like we have the opposite effects on one another. He’s good for me; I’m bad for him. At this point, I could probably make a damn list of all the ways I’m bad for him, of all the ways I’ve negatively impacted his life.
“Not your fault, Britt. Have you talked to your parents this week?” he asks, swiftly changing the subject.
“Not yet.” I know better than to ask if he’s talked to his dad. “Sometimes, I just wish I could be in my own bed at their house,” I confess.
“What? My bed’s not good enough?” he teases, causing me to chuckle.
“Okay. Sometimes, I wish I had your bed at their house. I miss them.” Tears begin to well in my eyes. “I miss being home.”
“I miss being strong.”
That causes me to lift my head to look at him. His face is clear of any emotions. “What?”
“Hard to feel strong and reliable when all I want to do is let go.”
Letting go is the equivalent of giving up. Hearing Trace say this scares me to death. “By not giving in to what you want proves how strong you are, Trace.”
“Being strong is hard and exhausting.”
“Yes, it is,” I confirm quietly.
“This is me talking to you, in case you didn’t notice.” He pokes my side gently.
His comment is such a contrast to what we were talking about that it catches me off guard enough to laugh. “I hadn’t noticed.”
He does a fake gasp. “Shame on you, Brittany. Here I am trying to be a good boyfriend and do what the best girlfriend ever has asked of me and you don’t even notice. You might have to be demoted.”
A smile easily graces my face. “What would my demoted title be?”
“My mediocre girlfriend.”
“Will you love me anyway?”
“Of course,” he answers without any hesitation.
“Then I don’t care.”
Trace laughs, obviously not expecting that answer. I should catch him off guard more often if it means getting a genuine reaction like this from him. He kisses the top of my head. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
