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Then again… it wasn’t every day she got the exact kind of woman she used to go out with for a client.
Chapter 5
Rheadidn’tknowwhatimpressed her more – that Paige was on board with going to a counselor, or that they got in so quickly due to a last-minute cancelation.
Because it was the illustrious Dr. Seville’s office they found themselves in on Wednesday morning when Rhea was usually still waking up and Paige didn’t have as many clients. She was due back at the gym in the afternoon, but for now, she showed up in her yoga pants, sports bra, and a loose T-shirt that made her look more comfortable than Rhea in her jeans and linen shirt.
I guess we’re doing this.Rhea thought that while waiting for the doctor to enter, Paige next to her, texting.
“Hello, ladies.” Dr. Seville said that before seeing Rhea, who hadn’t had time to shave her upper lip that morning. Coupled with the flatter chest and short hair, most people looked twice after assuming her gender. Even if they were correct.Yup. We’re doing this.Already making the therapist uncomfortable? Just like Rhea to simply exist on a couch. “So happy to have you joining me today, and so last minute, too.” Her soft but enunciated voice was not lost on Rhea, who heard the same tone from the school counselor at St. Francesca’s.Wasn’t enough to help me deal with the residual grief of my mom dying.“Now, which one of you is Paige?”
Rhea’s wife looked up from her phone and was reminded to set it aside. “That’s me.” She crossed her legs, hands wrapping around knees covered in lavender leggings. “Hi.”
“That must mean you’re Rhea.”
“Yup.”
“Excellent. For the first session, I mostly want to get to know you la…” She stopped. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly check your intake forms like I usually do. Such a last-minute appointment.”
“I’m she-her,” Rhea helpfully addressed.
“Ah, yes. Thank you.” Dr. Seville removed her eyeglasses and cleaned them with the corner of her burgundy sweater. When she put them back on her face, she said. “How long have you two been married?”
While she referred to the forms Rhea and Paige filled out online the night before, Rhea answered, “Thirteen years. We’ve been together for fourteen.”
“You met in college?”
“Yeah.”
A big grin that could have been as fake as half the faces in LA hit the married couple. “How exciting. I always love seeing couples who have been together for almost their whole adult lives.” She dove straight into the next topic. “Now, why don’t you both tell me some things about yourselves, starting with you, Rhea.”
She knew this would be the most painful part of the introductory session.Talking about myself like it’s a corporate icebreaker is harder than it seems.Rhea sometimes found it difficult to connect with new people. She vastly preferred simply being herself around those who already knew her. She basically implied as much when she talked about her ongoing writing career and how one of the best things about it was injecting her life story into the background of her novels and essays, an inconspicuous enough place for most readers to digest.It’s like baring your soul without people thinking you are a raging narcissist.Paige had once jokingly called it “socially acceptable trauma dumping.”
Paige was much curter when talking about herself. She mentioned growing up in Anaheim, working as a professional trainer, and how many NDAs she had to sign to get high-paying clients. Dr. Seville nodded during both spiels, occasionally asking a follow-up question and writing down her observations. In the end, she said, “I noticed that you two are very individualistic. You both have different jobs that appeal to your personality. I heard little about your home life or what you two might share besides a house and a marriage certificate.”
Rhea swallowed. Paige’s visage remained unchanged.
“Do you two share any hobbies? What does date night look like for you?”
“Well…” Rhea waited for Paige to jump in and say something. When she didn’t, it fell upon Rhea to concoct the effervescent image of “date night. “We both used to go hiking all the time. Oh, and fishing with my dad, both off the pier and in Kenneth Hahn…”
“We used to go to poetry readings at the feminist bookstore,” Paige cut in. “Drag shows in West Hollywood. Clubbing in West Hollywood…”
Dr. Seville nodded. “That’s a lot of ‘used to.’ When was your most recent romantic date? Describe it to me.”
“We had a few friends over the other night for dinner.”
That garnered Rhea a strange look from the therapist. “Was this aromanticdinner party?”
Rhea blushed. “No.”
Paige jumped in again, this time saving her wife from more embarrassment. “Our last date was about a month ago. Remember?” she prompted Rhea. “We went to Tia Rosa’s up by your dad’s place. It’s this fresh fish focused Mexican restaurant,” she described to the therapist. “Right up on the beach. We got reservations for the patio, and it wasn’t hotter than seventy degrees.” She hid her small smile behind her hand as she moved her hair behind her ear. “So, I was freezing. Remember?”
“Of course. It was only a month ago.” Rhea matched her wife’s smile. “I had to loan her my jacket,” she said to the therapist. “Iwas cold after that.”
“We hadpescado zarendeado,” Paige continued. “It was pretty good.”
“Excellent,” Dr. Seville said. “How often do you two go out on dates? Only the two of you, for the sake of it?”
