Page 27 of The Torment of Two

“My man was an asshole,” Tate continues, “until I saw that he wasn’t. He wasn’t at all what he’d presented himself to be. Once I saw a tiny glimmer of someone else inside of him, I liked that person. A lot. What started out as hate morphed into love. Serendipity.”

There’s that word again.

“Sounds more like stupidity if you fell for your enemy.”

Tate snorts with laughter, nearly dropping his coffee in the process. “Oh, you’d really like Jude. A couple of grumpy peas in a pod.”

“He probably wouldn’t like me. Most people don’t.”

His amusement dies and the concern is back. “Why would you say that?”

“People don’t get me. I’m too…weird.”

“Weird? Explain.”

“My hobbies, my clothes, my mood swings. People don’t understand why I tend to get self-absorbed, hyper-focused on my projects, or just completely withdraw when I’m feeling overwhelmed, unloved, and misunderstood.”

Tate nods like this isn’t one of life’s mysteries but something he understands. It gives me hope that someone in this world might get me.

“Two, have you heard of the Enneagram?”

“The what?”

He chuckles. “The Enneagram. It’s a personality test. I’m pretty sure I know which one you are, but I think it would be helpful to see if you come to the same conclusion. You could also study all nine personality types. It might help you put family and friends into their categories, which would help you understand how to interact with them better. You might even start with Golden. See where she fits on the wheel. Then you can learn why you two seem to have friction.”

“Sounds like another dreadful assignment.”

“Oh, stop, drama king. It’s not dreadful. It’s fun.”

“Says the therapist.”

He rolls his eyes, looking far younger than his twenty-eight years. “Do it. For me. You owe me since I bought you coffee.”

“Isn’t that like an abuse of power or something?”

“Maybe if you’re a normal therapist. We’ve established I’m not.”

He sets his coffee down to go fetch his laptop. “It’s actually enlightening, Two. Learning about what makes others tick is fascinating. Humans are all so different, but oddly enough, we all fall into these nine categories.” Once he locates the site to take the test, he hands his laptop over to me. “Take the test. Once we find out what you are, I’ll give you resources to first learn about yourself. Sound good? Now hold down the fort while I run to the restroom.”

Since I’m being forced to, I oblige him and take the test. He comes back ten minutes later but sits quietly at his desk in the corner. Once I’m finished, I add my email to get the results.

“Done.”

“Good. Check your email.”

I set down the laptop to fish out my phone. Once I locate the email, I open it.

“The Individualist,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “Whatever that means.”

Tate’s grin is huge as he sits back down beside me. “Congratulations, Two, you’re a Four.” He hands me a stapled packet of papers that says Type Four at the top. “I knew it. Guessing people’s Enneagram types is a gift of mine.”

I take the papers from him and skim over the first page. Sensitive, withdrawn, dramatic, temperamental. “Nice. I’m an utter joy to be around.”

“Absolutely.” He beams at me. “You’ll learn all about your strengths and weaknesses and how to interact with others. I think you’ll really enjoy this once you dig in. Ready for homework?”

“For fuck’s sake. A full load of college courses isn’t enough?”

“Nope. You can handle more, Two.”

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