Page 73 of Texting Dr. Stalker

My throat mimicked the desert. My heart gave up and played dead in my chest.

I couldn’t say a word as Sailor swallowed hard and moved to join us. The table kept us separated, but the soft scents of blossom, vanilla, and other fragrant flowers permeated the air.

Ever so slowly as if stealing herself, Sailor accepted Colin’s handshake. “Hi, Dr Marx. You’re right. I’ve seen you popping by to see Alexander a few times.”

“Call me Colin, please.” He arched his thumb at me. “And call that one Zan. It’s better than that other mouthful.”

Breaking the handshake, she forced a smile. “Not sure we’re familiar enough for me to call him nicknames.”

“Oh, I dunno.” Colin winked. “I think you might be more familiar than you think.”

I elbowed him in the gut.Hard.

Sailor flinched as if my ‘friendly’ punishment was more like a mortal blow.

My entire back prickled with the urge to leave and never come back. I hated seeing her eyes turn flat instead of sparkly. I hated the way her entire demeanour folded inward, making herself as small as possible.

My hands balled.

If I ever got near Milton, I’d definitely be done for murder.

I despised what he’d done to her. I hated seeing her this way when it wasn’t her. I needed to rip him apart with every prehistoric beast inside me.

“So…what brings you guys to the market?” Lily asked, dragging my attention from Sailor. The moment I stopped looking at her, she tripped backward and rubbed her chest with the heel of her hand as if fighting a panic attack.

Unlike the night I’d heard her screaming, I couldn’t grab her in a hug.

All I could do was get far away from her. To give her the space she needed because I represented all her worst moments.

“I, eh, I just remembered I…” Any believable lie flew out of my head. With a grunt, I pushed my glasses up my nose, turned around, and marched away from Sailor’s stall as quickly as possible.

* * * * *

“Where are you?” I barked into my phone. “I’m waiting to drive you home, seeing as you made me your chauffeur.”

“Oh, sorry! I’m already back at my place. Your sister kindly gave me a lift. You didn’t tell me we lived so close to one another.” Colin laughed. “Besides, I didn’t know if you were sticking around to switch from Clark Kent to Superman.”

My fingers tightened around my cell phone. “Can you drop the jokes, Col? Didn’t you see how badly she reacted toward me? It’s not a laughing matter.” Sighing heavily, I hated that my stress made me snappy. “Sorry, man. I’m just…yeah, I’m struggling with this. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”

“You’re fine. I like you grouchy. And…you’re right.” He sobered up. “It’s not a laughing matter. I genuinely feel sorry for her and rightfully a little worried about how she’s processing this, but I also think you’re being an idiot for not showing her the type of man you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, instead of X saving the day, you could’ve done something as Zander.”

“Like what?”

“How about talking to her like a normal man instead of bumbling an excuse, then galloping off like a sixteen-year-old moron with a stiffy.”

“I take my apology back. I honestly have no idea why I’m friends with you.”

“For my wonderful wisdom of course. Go find her. Go help her take down her stall. Better yet, take her to dinner. She’s managed to fight some of her issues by leaving her house. That’s worthy of celebration. Give her a happy memory to cling to when the walls start closing in.”

“If I took her to a restaurant as me, she’d have a panic attack right there at the table.”

“But if you talk her through it and show her that you won’t deliver the same pain she’s feeling from whatever he did, then you can reverse all the damage and prove that you aren’t a trigger for her. You’re innocent in all of this, and the sooner she realises that, the sooner you two can have your happily ever after.”

“There won’t be any happily ever afters.”

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