Page 82 of Through the Water

Yeah, her brain had just been overworked—by the Neanderthal standing beside her.

Ari blinked in response, her green eyes dull and unfocused. So, it wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but as she hadn’t asked me to leave, I’d take what I could get.

Last night had been a little too much for her. As much as I wanted to make it better, I had to let her take the lead on this. And me—well, I’d wait patiently nearby, giving her the space to work through it.

That was me, a pillar of strength in my girl’s time of need.

Having made my decision, I let the two of them take the lead and followed a few paces behind. It wasn’t how I’d pictured spending my last day here, but I’d waited years for a girl like Ari. I could wait a little longer, give her time to see how good we could be together.

And if all else failed, I’d track down those therapy puppies.

The speech therapist met us as we crossed the sky bridge into the other wing, holding his palm up to Ari as if waiting for a high-five. “Hey, Ariana, who’d you bring today?”

When she made no move to introduce me, I extended a hand. “Killian.”

“Fynn,” he responded warmly before ushering us into his small office. “As you can probably tell, I’m a bit of a fan. I bet you get that a lot, though."

The side of my mouth lifted as I took in the Hurricanes memorabilia lining the wall. The man had just about everything—including a bobblehead of me resting on top of a filing cabinet. “I do, but it’s always nice to hear.”

He turned back to Tiffani. “Let’s get her out of the chair. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll be a bit overcrowded.”

It was almost comical they’d put him in such a small space—the guy was built like an NFL linebacker. Tiffani helped Ari into an empty chair before hesitating in the doorway. “If Killian doesn’t mind staying, I could just come back in an hour.”

I quickly agreed. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I was thinking of grabbing a coffee from the cafeteria after—maybe you could just meet us there?”

The time would allow me to navigate the murky waters of Ari’s emotions. She couldn’t shut me out forever, and, who knew? Maybe the news of my departure would make her more amenable to the idea of taking our romance public.

Tiffani agreed to meet us after class, and Fynn closed the door before gesturing toward another chair. “Why don’t you take the one beside her? I feel like you’ll have more room there. Alright, Ariana, are you ready to get going?”

“Ready to warm up those vocal cords?” I teased, tucking a few loose hairs behind her ear. “Maybe sing us one of your special songs?”

I’d been asking to hear one, just to see if maybe I recognized her voice. The feelings of familiarity had persisted to the point that I began to consider the possibility we’d seen each other before. Maybe in a bar where she was performing.

She nodded almost robotically, seemingly paler than she’d been just a few minutes before.

Fynn studied her with a small frown before retrieving a book from his desk. “Everything okay?”

Another nod.

And I suddenly couldn’t remember the name of the puppy lady.

Great.

He cut his eyes over to me. I shrugged, refusing to offer up any information. If the therapist knew I’d kissed her right into a catatonic state, I imagined he wouldn’t be much of a fan anymore. I also imagined he would have no trouble breaking me in half.

“Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll take it easy on you today, but maybe try to get a nap in before you go see Natalie.”

Convinced he wasn’t about to deck me; I relaxed and shifted my attention back over to Ari.

Fynn opened the book and turned to a list of fictional businesses and their contact information. “Remember this, Ariana? Can you point to the phone number for the hardware store?”

The girl had picked up on my trust issues with no issue but couldn’t complete what should have been an insultingly easy task. Her finger bounced from row to row, searching for an answer that wouldn’t come. Then, she stopped moving completely.

Sometimes, the brain just gets overstimulated…

I pushed to the edge of my seat, trying to inject my voice with as much calmness as I could muster amid the sound of alarms going off in my head. “Fynn, something’s not right. I think she’s—”

Ari’s hand suddenly flew from the page, shaking like it was in a spasm before contorting into a claw. Her head followed, turning as if she was going to look over her right shoulder. But the stiff, jerking movements made it clear she was no longer calling the shots.

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