Page 160 of I See You

And the closer they got to Ms. Helen’s room... the heavier it pounded.

Chapter 20

Hassan led Sevyn down the quiet hall to his grandmother’s room. He stopped at the door and knocked softly, but to Sevyn, it echoed like thunder. Her heart was already beating so loud it drowned everything else out. The way Hassan gripped her hand—firm, grounding—only made her nerves worse.

Before he could open the door, she gently pulled him back.

"You sure about this?" she asked, voice lower than usual. "Like, really ready?"

Helookedather,smirktuggingathislips."You’reonlymy therapist, right? This part of the job, ain't it?"

She rolled her eyes, but it didn’t stop the nervous flutter in herchest.

"Stop being nervous," he said simply, giving her hand a squeeze before opening the door.

Helen’s voice rang out from inside. “Come in!”

Hassan stepped in first, letting go of Sevyn’s hand as he crossed the room to greet his grandmother properly with a kiss on the forehead. Harper stood from the chair next to Helen’s bed, and both women’s eyes instantly locked on Sevyn as she lingered near the door.

But Helen’s eyes… they softened, then lit up. Her smile widened at the sight of the woman who’d just been holding her grandson’s hand.

Harper,alwaystheobserver,brokeintoagrin.“Heyboo!This is a surprise,” she said, walking over to hug Sevyn while wearing a mischievous smirk. Sevyn hugged her back, rolling her eyes at her tone.

“Madea, this is my therapist,” Hassan said flatly. “Sevyn Love.”

Helen’s eyes widened so big it looked like they might fall out her head. “Therapy?” she repeated, shocked like Hassan just told her he found Jesus.

Sevynchuckledsoftlyandextendedherhand.“It’sapleasureto finally meet you. Harper and Hassan speak so highly of you.”

Helen reached out with a shaky, frail hand, slipping it into Sevyn’s warm grasp. The moment made Sevyn’s heart ache. Harper had shown her pictures of Helen in her prime—lively, strong, radiant. Now she looked smaller, more fragile, though still every bit as sharp and beautiful.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you too, baby,” Helen said, eyes twinkling. “You’re stunning. Now I see why my grandson chose you to be his therapist.”

ThatmadebothSevynandHarperburstoutlaughing,while Hassan stood there with a blank expression that made it even funnier.

“Ididn’tchooseher,”Hassanmuttered.“Igotblindsided.This wasn’t no choice.”

Helen raised an eyebrow, already over his whining. “Well, the shit must’ve worked. You like her enough to bring her to meet me, so clearly something going right.”

Sevyn laughed again, heart finally settling, knowing she was in the room with people who mattered—and somehow, that included her too.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, Sev,” Harper said, settling back on the couch with a curious look. “But… what are you doing here?”

Before Sevyn could answer, Hassan spoke up, his voice low but steady. “She’s here for a therapy session. With all of us.”

Harper’s brows lifted in confusion while Helen’s head tilted slightly, both women looking at him like he had two heads.

Sevyn stepped in quickly, her tone professional but gentle. “I mentioned to Hassan that one of our sessions should include you both. You two are his family—his foundation. Talking with all of you not only helps me better understand who he is, but it helps him gain clarity too.”

Helen’s eyes lit up with a grin. “Ouuu, girl, what you wanna know? I got a whole lifetime of stories dealing with this fool right here.”

Sevyn let out a soft laugh, glancing over at Hassan, who sat quietly with his jaw tight, unreadable. She could feel how tense he was, how much he hated being emotionally exposed like this—but she also felt his effort. He was trying.

“I’m definitely eager to hear those stories,” Sevyn said, her voice warm. “I’ll admit, I didn’t expect today’s session to be with the full crew.” Her eyes slid toward Hassan, who offered no expression, but she could still feel him.

“But we can keep this informal. Just talk and see where it leads,” she continued, switching into full therapist mode. “I’ll ask questions as we go.”

HarperandHelennodded,andSevyntookaseatacrossfrom them.She motioned for Hassan to sit next to Harper—close enough for her to observe him properly, and far enough to help her stay focused. She needed to stay in therapist mode. No distractions, no flashbacks of the other night, no butterflies.

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