Page 17 of Seductive Architect
“Not all of us are trying to draw connections between every event in our lives.” I tried to reply, and her finger shot up. “Before you provide a snide comment. What had you excited about this session? I’ve never seen you…eager.”
“I think I might be close to discovering?—”
“Nope.”
“But the?—”
“Illuminati… really? That’s what had you excited?”
I frowned. “Alittleexcited.”
“Orion, we’ve had almost…” She held up her slender fingers, counting. “Fifty sessions. Goodness, where has the time gone?” For her, it only existed in this room. She was one of the few people I trusted with the intricate details ofthe wall. Despite my candidness with the theories and research, she insisted I used it as a barrier to keep the world at bay.
“Have you had a revelation about your breakup?”
Only Kiki and Connie knew the details behind my failed pseudo-relationship. It was almost embarrassing to discuss it, even if it still stung. “Not really. I finally dumped my NovaStation in the cabinet, so I don’t have to look at it.”
“That’s progress.” Her excitement settled as she moved into therapist mode. “Does that mean you’re finally ready to move on?”
Move on? Or did I pretend like I didn’t have my heart trampled on like a first-level bard taking on an eldritch horror? Logically, I understood relationships went south. I had breakups in high school that resulted in journals of tragic poetry. I thought I’d moved past wanting somebody in my life who existed outside virtual reality. My unease was moreabout me than Jared… and yet, here I was getting excited about a new man.
“Something has you in an upbeat mood. How about we focus on that? And so help me?—”
“I met somebody.” I blurted out the words. My hand covered my mouth, embarrassed at the volume. “I mean, I metsomebody.” I articulated the sentence with a wink. The wider I threw open this door, the more I risked. Something in my gut… something about Hudson… I wanted to take the risk, and that terrified me.
“That’s wonderful!” Her clapping shouldnotbe this enthusiastic. From anybody else, it’d be condescending, but she loved to celebrate what she perceived as a victory. “Is this person perhaps a gentleman of interest?”
“His file?—”
“Nope. No. Not having it. What have we said about files?” Her lips pursed together as she sat back, crossing her legs. Kiki had a long list of rules. I swear, every time we parted, I had to add another.
I rolled my eyes. “Researching people doesn’t count as interaction.”
“How did you meet?”
“Janet’s vibrator.”
Her eyes widened even bigger than her oversized frames. It was good to know I could still unsettle my therapist. “I’m scared to say this, and heaven help me, but I’m going to need more detail.”
I explained my first interaction with Hudson, and she nodded along. When we got to Janet, appearing to steal the box, she pulled out the pad of paper she kept wedged in her chair. Her pencil scribbled notes. “I see. I’ll be talking to Janet about boundaries.”
Sure, it had been embarrassing. If it had been a simple box needing a drop-off, I’m not sure it’d have been enough time to chat with Hudson. Who knew it required a certain amount of discomfort to shake me from my cynical ways? Everybody would get a laugh when I say we first locked eyes over a vibrator stuck in turbo mode.
“I think we had a date.”
“Think?”
“There’s somethingcuriousabout him. I have questions about his origin, and when my research wasn’t producing results, I asked him to lunch.”
“Is this a made-up scenario? Why do you need a reason to pursue this man?” Kiki didn’t hold back from asking the hard questions. Rarely did she find me in a mood willing to listen. At this point in our session, I’d be explaining how the Mole-People were disrupting the power grid.
Her head tipped forward, and she glared over her glasses. Okay. Why? Why did I struggle to admit this was anything more than an investigation? I trusted code. I understood it and spoke it fluently. It didn’t lie to me to get what it wanted. I choked as a single word echoed in the back of my head.
Fear of being wrong. Fear of wanting more.
“Fear.” Was this one of those epiphany moments Kiki promised? “It’s real… the date, I mean. I think. I didn’t intend for it to happen.” Oh, hell. One honest moment led to another. I didn’t like personal growth. But I couldn’t stop myself. “But I’m glad it did.”
For a man without a birth record and no digital footprint, there was something interesting about him on a personal level. It had little to do with his photo on my wall. “He’s nice. Goofy nice. But there’s a catch. There’s something about him… When we touched, I heard something. Code. You’d think that’d be the thing that unnerved me the most. But really… who hasn’t eaten Mexican before? Even Wyatt loves tacos, and he’s from outer space!”
