Page 114 of Best In Class
“And do you trust him?”
I hesitate. “Yes.” I groan out aloud. “Am I a fool?”
“Why would you say that?” she asks as she studies me.
“He lied to me and left me, and…now I’m trusting him again. Makes me a moron, doesn’t it?”
Her gaze softens with understanding. “And who’s sitting judgment on you over this?”
I grab a cushion and set it on my lap, and play with the tassels. “I guess I am.”
“Then stop it.”
I huff out a laugh.
“What is it that’s really bothering you, Luna?”
My eyes linger on her as my mind searches through my emotions.
After a moment, I reveal, “That he’ll hurt me again, andthenit’ll bemyfault. You know that saying, fool me once, shame on you?”
“From what you have experienced since you let him back in, how likely is it that he’ll hurt you?”
I let out a long breath but there is no hesitation when I tell her, “Slim to none.”
“Why is that?”
I rock back and let out a breathy laugh. “Because he’s not hiding anymore. He’s not protecting his pride or trying to be noble in some dumb way. He’s just…showing up. Being with me. Being honest.”
Dr. Ryan smiles.
“What?” I ask.
“You’ve grown. A lot.”
“Maybe,” I permit. “I just…I want us to be more than a beautiful mistake.”
She nods. “Maybe now you have a chance to be something better than what you were.Thenyou were kids, Luna, and who knows, maybe you wouldn’t have made it as a couple, because as much as love is needed in a relationship, it isn’t enough if there isn’t maturity to handle it.” She looks ather notes. “As you were talking, I wrote down the word ‘acceptance’. The way I see it, you accept the past for what it is. You accept him—the boy and the man. The struggle is to accept yourself—understand that trusting Dom, trusting yourself, is not a weakness, it’s a strength, it’s courage, it’s what makes us who we are.”
I tuck her words away, as I often do during our sessions, so I can ruminate over them later and better understand myself and the path I want to take.
“Do you think I have that kind of courage?”
She gives me a full-blown smile. “Absolutely. Luna, I’m so happy to see that you and Dom are building something honest together. From everything you’ve shared, I believe the two of you have a far better chance at a successful relationship now than you ever did back then. When you talk about him, it’s not just love—it’s trust. You describe someone who stands beside you, who protects your brother, holds your hand through the hard stuff, and shows up for your team so you can win. That kind of partnership isn’t just romantic—it’s real.”
I smile at that. “Heison my team.”
“Then live your life, Luna. You’re not impulsive or self-destructive—you’ve always been thoughtful and deliberate. So trust yourself. If you’re choosing to give Dom a chance, it’s not just about the history between you. In fact, I’d say what you’re building now has very little to do with the past, and everything to do with who you both are today.”
I give an exaggerated eye roll. “Come on, all this is residual love…first love stuff, isn’t it?”
Dr. Ryan regards me with quiet consideration. “You have chemistry, and it’s profound. But it survives and thrives because you both work on it, as you are now.”
“That makes sense.” I set the cushion aside. “So…why haven’t we had sex yet?”
“You’ve done other things? You have intimacy. Sex is just penetration. You’ll get there when you get there.”
“So…that doesn’t mean that this relationship is not real? I just feel like, if we’re not fucking, then something is wrong.”
