Page 36 of The Lessons

Sorry. Had to.

But seriously, you didn’t notice?

I guess I had...but I was so used to tamping down my expectations since they never ended up going anywhere.

He’s a hottie. You go, girl.

Thanks.

So I should say yes???

OMG! It’s just coffee. Relax. Yes. Go.

Okay. Thanks. See you soon. g/g

I changed screens back to Brad and typed in a response. He replied almost immediately, and in less than a minute, we had plans to get coffee after work on Tuesday. This could be good. I could use it like a practice date.

“Natalie?” Dr. Lerner’s voice came gently crashing into my thoughts.

I looked up.

She was standing in the doorway with her trusty notebook.

“Hey,” I said as I gathered my things.

“Sorry to make you wait. I was at a meeting across town and my fucking Uber driver couldn’t find me. I swear, it’s, like, no wonder you’re driving a fucking Uber, you moron.”

I flinched a little at her callousness. “Oh, no, it’s fine. Really. I was early anyways,” I said as I followed her down the beige hall to her office.

“Have a seat. I just need to pull your file.”

I said a silent hello to Larry and Lucius and headed to what was becoming my ‘usual’ spot. I set my purse down on the ground and glanced around the room as she thumbed through her files, finally extracting what I presumed to be mine.

She was dressed less formally than the last time I’d seen her. Her hair was still tied back in a chignon, but she was wearing dark jeans and a thin, cream-colored sweater. It was cute, and I was toying with the idea of asking her where she’d got it when I realized I was trying to distract myself from what was at hand. I looked down at my knees. One of them was pumping up and down rapidly, a nervous tick of mine. I halted that immediately.

“So, Natalie,” Dr. Lerner said as she sat. “I’m anxious to hear how your first week went.”

No dancing around it, I guess. We were jumping right in.

“Uh, good,” I ventured. “Yeah, I think it went well.”

She began writing. How could she be writing so much? I’d barely said anything. “And why do you say that?”

Oh, boy, she wasn’t going to make this easy, was she? What was it with all these psychology types? I don’tknowwhy I’d said that. Because I’d managed to get through it? I mean, not that it was arduous. But I had showed up, and we’d done what we were supposed to do. We’d done the assignment. What else was there to it?

“Uh, I guess it went well because we— I meanI?was able to move forward. You know, toward the goal.”

“The goal being intercourse?”

“Yes.”Fuck, there goes the blushing again.

Dr. Lerner removed her reading glasses and looked at me. “Mr. Andrews updated me on your progress.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but I think I turned an even deeper shade of pink. “Oh, uh—” I coughed. My throat was bone dry, and I didn’t have my trusty water bottle with me.

“Would you like a glass of water?”

I nodded, unable to speak.

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