Stay (A TBZJL Fanfic)

Distraction (A W2S FANFIC)

Josh nodded, and I noticed Harry lean forward, clearly not excited. It wasn't common for patients to talk much at the first session. Since I was paid by the hour, I tried as much as I could to convince them it was worth their time coming back.

"He's been upset ever since Kate left him, and he refuses to let anyone talk about it," Josh started. "Not to mention there's clearly something else bothering him."

Harry threw a glare at him when he said that, which I noted. The most sensitive subject was definitely the main reason he was there, so I would make sure to loop around to it.

"How long ago was this?"

"A couple of months," Josh stated. "He'll cheer up for work, but even the fans have started to notice that something's wrong."

"Mate," Harry sat up straighter. "Stop. Just leave."

"You won't run away?" Josh questioned. When Harry didn't answer him, Josh turned to me. "Will you give me a call if he leaves early?"

I bit my lip. "Look, I can't force him to stay. I'm only here to listen to what he's comfortable sharing, and if he decides he wants to end the session early, that's his decision."

"Thanks, lady," Harry smirked at the fact that I'd taken his side.

"'Abigail' is fine," I told him as I raised an eyebrow. "But I also can't stop your friend, should he decide to stay. So cooperating seems like the best option for you."

"Ha," Josh told him. "So would you rather talk with her in private and I wait outside, or have me in here?"

Harry groaned. "Fine. Just wait outside."

Josh obliged and stood to his feet, smiling at me before walking out of the room. He quietly closed the door behind him, so Harry sighed.

I took a minute to read him. His dull blue eyes were wild, and he had worse bags than Josh did. He didn't look well at all, and he had a light stubble growing on his face. His leg bounced up and down rapidly as he rubbed his hands together, but he stopped when he caught me looking at him.

"Stop doing that," Harry snapped.

I tilted my head. "Doing what?"

"Studying me. I'm not just some book," He muttered. "By the way, I don't need this. Everyone's just overreacting."

"That's fine," I said softly. "We still have forty five minutes. We don't have to talk about any of that stuff if you don't want to. Let's just get to know each other."

"You mean to tell me that Josh is paying $100 for a conversation? What kind of therapy session is this?"

"It's whatever makes you comfortable," I set my clipboard down on the table next to me and brushed off my skirt. "Therapy doesn't always involve talking about your problems, contrary to popular belief. Today, we can just work on calming you down."

He scoffed. "How do you expect that to happen?"

I smiled warmly at him. "It's different for every patient. I have a woman who paints my hands when she comes in. It relaxes her. I have another patient that likes to listen to music...shall I put on some music?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She paints on your hands? Don't you have a canvas or something for that?"

I shook my head. "It's different. For her, it's the best way she's able to trust me. It's therapeutic."

"I don't need any of that stuff," He spat. "I'm not a kid."

I just shrugged, pushing my hair behind my shoulders. I had to think of something else to get him to start talking. "My brother's just like you. He's stubborn. He refuses help from anyone, which is perfectly normal."