Sleeping with the Assistant

Chapter Twenty Two: Stay With Me

Jasmine's pov

   Joseph and I are sitting in a room with a therapist. He didn't want to go in by himself, so he asked me to sit with him. We've been in here for twenty-six minutes and he still hasn't said anything. I recline back in the seat and glare at Joseph, who's staring at the floor.
  "You have to talk eventually," I whisper to him. "You can't get help if you don't talk."
  "I know, I just.. I don't know what to say," he finally speaks.
  "Your girlfriend mentioned a trip you two took with your children. Why don't you tell me about that," Dr. Hernandez suggests.
  "It was supposed to be a nice mini vacation for us, but that place I took them, my family cabin, has certain memories linked to it and I didn't realize it would trigger my.. my um, hallucinations," Joseph explains.
"And what memories are those?"
"Of my ex-girlfriend.. fiancée. I met her there when I was seventeen. She's the mother of my oldest child. Julia was her name," he says.
"Was?"
"She's uh... she's dead. Drug overdose. I wish I could've done more for her."
  "And you blame yourself for her death?"
  "Sometimes. It hits me hard when I actually hallucinate seeing her." Joseph continues to talk about Julia and the affair, Dr. Hernandez nods to me, signaling that I can leave them be for the remainder of the session. It's good to see Joseph taking that step to better himself.
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   After the session, we head to the studio to catch up on the work we missed while we were gone. Leaving Chad alone to hold everything down was selfish on our part and we owe him big time.
"Welcome back you two. I was really starting to like being here by myself," Chad jokes. "How was the trip?"
"It was fine. JJ has now started a rock collection," I answer with a smile.
  "And you? How was it Joseph," he asks.
  "It was nice. Cherish is getting the hang of walking," he replies. "I'll see you in the studio."
  "Right. Jas is he okay?"
  "Why wouldn't he be?" I ask cautiously.
  "Because I got a disturbing voicemail from him. Joseph was talking to himself about Julia and.. 'Getting rid of that whore'," Chad says. "I'm worried about your safety and the kids."
  "I appreciate your concern but we're handling it," I tell him. "He went to therapy today."
  "How was that?"
  "He opened up about Julia and her death, but he didn't mention anything about what you just said," I inform him.
  "Jassy, what if he doesn't remember saying that? What if he has blackouts? He could seriously hurt you and not remember. I don't want anything to happen to you," Chad says with worry. "I think you and the kids should come stay with me."
  "That's not happening. He needs me to be there for him, I have to support him through this bump in the road Chad. You should understand, he's your best friend," I argue.
  "And what if he does something to you?"
  "He won't do anything," I assure.
  "You don't know that!"
  "And you don't know that either! Why can't you trust—" Without hesitation, Chad grabs my face and kisses me so intensely that I stumble back against the wall of my office. I don't know what to do. Goosebumps creep on my arms and the back of my neck while he continues to kiss me.

   "I love you Jasmine, and if anything happened to you or the kids I'd regret not being able to help you guys. I care so much about you that it's hurting me. Do you know what it's like being in love with someone and watching them be with someone else? It crushes me, but I love seeing you happy. Please, make the right choice," he whispers lowly.
  "You can't do this to me. It isn't fair. You're asking me to choose between you and Joseph. You two mean everything to me, but you crossed the line Chad. Tell Joseph I didn't feel so well. I'm going home," I huff. I push Chad away from me and storm outside to my car. I sit in my car and just stare at the wheel before finally breaking down. I don't know why I was crying in particular, but something was gnawing at me for a while. Chad is right, there is a possibility that Joseph could hurt me. I'm aware of his blackouts and what he says when he has them. But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I just took our kids and left alone while I'm staying with our best friend who is also in love with me?