LUV IS DRO

SESSION 32.

ATHENA

Athena always had a kind of aura that was instantly gravitating. She'd always been that friend that you could go to no matter what and she'd be there with open arms ready to comfort. Kind of ironic that a woman who held everybody's secrets, rarely shared any of her own. Now don't get me wrong, Athena was a open book, she didn't tell everyone he business but she also didn't share a lot of personal stuff to the ones that's close to her.

When it came to her emotions, she'd always keep them to herself, afraid of dragging down her friends with her bad mood, even though she had the sweetest people around her. She was a big advocate on mental health, though she was always struggling with her own. Which is why we're here today.

Athena had scheduled therapy appointments every other Tuesday with Dr. Melanie for the past year, which promptly started a bit after her first attempt. She'd hit a low point in her life.

"Athena." Dr. Melanie's voice snaps her out of her trance, "Are you with me?"

Athena looks up at the woman sitting across from her, nodding her head slightly as she came to her senses. She looked up at the clock on the wall, 1:15, then focusing back on the woman. "Yeah, sorry." She clears her throat.

"No worries." Dr. Melanie dismisses, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while." Did I mention Athena hadn't been to a session in three months?

"I've been well." She nods and wipes her hands on the pants she wore. Her eyes watching as Dr. Melanie wrote down in her notes.

"Anything new in life? Last time we talked, it didn't end well. I'm honestly surprised you're back, though I am happy to see you."

"Same old same old, you know me always busying myself with work." She tells the half truth, even though she knew the woman would get it out of her. Athena could already see the look of skepticism drawing on Dr. Melanie's face. "I'm also seeing someone now." She just sort of blurts.

"Really?" The therapist's tone laced with surprise, she etches something else down in her notes, "Tell me about it."

Athena sighs lightly as she began to think, her mind races when it's about the curly haired man who suddenly had all her attention. "Well it's not anything serious but..."

"But what?" Dr. Melanie edges, wanted the young woman to explain further into detail.

Athena shrugs, "I don't know, he's cool. I like him, I think."

"You think?"

"I mean yes, I do." She sighs, her head starting to ache, "It's just complicated, I don't know like I said it's nothing serious. It hasn't been long but I know I like to be around him."

"What's stopping it from developing into something more?"

Athena shrugs, kind of regretting bringing up the topic but what was the point in paying for a therapist if you weren't going to talk? "We're still getting to know each other, I don't know. Like I said, it's new."

She continues to eye as the pen glides along the paper, wondering what it was that was being written about her.

"Are you still on your meds?" She nods. "I notice you're on a higher dosage this time. Tell me how you've feeling."

"Some days are good, other days they're bad. I think I've been having more mood swings than normal."

"Have you been getting out the house more, like we talked about? Even if it's just so much as you taking a walk in your neighborhood."

Athena shakes her head, "I've been out the house plenty, even times I wanted to stay in my friends are making me tag along. If i'm not working, I'm with them or Jack."

Dr. Melanie nods her head, a suggestive look on her face that Athena couldn't quite pinpoint.

"How have you been sleeping?"