Plan Of Seduction

27. No More Excuses

     He whines next to me, "Don't call us old." A sigh, "I guess you have a point."

     "I do, always." I boast.

     "Well, one other thing we didn't do together was help Liam pack." I roll my eyes as I get comfortable against his chest, of course he is still on about that.

     "You really want to know what we talked about?"

     Tripp nuzzles into the top of my head before responding. "Yes."

     "Fine." I huff, rolling onto my back. "He wanted to apologize about intruding into our lives so unexpectedly and he also wanted to reassure me that everything between you two is platonic." A snort escapes me. "Which I had no doubt but, anyways, he also started telling me how he admired you, and me, and us."

     "Us?"

     "Yeah, us." I turn to face him, catching his gaze on me already. "He said that he admires how we are around each other; how we express our love. It's what gave him courage to officially break things with his girlfriend because they were never like us - in a way, I don't know, but it gave him an idea of what he really wants in a relationship, you know?"

     Tripp nods, lips forming a cute pout. "Mhm. He wants us."

     God- I elbow him. "Shut up, you're not making this better. I'm never telling you anything ever again you ass."

     "You like my ass."

     "That's not the point." I hiss, turning to shove him, hoping he falls off the bed. He doesn't, shame. Tripp laughs at my antics, gripping my wrists and holding them down by my waist as he rolls over on top of me. The air in my chest rushes out of me in a quick gust as we come face to face.

     The tips of our noses meet but instead of kissing me, Tripp simply rubs them together, grinning. "We better get ready before we're late to your appointment." I growl, snapping my teeth as he pulls off me with another laugh.

     Maybe I didn't love him. Hmph.

____✩____

     "So, this is it, right?" The question leaves me as I fidget against the cushion of the couch, that had initially started comfortably, but now was plain annoying. How people manage to sit on these chairs for days out of the week is beyond me.

     Alondra smiles from the other side, always strictly professional. "Yes, I simply wanted to check on you after everything that has taken place. We still haven't gotten to the bottom of that dream of yours."

     No, I agree, "We haven't. But based on how the case is going, it is reasonable to believe that my father did molest Kai when he stayed over with us for that week."

     It was all we were unable to uncover, seeing as many professionals do not believe in the use of hypnosis to uncover a person's memory. It is a common practice, for individuals who want to uncover certain details of their life that they simply can't remember, but for individuals who are trying to build a case - or for individuals who are going to testify against other people - it isn't recommended. Especially seeing that, if the opposing team finds out of hypnosis as a practice, it can be used to call into question a victim's entire testimony. That's why I refused to go through with it, sure, it's a visualization that followed me for years, but now I have at least some semblance of an idea as to what it means.

     "Do you believe that that's what your dream revolves around?" She's relaxed, calm, and it makes me feel comfortable around her.

     "Yeah." Nothing else makes sense. A) The child is Kai, after something absolutely terrible happened to him, and he wanders into my room, shaking me awake, asking me to go home, something like that. B) The child is, in fact, me, crying and begging to go home even when I am home, because the home I was raised in is hell, and it isn't what a child should consider home. Both of these are options, it's unknown which one is correct, but I at least know both options, and that's what's important.

     The appointment continues like that, back and forth conversation until the time runs out. Alondra stands from the couch, fixing her skirt. "Then this is it, I'll always be here if you wish to speak to me, but at this moment, I do not believe you require any further assistance from me."

     I stand from the couch, taking the brief time to stretch my legs and back. Alondra smiles at me from her door, and when I find myself standing in front of her she extends her hand. We shake hands, "If you ever need any more help don't hesitate to reach out to me or any of my recommended colleagues. It's okay to ask for help."

     Her gaze is firm and level, it's almost scary. I gulp, nodding my head and ducking out from the door with a last awkward smile. Have goodbyes always been that awkward? Tripp is waiting in the lounging area, as usual, and he throws me a lazy smile as I walk out. The drop of my heart to my stomach at the sight is now normal to me, it's always been there, mixing with warmth and butterflies.

     And when before I would reach far and wide for excuses; reasonable explanations as to why he made me feel as such, now I just sigh in overbearing fondness, reveling in the idea of finally finding peace within myself.

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3

I just realized that in both stories (since CYBMPC and AKWSE have the same timeline) parents are always the antagonist or just not present. I grew up with an alcoholic and mentally abusive father who left years ago and while I love my mom, she usually handed us out to other family members. x.x I will include more diversity if I do write another story.

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