Her Therapist

Chapter 10.

"I'm sorry."

She lifts her gaze from the floor, and again, if she didn't do that, I wouldn't know that the apology was coming from my mouth. What the hell am I sorry for? I'm a therapist. Her therapist, then why would I say sorry to my patient who is... well, ungrateful.

She has lost her parents.

I don't believe that until I see it with my own eyes. 

"I was scared for your heart, you were screaming so strongly, I thought that you were about to have a heart attack, so my instinct told me to gave you  a tranquilizer."

"Thank you very much for caring and saving my stupid life", she thanks me sarcastically and bitterly, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Why is your life stupid?" I cross my arms and bow my head to meet her eyes. We are in the distance now, and I think that it is for the best. At least until I decipher why she is sensitive to touch. 

She shrugs, and her lashes flutter lazily. I know that the medicine has intoxicated her slightly but it was, as I have said multiple times so far, much needed. And just how last night when she was asleep, I wish her to be awake and curse me, now I wish the opposite. She is much calmer passed out and intoxicated. Easier to deal with. Less stubborn. And definitely less aggressive.

I pierce my eyes into her, but she does everything to avoid it, her gaze glued to the floor. I brush my chin, and my grown beard, once again getting reminded that I have to shave. Her expression is confused, lost, and she huffs, pouts while running her hands through her messy hair.

"Esther", I approach her and trail off.

"Do not take any step further", she shook her head, still avoiding my gaze, looking so lost right now and I wish to know was it that simple word ungrateful that opened this side of her, the one where she is so vulnerable and puzzled, but also cautious. "You need to let me go, I need to go to work..."

"You aren't allowed to work anymore", I cut her off. "I banned you once, and after last night's events I'm banning you again, but this time you are going to listen to me, I promise you that."

"Oh, sure", she scoffs, "but wait events?" She knits her eyebrows and rubs her eyes probably to make her sight less blurry.

"You don't remember?"

"Do you expect me to remember anything when you have drugged me, Tomlinson?"

"I didn't drug you, Larsson", I correct her, and roll my eyes, too, "I gave you something to calm down."

"Same thing", she mumbles and waves her hand through the air. She pulls the sleeve of my sweater, and snaps her eyes at me, shooting me a murderous glare. "Am I naked underneath?"

"No, you have your", I clear my throat, "your uniform."

The second the words leave my mouth, she grabs the collar of the sweater and pulls it over her head. I open my mouth to tell her something, but I get cut off when the clothes get thrown straight in my face. 

"Go to hell both you and your clothes!", she shouts.

"You were soaking wet and freezing! I couldn't calm down your shivering for hours!", I shout back. 

"I don't care! I could be dying and you shouldn't be touching me!"

"Why are you so afraid of the touch?", I repeat for the hundredth time this morning.

"That is none of your business, now open", she stops mid-sentence when my fingers start tracing the bare skin of her forearm. "What the hell!", she squeaks, and her voice is slightly lower than beforehand. I take a step forward, and she turns her head to me, her side profile covered in the shadow that sunlight is projecting of my hanger. I stare at her lips, and how they are parted, how the shallow breaths are coming from it, her chest heavy, moving up and down, resembling mine. 

Her hand grabs my chin, and my eyes widen, confused for a second. My eyes snap at hers, and I see them focused now on my lips, and I instantly part them, my jaw clenching.

We can't do this. She is a minor. She is mino....

"Try to stare at me like that ever again, to dare to touch me one more time like this, and I will report you for raping, you pervent", she pushes me, but I grip her waist. Her eyes widen at mine, and she adds, quickly, hissing. "I'm minor. That is a serious offense, Tomlinson."

"No one would believe you. I mean aren't you supposed to be in a madhouse", I tease, scoffing. She snorts, grinning, and I mimic the movements of her lips. "Only because of me you are free, but I'm really starting to believe that was a big mistake."

"It wasn..."

"Esther?"

"What the hell is now?"

"You stink. You should take a shower."