This Love

Chapter 34

SCARLETT PARKER

Holding Harry's hand, I feel like a useless little kid as he walks me up to my supposed new therapist's building. Gemma helped me find the right one, and it took her no time at all to do it. The second I told her I was possibly interested, she sent me five potential options that dealt with family issues and childhood trauma due to those issues.

The building is quaint and I like that it's a pale yellow color, but I don't like how hard it's trying to be a therapist's building. The lighting is too dim and easy on the eyes, the strong scent of lavender is almost too calming, the little trickling waterfall sculpture in the corner of the room is annoying, and I could do without the weird zen music playing from a hidden speaker.

"Hi, do you have an appointment?" The woman at the reception desk asks. She's too young to be working here and now I feel judged.

I nod and glance back to see the woman sitting in one of the velvet armchairs in the waiting area. She's bouncing her knee and going to fucking town biting her nails, and she looks like someone who needs to see a therapist the longer I stare at her. I wonder if that's what I look like.

"It's for Scarlett Parker," Harry answers for me when I fail to do so.

"With Dr. Wright?"

"Yes," he speaks again as I tear my eyes away from the girl to look at the receptionist again.

"Alright, darling, if you could please fill out this paperwork and Dr. Wright will come get you shortly."

I take the clipboard and pen with a giant artificial sunflower attached to the end of it, and Harry follows me to sit on the floral loveseat. "The decor in here is weird."

"It's a bit all over the place, yeah," he laughs and drapes his arm around me while I prop the clipboard on my thigh to take a look at the questions.

1. Why are you seeking therapy at this time?

2. What do you expect from therapy?

3. Have you been in therapy before? What was the experience like?

4. Are you having suicidal thoughts right now, or have you had suicidal thoughts within the past month?

5. Are you having homicidal thoughts right now, or have you had homicidal thoughts within the past month?

6. Do you have supportive people in your life? If so, who?

7. How is your relationship with your family?

8. How do you cope with stress?

9. What are some of your strengths?

10. What are your goals you want to accomplish in therapy?

I read over the questionnaire at least three times before I look up to see if Harry is also staring at the paper, but he's looking at the bookshelf to the right of us instead. It's so full that each row of books has more books stacked on top of them, and they seem to be mostly self-help related.

"Do you think I have to answer all of these?" I ask him.

"Oh, um," he frowns in concentration and studies the questions. "I'm sure it's not absolutely required, but I think filling it out will just help your therapist know where to begin."

"Hm," I look over the list one more time to try and find the easiest one to answer, which is surprisingly the one about having supportive people in my life. Seth is the first one, followed by Harry, Niall and Emma, Anne, and Gemma. I'm content with that.