Kinley

Monday

Mondays are the worst; the worst clients, the worst everything. Mrs. Carter pulls me out of my dull thoughts with something she says every session. "I just don't think we can do this anymore. We just don't love each other like we used to! I can't stand feeling so alone anymore. We came to you months ago and nothing has changed between us." Lois was sobbing into her Louis Vuitton purse while her husband rolled his eyes and stared out the window. "Mrs. Carter, if nothing has changed since coming to me then you two aren't taking my advice or doing the assignments I've assigned you to do." I explained to the crying trophy wife in front of me. If she wasn't my highest paying client I would've quit after their first session. "Mr. Carter, have you two been doing the exercises I've suggested?" Monotonously he replied "I tried but this psycho starts crying anytime I try to talk. She tells me to stop yelling at her!" Jeff is yelling by the end of his otherwise flat lined sentence. "I see, well, our session is almost done for today. I want to see you two next week. Let's try only whispering to each other this week. No loud voices ever; no normal level voices either. Next week tell me how that goes." I give them some new things to do even though I know they'll never make it. "Thank you, Ms. Kinley. See you next week." Mrs. Carter sniffles as she leaves my office and Mr. Carter just rolls his eyes.

    As soon as I'm alone I kick off my shoes, run my fingers through the small knots in my pixie hair. I look in the mirror and wonder if I should dye my hair a different color. Most people like my brown hair but it seems that everyone else says blonde would be better. I already chopped it all off so I didn't have to deal with actually doing my hair every day. As I continue staring in the mirror I see the smudges of mascara on my eyelids and the lack of lipstick on my inner lips. I pull out some tissue and fix my face. Just as I finish, I hear an unexpected knock on my door. "I'm on break, make an appointment!" I yell at the door praying they'll just leave. It never works. The door is hit again, making me put on my shoes and get up. As I open the door, I hear footsteps fading away. They left. I looked down and saw a bottle of red wine. I pick it up and pull out my phone.

Thx Ol, needed this. ~K

    I press send and hear a faint beeping down the hallway. I laugh a bit as Oliver walked around the corner and looked at his phone to send me back a text. I looked at my beeping phone.

F&A Kin ~O

    I smile at our little inside joke. Many think that it means forever and always but really it means free and alcoholic. "Hey Ollie. Slow day at the bar?" We walk into my office and I kick my shoes off again. "Kinley, it's only 10am. We're the only ones drinking right now." Ollie says sarcastically as he opens the bottle and pours them into the glasses I keep in my desk. "How was your Gucci client today?" he asks. I shrug, "Same as always. Wants to complain about how she and her rich husband don't get along because she doesn't want to lose the money she gets from him. It's getting ridiculous. I told them they aren't allowed to speak to each other unless they whisper everything. At least I'm getting paid." I took a long drink of my wine and sighed. "Kinley, don't you think it's funny that you're fixing all of these people relationships, yet you aren't in a relationship, nor ever been in one?" Ollie asks for the millionth time. "Again, Ol, I have zero desire to be in a relationship. That's just a perk of being asexual. You get that. I mean, you're ace too right? Or am I just crazy?" I somewhat jokingly ask Ollie. "Yes, Kinz. I am. I've told you that..." I interrupt him. "Also, I have been in relationships. I just didn't like them. It's weird." We both drink. I get up to leave my office, my next client is at 4. "I'm gonna go home for a while. Wanna come Ol?" He nods and finishes his glass.

    We walk across the street to my apartment complex. It's nice to live across the street from your work; even better to live across the hall from your best friend. We take the elevator up three floors and walk to the end of the hallway to number 311 and 312. When we get to my door, Ollie starts talking again. "You seriously won't even consider dating anyone ever again Kinley? That seems kinda lonely." I frown at his question. "Why would I be lonely? I have you right across the hall." He frowns back. "I won't be around forever, Kin. And I may not be across the hall when you have a panic attack or even when you need some milk! Kin you need to find someone who will always be there." I don't like to hear this. I don't understand why he's telling me he won't be here. "What are you saying Ollie, are you going somewhere?" He sigh. "Kinley, no. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just saying that I can't be the only one here to take care of you." I feel like crying. "You're the only one that understands what I need Oliver. I don't want anyone else. You're my best friend. I don't want a boyfriend or a girlfriend or anything. I just want my best friend to live across the hall and be here when I need you." I think I may be panicking. Everything is spinning. I can't lose Ollie. I'm not good with relationships. I've tried. It doesn't work. Ollie works. I have Ollie and he doesn't pressure me to do anything and he's just there. I can't breathe. He's trying to change what we have. I can't. I can't see anything.

    I wake up in Ollie's sweater on the couch. What time is it? Where is Oliver? "Crap! My clients!" I jump up and grab my phone and run out the door. I run across the street and into my office. I don't even notice that all of the hair of half of my head is sticking straight up, or that my mascara is all over my face, or that it's dark outside. "Damn it... it's already 8pm. I missed my clients. I don't know what happened either." I check my phone and notice that I have a text from Ollie.

Hey, Kinley, I know you probably don't remember but you had a panic attack... I'm sorry. You know I won't leave you. Idk why I even said that. I called your clients to cancel. I'm at the bar. Txt me when ur up. f&a K. ~O

    Oh... I did panic... I thought that was a dream. I texted Ollie back that I'd be there soon. I walked back to my apartment and I fixed myself up a little bit. I parted my ever so short hair to the left this time and wiped off the mascara on my face and reapplied some on my lashes. I kept Ollie's sweater on and left my apartment. I walk down the street and down the other block to The Bar. I think that's a great name for a bar. It's easy to remember. I walk in and sit down at the bar. I don't focus on the sports game playing; I focus on the tall blonde man behind the counter. I trace the outline of his muscular figure with my gaze and wondered if he wears tight shirts for tips or because he genuinely likes them. He may be my best friend, we may be asexuals, but I am not blind; I have a very attractive best friend. I've known him since I was 19 so I definitely know how handsome he is. Knowing someone for ten year really allows you to get to know someone.

    Ollie finally turns around and smiles at me. It's a sad smile... I wonder what could be wrong. Is it because I panicked? I don't know whether or not to smile back but it doesn't matter because he's already walking over. "Hey Kinz, how are you feeling? You were out for a long time, I had to leave because Noah couldn't keep watching the bar. That was around 3. When did you get up?" I looked down at the bar. I was out for ten hours... "I got up around 8. I was really confused and didn't notice it was dark. I ran to my office before checking my phone or the time. I guess my body wanted me to sleep it off. Is that a new record?" I spoke in such a monotone. I still don't feel well. I don't know what happened or why. "No, I think DisneyLand is still your record. 13 hours, remember?" I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I remember. I now know that I don't like height, people, and small spaces. You had to carry me off the ride and then we left in an ambulance." Ollie smiled. "You left in the ambulance. I had to follow in your car. It's good I was there too because otherwise they would've taken you to the hospital instead of home." I don't like hospitals. Especially when I panic. It's gotten normal, even for Oliver.

    Since I slept all day, I'm not tired. "Hey Ollie..." He turns back to me after serving some trashy girl who has obviously already been drinking today. "Yeah, Kinley? What's up?" He sounds concerned for me. "I'm okay. I'm just no longer tired. Do you have the late shift tonight?" He knows what I mean. "Yeah, you can stay with me tonight." We sit in the bar all night until we walk home around 3am. We walk back to his door, and I just follow. We curl up on his bed and talk until we both fall asleep. This happens too often.