Just Breathe

Chapter 9 {Meeting Bob}

"Uh...I..." He began to stutter and found himself at a loss for words. "...I guess."

"Great!" The therapist smiled and motioned for him to follow her back to the group of people. She stopped beside Riley and he stood in front of her with a small smile. He felt his stomach leap strangely and he cursed himself for feeling so attached to this girl so quickly. It wasn't like him and it was honestly scaring the hell out of him. "Riley, this is your partner. Introduce yourselves and we will try a few trust exercises, okay?"

Riley continued staring at the therapist as she made her way across the room and only focused back on Jonathan when he cleared his throat.

He smiled and held out his hand. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

She reluctantly took his hand in hers and shook it slowly, not even showing a smile.

"So...what exactly are trust exercises?" He asked in honest curiosity.

"Stupid." She replied somberly.

He found himself smiling at her comment and the doubt he was feeling suddenly faded away. He could swear he saw a small smile playing on the corner of her lips, but the moment it seemed to disappear just as quickly. She took his wrists gently before pulling them out in front of his body. She looked back at his eyes and spoke softly but seriously. "Don't let me fall."

He shook his head and watched as she turned around. She glanced over her shoulder once more to make sure his arms were still out before falling back. He slowly lifted her back on her own two feet as she turned to face him, standing just inches from him and causing his heart to race rapidly in his chest. The therapist walked up to them with a smile and pat Riley on the back.

"Great job, Riley. I'm really proud of how far you've come. Why don't you try eye contact and touch?" She gave Riley one last pat on the back before turning and walking away.

"What's eye contact and touch? ...besides stupid." Jonathan said with a smirk and this time he was sure he saw a smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

"Exactly what it sounds like." She said softly and held out her hands, urging him to take them.

He reached down and took her hands before looking back up at her eyes. They both stared at each other for what only seemed like seconds to him. Her eyes were intoxicating and he found his heart racing just by the simple touch of her hand. He wanted her to feel what he was feeling. He wanted her to know who he was, but he decided to reconsider that statement because he was scared of her seeing him. He was scared of her putting a face to the voice and being disappointed or wishing she had never met him. Talking on a phone is safe, it's easy and free. You can be whoever you want and hide as much as you like without having the person on the other end see right through you.

What if she didn't like the person he was?

What if she discovered who he really was and couldn't run fast enough?

The thought of any of those things happening scared him to no end and he promised himself right then and there to keep his identity a secret.

~

Laughter filled the small Toyota as Peter, who was in the driver's seat, tossed his head back in pure amusement. "Holy crap, dude, she thinks your name is Bob and you work as a janitor at the treatment center? Yeah, that's a great way to start off the relationship." He continued to laugh and Jonathan sat in the passenger seat with a firm glare.

"Okay, different subject." Jonathan shook his head and waited for Peter's laughter to die down, a silence eventually filling the small car. "Despite how purely irritated I am right now, I guess I should say thanks for giving me a ride to pick up Timmy. I promised him I'd pick him up today so he didn't have to take the bus and there's no way I would have made it without a ride."