Forrest novel Chapter 9

FORREST

MEGAN INHALED sharply, and I just froze in shock right there, struggling with fuzzy thoughts. We stared at each other for like a fucking eternity. Then the realization just sucker-punched me in my gut. That day I bumped into her, she came for a job interview.

I was the first to look away, still finding hard to think of anything to say and it was too late to turn back—she already saw me. She probably was the woman who answered my call yesterday. How the fuck didn’t I recognize her voice? Perhaps, I was used to her twang sexy accent, while she sounded like a workaholic receptionist yesterday.

A twinge of guilt clogged in my throat when I remembered how we ended up our call last night. I didn’t know what crawled up my ass, but she was right at one thing though, I should stay away from her. I was bad for her, and she was a distraction to my plan.

She picked up the phone shakily. “Your 11 a.m is here.” Then she ended the call, looked at me, and smiled politely as if we had not known each other. Fucking great! “She’s ready for you.”

“We need to talk after my appointment,” I told her before I entered the room. More like I was not giving her a chance to say no.

Once I was inside, millions of thoughts rushed through me—the fear of her finding out my issue had rolled my gut, and that thought of her figuring out why I was seeing a therapist was only the tip of the iceberg. She would not look at me the same way again. She would despise me.

“Good morning, Forrest.” Dr. Reed pulled me back to the present.

“I’m sorry. Good morning, doc.” I released a deep long breath and sat on the couch, facing her.

Dr. Reed must have seen me uncomfortable. “Are you feeling okay?”

I looked straight at her and swallowed the ache in the back of my throat. Then I was like a fucking mute. I opened my mouth to speak, but the fucking word wouldn’t come out.

“Ask anything away, Forrest. You seem to have a lot of things in your mind right now. This is the purpose of our therapy.” Dr. Reed was calm and relax in her seat while I was sweating like a pig. I wanted to ask a lot about the woman behind that door.

“I think we should wrap up my visit. It’s not that you didn’t help me. You help me a lot, in fact, I am grateful for everything. The reason why I am still sane again and able to sleep without...nightmares, it’s because of you.”

She gave me a friendly smile. “Is this really what you want to do?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation, though that was not what I had in mind before seeing Megan at the front desk. I was about to open up my eventful meetings with Megan and about last night, then things just turned real 180—Megan could have just checked out my record and ratted out to my friends.

“We have doctor-patient privilege, Forrest. You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know.”

“And if you don’t feel talking to me here in the clinic. We can arrange a coffee meeting or at the park so you could speak freely without feeling being trapped inside this room.”

“I think I am good.” I stood up, still carrying the heavy feeling in my chest.

“You can always call whenever you need my help. You wouldn’t be coming back if you don’t trust me. I wish you good luck, Forrest.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Reed. And I will.” I walked toward the door and paused. After taking a deep breath, I turned to her again. “Do you know her?”

Dr. Reed was already standing, smoothing her skirt when she met my gaze. “Who?”

“Your new receptionist.”

She smiled brightly. Her eyes lit up, and I was so fucking screwed. “Yes. Don’t worry this conversation is off the record, Forrest.”

I nodded, clumping my mouth shut. When I closed the door behind me, a guy was sitting on the chair, waiting for his turn while Megan was tapping on the tab when I approached her.

Her gaze lifted with slightly wide eyes. Every time over gazes locked, my world seemed to slow down. It was fucking insane. Then lately, it worsened, it didn’t just make my heart gallop, it throbbed something inside me that I didn’t want to give my attention over it.

“When is your break?”

She looked down at the tab on the desk. “In thirty minutes.”

“Meet me at the restaurant across the street.”

“Okay,” she reluctantly answered, still pissed at me.

“Watch the road.” I didn’t know why I had to remind her. It just that when it came to her, I had this instinct that I wanted to protect her.

I liked her. A lot. No doubt about that. I’d been constantly daydreaming about her for months, but I thought it was just due to my lack of sexual exploitation that had me a thing for her because she was fucking hot, but every time I saw her flirting with another man, I felt a dull ache in my chest. And these past few days, I couldn’t think of anything else other than her, in pain, in hurt, and seemingly lost.

I might have known the reasons why Megan had completely changed, I should be running away from her while I still could.