Shameless (The Therapist #2), стр. 47
After thirty seconds, I try to snap her out of it. “Ava, are you okay?”
No response.
“Ava, please. I don't want this to be…”
“Fine,” Ava finally says, spitting the word out like she hates its taste. After speaking, she’s back to being frozen.
“Okay,” I reply, waiting for her to leave, but she doesn't. “Well, I’m going to go. Take care of yourself, Ava.”
Instead of adding more time to this awkward situation, I slowly close the door. As it latches, Ava doesn't move a single muscle. I shut the door completely and make sure to lock it before moving over to the window and looking out. Ava stays in front of the door, unmoving, for another sixty seconds. Her eyes stay glued to the outside of my front door, unblinking for an entire minute before finally stepping back. She moves like her feet are stuck in quicksand, but she slowly turns around and walks away.
I watch her walk out of my driveway and turn down the sidewalk. Down the street where I can barely see her from this angle, Ava climbs into her car. She’d parked nearly four houses down, which is why I hadn’t seen her car in the driveway before. She was sneaking up on me on purpose.
Ava sits in the car another thirty seconds without moving, her face being lit up by the light above her rearview mirror, and I’m absolutely stunned when she explodes into a rage, punching and slapping her steering wheel over and over again. Her mouth twists into a terrifying, inaudible scream as she beats the steering wheel with clenched fists, before slamming her forehead on the wheel two times. She hits her head so hard I’m surprised she doesn't knock herself out. My heart pounds in my chest just watching her.
“Holy fuck,” I whisper to myself, just before Ava comes to a sudden stop. She starts the car, and floors it. The tires screech as the Nissan tears away and zooms past my house.
As she passes in front of me, Ava looks at my house and glares into the window. Although it should be improbable at that speed, I’m certain she looks right at me before she disappears from view.
Takeoff
Chapter Thirty
~ Tessa ~
The sun seems brighter these days. The sky is bluer. The birds sing louder, and it feels like their song is just for me. Even now, as I take my seat at the bar in Applebee’s, the place is nice and quiet, as if everyone in here knew I was in a calm and serene mood, and they all wanted to keep me in my happy place.
I’ve been on quite the rollercoaster lately, but I feel like I’m finally stepping off of the rocky ride and putting my feet on solid ground. My therapy session with Dr. Colson two days ago really solidified everything that was running through my mind.
I successfully climbed out of the basement my mother had me trapped in, and took my time exploring my newfound land of freedom. It was great, and I don't regret a single thing about anything I’ve done. If everything went down the same way, I wouldn’t change a thing about how I reacted to being dumped. I’m better because of it, and I highly doubt Brandon can say the same.
I can't help but wonder how it all turned out for him, though. I haven’t heard anything about him or his band since he left town a few weeks ago, which is a bad sign for a band trying to come up. Maybe I’ll never know, and that’s perfectly fine with me.
The bar is quiet this evening, which is perfect. Missy is on her way, and we’ll enjoy our usual girls night out with a few drinks and laughs. I guess the only thing that’ll be different about tonight is that I won't be on the prowl.
After everything went down with my mother and Will—who I really hope isn't here tonight—something in me changed. Maybe all I needed was for my mother to leave me the hell alone and stop trying to get me to live my life by her outdated rules. That must’ve been it, because after we hugged that evening, everything seemed to slow down for me. I’m still living my life the way I want it, and if I wanted to sleep with somebody tonight I’d do it, but I don't feel the same sense of urgency. A lot of times, all we’re really looking for is acceptance, and now that I’ve got hers, I’m good to take my time.
Once I’m seated and comfortable, I tell the bartender to hook me up with a vodka cranberry, and I take a big first sip as soon as he places it in front of me. As I’m putting my glass back on top of the napkin, I feel someone brush up against my arm as they sit down beside me. My first thought is that it’s going to be Will looking for an explanation for what went down at the clinic with my mother. However, I’m surprised when I look over and see it’s not Will. I don't remember this guy’s name, but I definitely recognize his face.
He’s a little on the thin side, with beautiful blue eyes, wavy hair, and a strong jaw. Once again, he’s wearing a suit and standing out in the crowd of restaurant-goers. He has stubble on his face, but it looks really good on him, and when he looks at me, he flashes a gorgeous smile.
“Hey, I remember you,” he says, flooring me with that smile. “Tessa, right? Tessa Milton.”
I smile back and reach out to shake the hand that he has offered. “Yeah. I remember you, too, although I’m not sure what your name is.”
“Ouch,” he says with a playful chuckle. “It’s Liam.”
“Oh, right,” I chirp. “Liam Gardner. Hi, it’s nice to see you again.”
It’s really nice to see him