Get A Room!

~:*:~ Ninety-Five ~:*:~

Jedson

Bright and I jumped onto the bus that would lead us downtown. I had no idea where we were going. Bright just showed up at my door and asked if I could accompany him somewhere. He was very secretive about the whole thing. I could tell that he was using all of his effort to keep his nerves in check as we watched the world go by through the bus window. Each time I tried to start up a conversation, it would either fall on deaf ears or he'd offer a meager response before turning away again.

What the hell was going on?

Once we got to the heart of the city, he pulled me out of my seat and we departed the bus. He continued to walk briskly for a few blocks, constantly checking his phone for the time as he pleaded with me to hurry. Once we got to a large building with many businesses inside, I became even more confused and worried.

He took a deep breath before pushing open the main doors, and then he made a b-line for the elevator. We pushed in with a handful of other people, and then we slowly made our way up to the fifth floor.

When he stopped in the hallway to read the board for directions, I began to put the pieces together as I noticed the various names beside each room number.

Therapists. The majority of offices on this floor belonged to therapists.

"What the fuck, Bright?!"

He spun around to face me with a genuine look of confusion on his face.

"How could you trick me into coming here?! I told you that I don't need some quack doctor analyzing me anymore-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You've got it wrong, Jedson! Shit, I should have thought this through more... but I was just so nervous, and I needed you by my side-"

"What's going on, Bright?" I asked a little too briskly.

"The quack is for me." He said bravely before moving down the hallway towards the correct office. "I'm the one who wants to see a therapist, but I was too scared to come here alone. I'm sorry, Jedson. I should have told you where we were going. I didn't really think you'd react this way."

"Oh..." I was glad that he wasn't forcing me to see a therapist, but I was also a little disappointed that this wasn't some misguided attempt to prove how much he cared about me. I shook off the feeling and pressed him for answers, "So why do you want to see a therapist?"

He laughed awkwardly. "For my own social anxieties, of course!"

"Bright, you don't have to... things aren't that serious-"

"But they are, Jedson!" He stopped in the middle of the hallway so he could explain himself while looking at me. "Things are that serious for me. I probably should have sought out help years ago, but I just let everything bury me! I went through hell in high school; all that bullying and trauma just made me hate myself, so I secluded myself as best I could from the rest of the world. I became shy and pitiful, yet my pretty face kept people coming back for more trouble! Well, I've had enough! I don't want to repeat my high school experience in university! I want to make new friends, I want to join teams and clubs, I want to participate in class discussions, I want to have fun on the weekends at the movies or an amusement park, and I want to go on hundreds of dates with the person I care most about without being afraid! I want to learn to love myself as I am, pretty face and all! I need to learn to see myself through your eyes, Jedson..." He reached out for my hand to squeeze. "I want to be brave enough to stay by your side, but I know I'll need professional help to unpack all this shit that's weighing me down first. So yeah, that about sums it up! That's why I'm here for my first appointment, and if all goes well with this doctor then I'll probably schedule a weekly visit with her. Don't worry... you don't have to come with me to every appointment! I just wanted you here for the first so I wouldn't chicken out, because looking at you reminds me of my motivation."