FORREST
WHILE DR. REED was lying in bed with oxygen on her nose, she bounced her gaze between Megan and me before a knowing smiled curved up her lips.
“Mom, how are you feeling?” Megan rushed toward her mom and pulled her into a hug. Her voice was wrapped with worry.
“I’m feeling better, Meggie.” Dr. Reed rubbed Megan’s arms, smiling confidently at her. I could feel the affection of a mother in her voice and the way she looked at her daughter.
“What are you not telling me, mom? I may not be a doctor, but you won’t just collapse for nothing.”
I cleared my throat. “Get well soon, Dr. Reed.” I looked at Megan. “Take your time. I’ll be waiting outside.”
I left quickly and let them have some time alone. I wondered how was Megan’s relationship with her mom. They seemed close, yet she didn’t know anything about Dr. Reed’s health.
For years she had been my therapist, and I’d known Megan for nearly two years now, I was still finding it hard to believe that Megan was Dr. Reed’s daughter. For starters, she was Simons, and I couldn’t find any resemblance between them.
I waited in the waiting area for a couple of minutes, tried to figure out if her mom ever mentioned her patients to her. I knew there was a doctor-patient privilege, but this whole scenario just did a 180-degree turn on me.
Right now, I didn’t know how to act in front of them. I’d been living in two lives for years, when I thought I was good at pretending, this time, I didn’t think I could do it anymore.
I lifted my gaze when a pair of high heels stopped in front of me.
“We’re going.” She didn’t seem looked happy anymore.
“How about your mom?”
She shrugged. “She said, she’s okay. The doctor won’t release her until her lab result is ready. She told me I shouldn’t keep you waiting.”
I nodded and stood up. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“She’ll call me once she gets home.” Her voice seemed to have lost energy.
“She’ll be okay, Megan.”
“You don’t know that.” Her shoulders dropped as we walked toward the hallway.
“I certainly don’t, but she’d been my therapist for years, and I know she’s a strong woman. And that’s the trait you got from her.”
“I still can’t believe you’re seeing mom.” She chuckled sadly.
“Neither do I. I guess we both are full of surprises, huh?” I slipped my hands into my pockets and shrugged. I felt naked. My entire life was ripped open wide all at once, even though I could feel that she didn’t know anything about me. But one thing I knew now was that Megan and I had one thing in common.
“I’m starving, but I need to take my car first,” she announced once we got back on the road.
“So do I.”
“You haven’t eaten your lunch?”
“No.”
“I thought you’d be at the restaurant when I called you.”
“No.” I couldn’t tell her that I was waiting for her. She didn’t have to know.
I could feel her rolling her eyes sitting next to me. “Are you back to the old Forrest?”
“I’m still me.” I blew out a pent-up breath of frustration.
“I know, but what I mean is we were having a great conversation like normal—”
“I am not who you think I am, Megan. And you know that.”
“You’re a good person.” She squeezed my forearm that made me still. Her touch was like a lightning bolt to me—it ignited my senses, burned my blood, and it was okay if I didn’t have to focus on the road. In fact, as crazy as it was, I wanted more from her.
I was not a saint. Right now, I didn’t really date, and so as Megan. Frankly, finding anyone to occupy our time in our bed was not difficult for us, but it seemed that being stuck with her was more fascinating and annoying at the same time. I guessed, I just didn’t want a night with her, did I?
“Don’t do that when I’m driving,” I groaned. Her hand was gone.
“You held my hand earlier, and I didn’t mind at all,” she said in dismay. I liked that she didn’t feel ashamed of showing how she felt. I found it even sexy for some reason, but sometimes, it was better to keep it to herself.
“I was just trying to comfort you.” It was a lie. I did that because I cared about her.
“Do you always comfort women, Forrest?”
I narrowed my eyes at her before I focused back on the road. I didn’t have to answer all her questions because she should know the answers by now.
“I kinda like when you hold my hand though,” she added. Jesus, I like it too.
“Just stop talking for a while. I’m thinking.”
“What is your problem?” She sounded pissed, even shifted in her seat. “You were nice to me a while ago. Now, you’re giving me cold shoulder and suddenly turn into a complete asshole.”
“I am an asshole. I’ve been called that and far worse.” My stomach started to flip. My jaw clenched as the image of her bleeding nose flashed in my head.
“Jeez, dude. Thanks for the heads up.” She glared at me. “You should probably get a life, go out, and blow off some steam. That should not make you cranky all the time.”
She’s a handful. I knew that. I was trying to ignore the rushing of my blood in my veins running south, but it was hard when I could smell her, I could feel her, and suddenly the space between us was getting smaller, and our tension was rising higher and higher in my car. And the worse part was, I knew she felt the same.
I let my lungs expand when she shut her mouth. Before I could take full control of my brain, my phone vibrated in my pocket. If it wasn’t Kyland, Alan, or Milo, I knew she wouldn’t call me.
“I think you should answer that.” She looked outside the window, still spitting mad. “My car is parked right there, Forrest.”
“I know. I remember.”
“Then why are we not turning around?”
“It’s parked, isn’t it? We will come later to take it.”
“What do you mean?”
I sent her a glare. “You are peckish, aren’t you?”
She sagged against the seat. “Ugh. You’re so moody. It’s a turn-on when you brood you know, but not all the time. Try to loosen up a bit.”
“Silence makes me loosen up.”
“You’re weird. Anyway, there’s fast food a few blocks from here.”
“Just take a rest, Megan. I’ll take care of the food.”
“Why are you so mad at me? I shouldn’t have called you, but you were the first person who came into my mind, and I remembered we were about to talk over lunch. But I know exactly what’s in your mind right now, and that’s what you wanna talk about.”
“What?” I snapped.
“You thought I knew the reason why are you seeing a therapist. It’s not really my business. I don’t give a damn on why are you seeing one. Just so you know, I am not planning to check your personal info or your files. And for the record, I am also seeing one, and you know what’s the worse part?” She stared at me, chest heaving from anger. “When your mom is your own therapist, Forrest, but I chose her because I trust her more than anyone. And she never judged me.”
I breathed through my nose and shook my head. She should have known me better. I had a lot of skeletons in my closet. And that was the last thing I wanted her to find out. I didn’t want to put her life at risk.
“Are you always this cryptic?” She couldn’t just shut her mouth, could she?
“You won’t stop talking, will you? Until you get what you want.” There was no point in lying especially when I could literally see the thousands of questions spinning in her brain. “This car is like my own personal space. I feel like this is the only place where I can be me. I am not used to having a woman sitting on my passenger seat.” That was half of the truth.
“You mean especially when people think that a whore is sitting next to you.”