Seeing the Therapist Round 3

It was the day after Stacy had broken up with you, you can't even remember having slept - but here you were; bright and early inside of Sato's office. You'd spent the night at a motel, respecting Stacy's wishes to leave her alone - you still weren't sure what was to happen next, probably she'd ask you to pick up your things and move out, the thought of which scared you endlessly. What were you going to do to fix this? Could it be fixed? All you knew right now were Stacy's final words to you before storming off in tears; "you need help, Alex".

And here you were, seeking help from the only person you could think to turn to - Hina Sato, the strange, out of pocket campus therapist who had suggested outlandish relationship dynamics in the past to you... Just thinking back to those sessions you'd had, your stomach churned at the thought that she might bring them up again. She wouldn't, right? Not when the circumstances had changed so dramatically.

"Alex, thanks for arriving so punctually, shall we make our way into my office?" Jolting a little, you hadn't even sensed her walk through the automatic door, her tone was soft and understanding but you couldn't help but notice an odd look on her face, faint and almost unnoticeable before it had vanished. Nodding your head and relinquishing such thoughts, you followed rigidly into her office, still lost and spaced out from the prior events.

Sitting down she smiled, pulling up your student file. The one with your nude body plastered somewhere further down, the one that Nova somehow knew about as well. How was that? Surely Hina hadn't leaked it, but then how else? Before you could dwell on these uncertainties, Hina began speaking.

"So, Mr. Stone, I only heard the tail end of your breakup the other day - I can infer some of what happened but I'd like to hear your rendition of the events that lead up to that dispute between you and Mrs. Bridgeworth." You sighed thinking about whether or not to tell her the whole truth, after all you'd kept things entirely too close to your chest. If there was any time to be honest it was right now - Stacy was on the line, you had nothing else to lose.

Starting from the very beginning you detailed the events that had started ever since your transfer, from Nova first meeting you in the bathroom, to Nova deliberately drowning you in the pool, to her saving you and getting closer to Stacy as a result. You felt tears sting the corners of your eyes as you described how you knew Nova to have a cock, a big one that she flaunted over you at every chance she got; how she had undermined your relationship with Stacy, feasting on your insecurities and playing them against you to inch herself closer and closer into Stacy's confidence. You ended detailing the final ultimatum Nova had given to you in the shower, and how directly after Stacy had half-mistakenly assumed you were spying on her.

Hina listened intently and hid her reaction well, she intermittently jotted down notes but made no attempt to interrupt you, when you had caught her up it felt as if a weight had been lifted from your shoulders; a weight you weren't even aware that you had been carrying. It wasn't that you were content, but you felt like you had made a step in the right direction, a single step in a winding and indeterminate journey.

"I see, there's a lot here that you didn't confess to the last time. So that's what was going on, and I take it that Mrs. Bridgeworth doesn't know any of this?" You shook your head in response. "Good, that's for the best at this point. If you were to tell her now, she wouldn't be in the right frame of mind to believe you. Maybe if you had come clean from the start then all of this could have been avoided, but there's no sense dwelling on it now." The words stabbed you in the chest like a cold surgical knife with deft precision, if only you had said something sooner...

"Look at me, that doesn't matter now." Hina's words were authoritative but strangely gentle, making you look back up at her. "I've worked in this industry for a long time, I've seen cases like yours come and go countless times. Do you know what cheating does to a person? It makes them feel worthless, powerless and undesired. It makes them collapse in on themselves, like it or not Alex that's what you've done here, that's what Stacy feels right now." Hearing that you opened your mouth to speak, but that authoritative tone silenced you, less gentle now and growingly sterner. "No, Alex. Your intentions don't matter, the end result is what matters. Stacy isn't going to believe you, or understand your position. All she knows is that you have cheated on her, that's the truth in her mind that isn't going to go away by you explaining anything. That trust is never going to come back unless you validate her beliefs and then offer her recompense." You were stunned hearing this, it all ended up circling back to sharing her again...

"You don't mean..?" You looked at her, her stern features morphing into a knowing look, a wordless nod was all that was shared between you. You sat dumbstruck, was it really that easy? Just, let Stacy cheat on you and everything would go back to normal? There's no way Stacy would agree to that, this was all just... Nonsense, right? But still; you were at the end of your thread and here was your sole lifeline to cling to, your one hope at redemption.

"I know this might be difficult, but if you truly care about this girl, then that's what you need to do. Apologize, confess to her assumptions & then beg for her forgiveness, offering her a one time 'hall pass' to see another man. That way she regains her self worth, her desirability & the power that you - intentionally or otherwise - stole from her. This isn't about the truth or about you - this is about her, and her feelings. If you want to help her then you will have to be selfless, can you do that Alex?" Hina asked, her features softening, disarming any doubts that might be lingering along the fringes. You sighed, wiping the tears from your reddened eyes.

"If that's what it takes, I'll do as you say, Mrs. Sato..."

"This has been really productive today Alex, I'm glad we're finally starting to see one another, it feels like I've finally met the real you, without those masks and airs that you put on." You feel yourself relinquish a little more of that weight, if only a little it felt it still felt incredibly good. You sobbed a bit as Hina offered you tissues from her desk, whispering reassuring words. "There there Alex, I'm sure things are going to work out, you just have to be sincere with her. Can you do that for me?" You nodded, wiping away those stinging tears. "Good, your next session is in 3 days from now; I expect for you to have spoken to Stacy about this 'hall pass' business by then. If things go agreeably then I'd like you to bring Mrs. Bridgeworth along with you, we can make it a group therapy session. You'll want someone to unpack any lingering emotions after such an event, and I'm more than happy to talk you both through it." You nodded eagerly, feeling some security being told that 'everything will be ok' - latching onto such reassurance like a man lost out in a stormy sea with no vessel.

"Thank you Hina, I think this has been an immense help, I can't thank you enough."

"Nonsense Alex, I'm happy to help, and I'm always here if you need counselling." Smiling weakly as best as you could manage, you excused yourself from the session and walked with some purpose out of the room, to enact her plans and win back Stacy the only way you thought would work, missing the smirk that crept its way onto the therapists lips as the door closed behind you.