“Well, when you put it that way,” Gage jokes before giving me a sexy wink. I’m not sure if it’s to deflect or if it’s a tactic to get Dr. Lorringer to move onto the passion portion, but I appreciate his effort. It’s way too serious in here, and it’s hitting way too close to home.
“That’s why I get paid the big bucks,” Dr. Lorringer replies. “Now, I’ll let both of you decide if your relationship is worth pursuing or not on your own time. As for right now, shall we dive into the fun part?”
The audience cheers, and I join in, ready to breathe when I feel like I’ve been holding my breath during this entire interrogation.
“Perfect! Let’s give Gage and Nora one more round of applause for letting us peek into their little therapy session.”
As the clapping starts, Gage grabs my hand and raises it into the air before pulling me into a dramatic bow like we’re receiving a standing ovation at the ballet. I roll my eyes as my face heats up, but I kind of love how he plays off the crowd and makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin.
“Alright, and before you both go back to your seats, I want you to know that your issues”––she uses air quotes around the term––“are completely normal. Neither of them are deal-breakers by any means, and I think you two are an adorable couple. Okay, go sit down. Enough of this mushy crap. Actually, I’m totally lying because passion is mushy, and we’re just getting started.”
“Great,” Gage grumbles behind me as we walk back to our yoga mat. With a snort, I peek behind me to see him smiling back.
“You’re a trooper. You know that, right?”
We both sit down before he replies, “Uh-huh. You definitely owe me, though. I feel like I just got a colonoscopy.”
“You and me both. I’m seriously going to kill Gem the next time I see her.”
“Yeah, I think I might have to do a little cockblocking to get back at her for earlier today too. Do you think Conner will mind if I slip some laxatives into his drink tonight?”
I snort. “That’s just cruel.”
“And our little therapy session in front of an audience wasn’t?”
I recount the conversation that really did feel a hell of a lot like therapy in front of a group of strangers from around the world. “Good point.”
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I want you to stand up. Everyone. Yes, you too,” she orders a shy young woman who looks as timid as a mouse. I’d bet fifty bucks she’s a Pisces.
Gage and I both sigh before standing back up, then we turn to Dr. Lorringer to wait for our next instructions.
“Perfect. I want you to each face your partner then hold hands.” After rubbing my palms against my pants, I raise them up between us, and Gage grabs both. We’ve held hands plenty of times before, but after exposing our scars to each other, it feels a little more intimate somehow.
“Perfect!” Dr. Lorringer praises again before flipping a switch on the wall that transforms the room from overly bright and cheery to something a little darker and more intimate. “Now, I want you to look into each other’s eyes. Yes, this will feel very uncomfortable at first, but if we’ve learned anything from this evening thus far, it’s that sometimes, we need to peel away our layers to let someone else in. This can be painful, but I can guarantee it will also produce the most lasting and fruitful relationship. Let me give you an example. Did you know that you can make brownie batter without adding eggs?” Gage quirks his brow, and I find myself thinking the same thing. Where the hell is she going with this?
“It’s true. Now, don’t bother baking it because they won’t rise, but brownie batter can still be enjoyable, right? Without eggs, it might taste a little different, and it will definitely be less satisfying than if you’d made the brownies correctly, but…it’ll usually still satisfy your sweet tooth. However, if we want to make a proper batch of brownies, we need to add eggs, and we need to do it correctly if we don’t want the dessert to fail.”
“Didn’t know we were getting a baking class too,” Gage murmurs. “Think she’ll toss some pot in?”
My eyes crinkle in the corners as I try to keep from snorting while Dr. Lorringer continues walking around the room from couple to couple.
“And how do we do that? Do we crack the eggs before tossing them into the brownie batter? Or do we toss them––shells and all––into it, while thinking this will produce an edible batch?”
My nose wrinkles in disgust.
“Sometimes, we have to break in order to create something that isn’t broken. If we can’t expose our true selves, our partners are bound to find the shells no matter how much we stir them into the relationship. They’ll be able to taste those shells with every bite, which I guarantee will ruin the brownies. Sex is the brownie batter. It can satisfy cravings, and it can be good enough to eat, but it will never be the real thing unless you add every ingredient on that list, including the ones you need to crack. So…that’s
