He snapped out of the trance he was in and followed her eyes to the bouquet he was still holding. “I hope you like flowers.” He said as he raised an eyebrow and extended the bouquet to her.
She took the flowers he offered and buried her nose into them, taking in the fragrant scent. She raised her head and smiled up at him. “I love flowers. Thank you.” She said before dropping them to her side, taking a few steps towards him to close the distance between them. She stood on her tip toes and wrapped her free hand around his neck and leaned in to embrace him.
Luke placed his palm on the small of her back and returned the gesture. It was a quick embrace, but enough contact for Luke, that he damned himself to hell, for enjoying it.
“You’re welcome.” He said huskily and then dropped his hand when she pulled back away from him.
She glanced down at her watch and then back up at him. “The session is scheduled in five minutes, so we should probably head over there now.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Lead the way.”
“Okay, I just want to put these in water first, so we will stop by my room.” She said and started towards the wing where the patient rooms were. They walked side by side in a comfortable silence until she looked up at him. “I really appreciate you coming all the way here for this. Have you ever been to therapy before?”
“No, anything I should prepare myself for?” He questioned.
She let out a slight laugh. “I think Ms. Snyder will go easy on you since you’re a guest. They have no mercy on me though. They’ve poked and prodded me to reveal things I didn’t even know I had buried inside.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess it’s a good thing. I’m learning something new about myself every day.”
“Do they give you any insight on how to move on once you’ve completed the program?” He asked sincerely.
“I’ve been thinking about that myself. I have a routine here, a schedule I follow every day. It’s going to be strange when I go home. The only thing one of the counselors told me is that I have a clean slate ahead of me.” She waited a beat. “I suppose that’s true. I only have a few weeks left so I probably should put some thought into what I will do when I get home.” She stopped once they reached her room and she opened the door and stepped inside.
Luke stayed in the doorway watching as she moved around her room. She grabbed the empty vase that sat on the night stand and walked into the adjoining bathroom. He heard the water run and glanced around the room, noticing there weren’t many of Cara’s personal belongings on display. However, from a distance he was able to spot the framed photo of her and Jake that sat on the nightstand where the vase had been. She walked back into the bedroom and placed the vase next to the frame. When she was finished, she turned back around and met him at the doorway.
“One thing I will do when I get home is annoy my friend every once and a while.” She said with a smile as she closed the door behind her and led him in the opposite direction in which they had come from.
He turned to her. “Who?”
“You.” She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to add you to my favorites list on my phone. You’ve become my phone buddy.”
Luke’s lips curved upward. “Good to know the phone calls won’t end.” He met her gaze. “I’ve become attached to them.”
“I ramble a lot.” She admitted.
“Yes, but only when you’re nervous.” He replied letting on that he too was making some of his own discoveries when it came to Cara.
She stopped in her tracks and he turned to see why she had. Her hands moved to her hips and she eyed him with a hint of humor in her eyes. “Oh yeah? Well, you do this gruff thing with your voice…” She cleared her throat and tried to deepen her voice like he did. “Your voice changes and gets all deep and edgy when you’re tired.” His eyes widened as he watched her humorously. “That’s usually my cue to hang up or you’ll likely fall asleep on me.” She said in her normal voice and began to walk again.
“Did you just mock me?” He asked and continued to follow her. He thought that was a safer response than telling her that wasn’t the only time his voice got that way. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“It’s just an observation.” She said with a small wink and stopped when they reached their destination. She let out a sigh and turned around. “Here we are. Ms. Snyder will be the counselor. She’s nice, but can be a bit pushy. But you don’t have to worry, she’s only going to try to get to me.” She paused and tried to remember if there was anything else she should warn him about. “Oh, and drink the coffee, it’s really good.”
“You’re rambling.” He pointed out.
“You’re making me nervous.”
“Me?” He asked, wide-eyed and innocent.