We got closer to the hospital, and my mood stayed high. After last night, I didn’t think anything could bring me down.
“I know this isn’t any of my business,” my mom said suddenly. We were pulling into the PT building parking lot. She glanced over at me with a furrowed brow. “But are things between you and Tara? I mean, is something happening between you two again?”
“Mom,” I said. “Do you really want to talk about this?”
“I guess not,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m worried about you. And her. Things didn’t end well last time.”
“And whose fault was that?” I asked sharply.
“Darren was just doing what he thought was best,” Mom said defensively.
“It wasn’t his place then, and it isn’t your place now,” I said firmly. “Whatever is or isn’t happening between us, it doesn’t concern you, okay? Please, leave us be.”
Mom nodded but still looked worried. I leaned over to kiss her cheek before I climbed out of the car.
“Just be careful, okay?” she called out. “That’s all I’m asking.”
I nodded and hurried inside the building, eager to see Tara’s face. We’d been together just hours before, and already I missed her. I missed her pale blue eyes and her adorable button nose. I missed the way her cheeks flushed when I kissed her lips. I missed the sight of her hips swaying seductively as she walked toward me. I could already feel my desire growing as I walked over to her desk.
Tara was leaning down, scribbling furiously on a chart in front of her. She didn’t see me walk up, but there was no one around, so I slid my hands over her shoulders and leaned down.
She jumped and spun around. I kissed her cheek and moved over to her earlobe.
“Hey sexy,” I whispered.
“Hi,” she said, laughing nervously and pulled away from me.
I adjusted my crutches and moved back to let her stand up. When she did, her eyes darted around as if she were worried we would be seen. No one was in the room, though, so I leaned forward to kiss her. She let me but pulled away quickly.
“That’s all I get?” I asked. “Come on, after last night I think I deserve a little more.”
“What?” she asked, her eyes dazed. “Oh. Um, I’m sorry.”
She kissed me again, but I barely felt it. Her mind was somewhere else. She was distant again, but this time, it felt different. She wasn’t just pulling away from me. It was like she was pulling away from everything. Her eyes were glazed over, and when I asked her what was wrong, it took three times before she even heard me.
“What?” she asked.
“I said, what’s wrong?” I said again, louder this time.
“Oh.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just distracted today.”
“I can tell,” I said with a laugh. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head again. “Just a little foggy today. My last few patients were pretty wearing.”
“Do you want to skip my session?” I asked. “We can always reschedule for tomorrow and go grab some food instead.”
“Nice try,” she said, smiling and leading me toward the bars.
I rested my crutches against the wall like last time and walked over to the bars. This time, Tara let me walk myself. She didn’t offer her hand as I stumbled my way between the bars. I was surprised, but when I looked at her face, I saw that she was barely paying attention to me. Her mind was a million miles away.
My session progressed normally. I walked across the bars a few times while Tara mumbled words of encouragement. She wasn’t into it, though, and I could tell. Her entire body was tense, and she kept glancing at the clock, just waiting for my session to end. I tried not to be offended, but I was getting tired of her pulling away from me.
We had sex again, and already, she was distancing herself. It pissed me off.
“Look,” I said when the session ended. “If you regret last night, just tell me.”
“What?” She blinked. “Caleb, what the hell are you talking about? I don’t regret anything about last night.”