"It's a little early for that."
"Oh, don't be silly," she fussed. "It would be good for him to meet your family."
"I'll think about it." I glanced down at my watch and sighed when I realized the time. "I'm sorry to cut things short, but I've gotta get going."
"So soon?"
"I have my appointment with Dr. Holt today."
"Oh, great." Mom nervously tugged at her sweater and said, "I hope it goes well."
"I'm sure it’ll be fine."
When I reached for my wallet, Mom held up her hand. "You go ahead. I've got lunch covered."
"Thanks."
I quickly rounded the table to hug her, then rushed out of the diner and into my car. I had hoped it would be a short drive to Holt's office; unfortunately, there was a fire a few blocks over, and traffic was a complete nightmare.
By the time I actually made it to her office, I was ten minutes late, so I grabbed the paperwork I'd completed and rushed up the steps. When I stepped through the front door, I was greeted by a young woman with a clipboard and a warm smile. "Raelyn?"
"Yes, that's me."
She was wearing a baby blue cardigan with a pair of rolled-up mom jeans and loafers, so I assumed she was just the receptionist until she said, "Great. I'm Elizabeth Holt. It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too."
"Well, come on back, and we can get started."
"Okay, thanks." I followed her down the hall. "Sorry, I'm late. The traffic was a nightmare."
"It's the fire at one of the office buildings a few blocks away. They've been battling it for hours." Dr. Holt opened the office door and motioned me inside. "Make yourself comfortable."
I took a seat in one of the oversized chairs and glanced around. The room was small but in a good way. The bright walls and inviting décor felt welcoming, and I wasn’t intimidated when I turned to her and asked, "So, how does this whole counseling thing work?"
Dr. Holt took out her notepad and pen from her desk, then sat down across from me and asked, "Is this your first time?"
"It is." I slightly shrugged. "I never really thought I’d care for it but promised my dad to give it a try."
"So, coming to see me was your father’s idea?”
"Yes, it was. He didn’t take it very well when I got arrested. Evidently, he thinks there must be something wrong with me."
"Is there?"
I giggled. "Yes and no."
She smiled, then jotted something down on her notepad. "Okay, so why don’t we start with why you were arrested.”
"Okay, but be warned. It's a long story."
I explained the events that led to Haleigh’s and my arrest—which led me to tell Dr. Holt about my bucket list and some of the bold things I'd done. After I finished, she took a breath, then said, "Wow, you've experienced some pretty exciting stuff. Have you always been so adventurous?"
I knew right off the bat where she hoped to go with that question: to find a reason for all my crazy stunts. I could've lied or misled her but didn't see the point. It wasn't like she’d repeat anything I said, so I answered, "No, I used to be anything but adventurous."
"What spurred the change?"
"It’s complicated, but I have a brain aneurysm. I’ve had it since I was young, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure it's gotten worse, which practically means I have a ticking time bomb in my head."
"Oh." The blood drained from her face as she continued, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Yeah, I probably should've added that to my paperwork, but I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about it."
"What changed your mind?"
"Not what, but who." I sighed. "His name is Conor, and I'm pretty sure he's about to ruin my life."
"I see."
A knowing smile crossed her face as she leaned back in the chair. I waited for her to ask another lead-in question, but the doctor didn't say a word. Instead, she just sat there silently, staring back at me.
When I couldn't stand the silence a minute longer, I said, "He was only supposed to be another one of my wild adventures, but before I realized what was happening, I started to have strong feelings for the guy. Like I'm falling hard for him."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"Yeah, it's a terrible thing. I mean, I could die tomorrow, and this would all be for nothing." I dropped my head into my hands and mumbled, "I don't know what I was thinking. I should've never gotten involved with him."
"If you hadn’t, you would've missed out on getting to know someone you truly care about." Elizabeth shifted in her seat and continued, "Besides, you could outlive us all. None of us knows what the future truly holds."
"I don't know. I think some of us do."
"Okay, let’s take this from another angle. What does Conor have to say about all of this?"