Chapter 47
After wrapping up the call, David hollered for Garrett.
"Hey, Garrett, get me an appointment with a shrink," David said.
Garrett looked puzzled. "Uh, did you say a shrink, Mr. Tudor?" he asked, thinking, 'Why the heck does David need a shrink? Isn't today his first day back from vacation?'
David shot him a look. "Is there a problem?"
Garrett shook his head like a bobblehead. "Nope, I'll set it up right away! When do you want it?"
David glanced at his calendar. "Tomorrow."
"Got it!" Garrett replied.
The next day, after dropping Alice off at school, David headed to the hospital's psych department. The shrink Garrett booked was supposedly top-notch, good-looking, with a chill vibe, a smooth voice, and killer reviews.
David knocked and walked in, spotting a guy hunched over a computer. He paused and sighed.
Without looking up, the shrink chuckled, "I've been doing this for years, always thought I'd end up treating Dylan or some other classmates. Never thought you'd be the first one to show up."
Wesley Scott looked up and smirked, "David, you never fail to surprise me."
David stood there, stone-faced, debating whether to dock Garrett's pay for this.
"Come on in," Wesley said, capping his pen and standing up. "Don't just stand there. You're here for a session, right? Get in here."
David shut the door and followed Wesley into the treatment room.
The room had a faint lavender scent and felt more like a cozy den than a hospital. There was a table, bookshelves, snacks, drinks, and blankets on the chairs.
Wesley poured two glasses of water, set them on the table, and grabbed some snacks, munching away.
"Don't just stand there. Sit down," Wesley said, crossing his legs and eating with gusto. "We're old buddies, so I'll cut to the chase. What's up? Work stress got you seeing a shrink? I thought Felix was running the Tudor Family biz, and you started your own company?"
David sat down, eyeing Wesley. "You're still as chatty as ever."
Wesley choked on his snack, his face turning red. He quickly gulped some water to recover.
Wesley glared. "Dylan said you've changed, but your sharp tongue is still the same!"
Wesley clapped his hands, grabbed a notebook and pen, and sat back down, annoyed. "Alright, spill it. What's bugging you so much you had to see a shrink?"
If it were some random shrink, David might've opened up easily, but sitting across from him was his old college buddy with a not-so-friendly face.
Wesley noticed David's hesitation and got serious. "David, right now, I'm not your college buddy; I'm your shrink. If you decided to come here, it must be something big."
Hearing this, David went quiet for a sec, then leaned back on the couch.
"You've probably heard about my situation," David said.
Wesley was jotting down David's info and replied without missing a beat, "Is it about you and Lila?"
At the mention of that old name, David's brow furrowed, and his face darkened.
Wesley noticed the shift in David's expression and kept his cool, "What's up? Did Lila come to see you?"
David shook his head. "This has nothing to do with her."
Wesley looked puzzled. "If it's not about Lila, then who?"
David sighed, rubbed his temples, and said, "My fiancée."
Wesley shot up from his seat, and his notebook hit the floor.
"Fiancée? You have a fiancée?" Wesley was floored.
David replied, "What's so strange about that?"
Wesley asked, "How old is she? When's the wedding?"
David's face changed. He froze, then shook his head, "We're not getting married."
Then he added, "She's 19."
Wesley's eyes went wide, "19?" He did some quick math and got mad, "Dude, a 7-year age gap? You 're such a jerk! You can't even legally marry her."
David's face darkened, and he stood up to leave.
Wesley quickly blocked him, grinning sheepishly, "Alright, alright, my bad. You're not a jerk, not at all."
"So, you're here because of your fiancée?" Wesley picked up the form, dusted it off, and sat back down, "What's the deal? Is she bugging you to marry her? Or does she want to, you know, get with you?"
David shot Wesley a cold look, "Get your mind out of the gutter, read fewer trashy novels, and watch less TV."
Wesley shrugged. "So what's the issue?"
David said, "It's not her; it's me. You got one thing right; she likes me, like a woman likes a man, not like a kid likes a guardian."
Wesley nodded, "So her feelings are weighing on you? You don't want to marry her, not just 'cause of her age but for other reasons too. Is that it?"
David hesitated, then nodded.
Wesley scribbled that down and asked, "Does this other reason involve Lila?"
David's brow furrowed, and he snapped, "Why do you keep bringing her up? Does my life have to revolve around her?"
Seeing David was genuinely pissed, Wesley quickly backtracked, "No, no! I'm just trying to figure things out. How else can I help you? If you keep stuff hidden, I can only guess based on what I know."
Wesley awkwardly smiled, thinking David had definitely changed. The old David didn't have such a short fuse. Now, just mentioning Lila's name set him off.
"Alright, back to the main issue. What's up with your fiancée?"
David took a sip of water to calm down and said softly, "I don't know if it's just my illusion, but I think I might like her."
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