Page 92 of Angel

The freak out came out of nowhere. And all over the sight of a toy.

Angelo was right. I needed therapy. I needed someone to share these horrible episodes with, someone who might be able to help.

At least now I’d acknowledged the truth.

When I opened my eyes, Lia stood there staring at me.

I looked away, choosing to focus on the snow covered metal bench in front of the coffee shop instead.

Out of the corner of my eye, Lia slowly walked up to me. “Are you all right?”

I licked my lips and looked at her square on. “I’m fine. It was just an anxiety attack. It happens sometimes.” I stared her down, daring her to make fun of me.

“Shit,” she breathed. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

I could barely believe my ears. “Really?”

She tucked some hair behind an ear and shifted weight from one foot to the other. She looked…uncomfortable.

“I used to get anxiety attacks. I remember how much they suck.”

I blinked harshly, unable to stop staring at her. “Yeah,” I agreed with a thick tongue.

A heavy moment passed. My turn to pick up the baton.

“Do you know why?” I asked.

She lifted a shoulder. “Social anxieties? That’s what my shrink thought anyway. Eventually they went away. I haven’t had one for years.”

I gulped. “Angelo wants me to go see a therapist.”

“You should.”

I nodded and looked at the ground. It had finally stopped snowing. “I’m going to.”

Another uncomfortable moment stretched on.

“I need to go buy that coffee,” Lia said. “Do you… do you maybe want to come in? We can get a cup of coffee or something and hang out for a bit.”

Nowshelooked uneasy.

I cleared my throat. “Okay. Yeah.”

We filed back into the coffee shop where she picked up her abandoned bag of coffee. Getting into the line, we ordered two cups of dark roast. I tried to figure out what had just happened. Sometime in between my monologue about my undying love for Angelo and Lia coming out to find me at her car something changed.

We found two cushioned seats in the corner and settled in, my erratic emotional state doing anything but calming down. At least before I knew how Lia felt about me. Now I had no clue.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the window, before looking over at me. “I...” Her head shook. “I judged you too quickly.”

I wrapped my hands around my coffee mug and absorbed the warmth. “Thank you,” I slowly responded.

“What you said… about Angelo helping you...” She sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I get it. That’s what Angelo is good at. He pushes people to become their best.”

She finished with a tight smile.

It was good enough for me.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s exactly what he does.”