Page 23 of Tinsel Time Treasure

“What do I do now?”

“Find out if he’ll talk to you about it. If he does, then call me again. We can come up with a plan to keep him safe.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. “Ok. I can do that.”

“Max?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t push, ok? If he is dealing with that kind of shit then he might not be in a good place mentally to talk about it. Give him as much support as he will take, but leave him the space to feel safe around you.”

“Ok.”

“Call me and let me know how it goes?”

“Of course.”

I hung up, not feeling better about whatever was going on with Justin. However I did feel like I had tools that I hadn’t minutes before. I had direction, which was something.

I walked back out to find him still on the chair, gaze still locked on his apartment.

I tapped the wall a couple times in an attempt to not startle him. “Anything?”

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?”

He shook his head.

“Hot chocolate?” I offered.

There was an intake of breath and a pause before he finally replied. “Thank you, but not right now.”

“Let me know.”

“Ok.”

I studied him for a minute, trying to decide my next move. “Mind if I sit with you?” I finally asked.

He glanced at me. “It’s your apartment.”

I shrugged. “You’re the one with a crisis. I don’t want to make things worse.”

A small smile. “I… I think I would appreciate it.”

I nodded. “Ok.”

I pulled around another chair and took a seat near him, but not so close as to make him feel crowded.

Justin turned his attention back to his apartment, and I watched the play of emotions on his face.

He was handsome, slender, with a short beard, dark hair, and glasses.

“Wanna talk about it?” I asked after a minute.

He looked over at me again and let out a long sigh. “It’s…”

“You don’t have to,” I said quickly. “I just…”