The Fallout (The Therapist #3) - W.S. Greer Page 0,32

pull my eyes away so I don't think things I shouldn't be thinking right now.

I try to walk in silently, but Eli hears me and looks over his shoulder.

“Hi,” he says, making sure to avoid terms of endearment. Before all of this, both of us would use baby, or babe, every time we addressed each other. It was so common that we would get upset if we used our real names. Now, there’s nothing after we say hi. I haven’t called him babe since the night of the text.

“Hi,” I reply, but I keep walking down the hall toward the bedroom.

Eli has made dinner multiple times since all of this went down, so it isn't anything new. However, with the way things have been lately, so tense and full of friction, I wonder why he'd try to make dinner now. We've done nothing but argue these past few weeks, so I can't imagine he’d think it’s a good time for us to sit down and start having dinners again. Does he expect us to have conversations full of happiness and laughter right now?

The last time we spoke in length, I stormed out of the room after telling him I wasn't going to therapy with him. So, what makes him think we should have dinner all of a sudden? As much as I wish we could rewind our lives back to where we were before he went to Jersey for that conference, that’s not reality. We can't erase what happened, and we obviously can't get past it right now, so why try to force it? That’s all I’ve been doing up to this point, so I know for a fact it doesn't work.

“How was work?” Eli asks before I can get to the hallway. It’s not what I expected him to ask. I guess I was more prepared for, “So, I see you had to work late … again!”

“Fine,” I answer as I reach the hall and stand in front of the door to the bedroom so Eli knows he’s keeping me from going inside. “Busy as usual.”

“Yeah? Anything interesting happen?”

I frown at the question. He has definitely never asked that before.

“Umm, not really,” I say, trying to think of how I’m supposed to respond to something like this. It’s so foreign, I’m not sure of the right response. “I discharged one of my favorite families today, so I’m a little sad about it. It was bittersweet.”

“Oh, yeah. I bet that’s a tough line to walk. You have to be happy that they've gotten themselves to a point where they can move on without you, but you've been working with them a while so it’s hard to see them go. I can see how that’d be tough. It was one of your favorites? Who? The Blakes?”

“Umm, no. It was—”

“The Waters,” Eli jumps in.

“Yeah, the Waters. How'd you know?”

“I remember you said they were one of your favorites,” he explains while keeping his eyes on the food he’s stirring at the counter. “You've only named two families as your favorites. The Blakes and the Waters. It’s been a while since you talked about them, but I remember the names. Sorry you had to say goodbye. Hopefully you'll get another family that’s cool.”

With my brow still furrowed, I reply, “Yeah, I hope so.”

Eli smiles at me, but it’s not a full smile. It’s small and humble, and it dies after only a couple of seconds, then he goes back to working on his food prep.

I watch him for a moment with my forehead still wrinkled like crumpled paper. Something about him seems different since we had that last fight. I don't know what is exactly, but there's definitely something different. What the hell did Dr. Colson say to him to make him change, and how long will it last?

Without another word, I step into the bedroom and close the door. I was tempted to ask Eli about his dinner plans, but I chose not to because I didn't want to argue over his answer. We haven't fought since before he went to therapy without me, and I guess I just want to keep the streak alive.

I take off my clothes and hop into the shower, where I wash my hair and enjoy the heat splashing against my naked body. Before I get out, I turn the hot water up so it feels as close to a hot tub as I can get it, and I just stand there. I let the water bounce