Chapter 1 - The Therapist
Jennifer sat in the sterile waiting room with Barbra and inwardly sighed, but outwardly kept an expressionless face painted on. Jennifer already knew how the therapy was going to end up, not because she had any insight into the therapist's methods or Barbra's psyche, but because Jennifer was already completely checked out of the relationship and no amount of talking was going to change that.
Jennifer ran her hand across the short stubble of the right side of her head and then pushed a few stray strands of black hair with purple highlights over so it laid to the other similarly shaved side. If she'd spiked it with a pile of product it would have been an awesome mohawk, but that was too much work so she just let the sixteen or so inches of hair lay limply down her left side.
She looked up at the wall on the other side of the room and watched the clock slowly tick away, the lights on each side of it seeming to taunt her. The red one was still brightly lit, the green was dark. Jennifer then turned her head slightly to Barbra who was sitting beside her and the mousy blonde was clutching her purse and staring right at it.
Jennifer had been dating Barbra for almost a year, and it had been fun to say the least. Jennifer had never met anyone with such a talented tongue, and hence why they were both sitting in the waiting room of a therapist instead of being at the apartment yelling at each other. Ok, that wasn't fair, Barbra was far too shy and quiet to yell at Jennifer, so it was Jennifer doing all of the yelling.
Even after dating for most of a year, Barbra had shown little sign of changing, she was still the shy, reserved, introvert Jennifer had met at the bar. Few of Jennifer's partners had not opened up at least a little with Jennifer's wild side, both in public and private. Jennifer usually enjoyed the challenge, pushing someone right to the limits of their boundaries and then going even farther.
It was really the key reason that Jennifer was leaving her, Jennifer needed someone who she could get to open up more, someone she could push to be more open with her sexuality in public and private.
Of course, finding a new girlfriend didn't happen overnight and so Jennifer was stringing Barbra along for as long as she could. So if that meant wasting an hour or two with a therapist, paid for by Barbra's work, well so be it.
A buzzer interrupted Jennifer's thoughts and the light beside the clock turned green, "About fucking time..." Jennifer said only half under her breath. Barbra shot her a quick dirty look but Jennifer ignored it as they both stood up and walked into the therapist's office.
* * *
"Hi, I'm Doctor Thompson..." the smiling man said as he stood up from behind his desk and extended his hand across it.
Jennifer was of course the first to shake it, "Jennifer."
Barbra followed, "Barbra."
"Well ladies, if you would..." he said waving his hand over to several large comfortable looking chairs on the other side of the office arranged in a triangle facing each other.
"What, no couch?" Jennifer asked a little mockingly.
Dr. Thompson chuckled, "No, no. I specialize in couples counselling, forcing people together on a couch would be... counterproductive."
Jennifer nodded her head and chose a chair to sit in, Barbra looked at the Doctor with her big blue eyes for guidance but found none forthcoming and chose the closest one to her. The Doctor took the last one and then unfolded his binder and made a few notes in it.
Jennifer wondered if the order that they'd chosen the chairs was important or he was just making notes of his first impressions of them. Either way, he finished and looked over at them, "Now then, what can I help you with?"
* * *
"...and that's why she just needs to get out there and do it with me!" Jennifer finished ranting at Dr. Thompson and then slumped back into her chair.
She had to admit that it felt good getting it out of her system, even if she hadn't let Barbra or the Doctor get a word in edgewise for the last twenty minutes. He had been taking copious notes though.
He looked down at his watch and then smiled at Barbra and then over to Jennifer, "Well ladies, that was a good start. I think that it might be productive if we do two separate half-hour sessions each week instead of a single one-hour one. At least for the first few weeks so I get to know each of you on a one-on-one basis. Does that sound alright?"
Jennifer tried not to smile too much, it sounded perfect, she wouldn't even have put up with Barbra's whining during the sessions!
"Well, if that is what you think is best Doc." Jennifer replied.
Barbra nodded as well, "Perfect. I'll have my new receptionist Tammy set up individual appointments with you for next week."
* * *
Barbra looked over at Jennifer and smiled, she'd been suggesting therapy for months but it was only recently that Jennifer had agreed! Deep down Barbra knew it was silly, not because this was her first lesbian relationship or some other drivel like that, she really loved Jennifer with all her heart. But Jennifer was wild, wild in ways that Barbra would never be.
Barbra came from a very conservative small town, her parents had almost disowned her when she said she was bi-sexual, and they'd cut all contact with her when she'd sent them Jennifer's photo. She still had that photo as her wallpaper on her phone, the wild black hair with streaks of colour in it, the almond skin, the asian eyes. Jennifer was drop-dead gorgeous, unlike herself.
It wasn't like guys hadn't complimented Barbra on her looks, in a geeky kinda way she was cute enough. Thick framed glasses, her blonde hair pulled back in a bun, baggy unflattering clothing, etc. most could see some potential under it all and a few had tried to bring it out.
She suspected that was what had caught Jennifer's eye as well, but whatever it had been, it was fading. Barbra could see it in Jennifer's eyes more and more often, and so she hoped against hope that therapy would do them both some good and maybe even rescue their relationship.
Chapter 2 - First Sessions
"Have you ever thought about where all your anger comes from?" Dr. Thompson asked and Jennifer let out a hearty laugh.
"What anger?" she shot back.
"Oh come on now, there's no point denying it to me, it was obvious within the first ten minutes of meeting you."
She rolled her eyes and let out a huff, "Fine..." she had to admit that these last few weeks of sessions hadn't been what she thought they would be. It hadn't taken him long to start finding which buttons to push to get her to open up, and now when she did try and slam the door closed on him, he just kicked it open again with his easy-going ways.
"So... you're angry... why?"
She rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead, "Because... because I'm a small asian lesbian," she started with a snarky tone, "who has to act ten times larger than she is before anyone will pay any attention to me." A smile crossed her lips as the tension on her forehead completely disappeared and her voice softened as she continued.
It wasn't entirely true though, she had always gotten a lot of attention for her looks without being angry. Lots of non-asian guys had a little yellow fever in them and she could easily play that up to her own purposes. Her anger though, well that was on a whole other level. Start acting up and being an asshole and guys flocked to you, women respected you, and no one messed with you.
"Alright, perhaps if we put that anger into something a little more productive..." Dr. Thompson said and Jennifer felt the tension come back into her forehead. It seemed to be happening more and more often during the sessions, a release of tension when she gave in and agreed with Dr. Thompson, and a build-up if she tried to fight his suggestions or steer the conversation away from what he wanted to talk about.
* * *
Barbra smiled and giggled a little as she sat in the comfortable chair of her therapist, which was unusual. Not the time at the therapist, no, the giggling.
Not that it was a bad thing though, Barbra hadn't felt this good in eons. A few weeks of talking to Dr. Thompson had really helped and she was already starting to think of things in new ways. Not big things, at least not yet, but little ones. Like how it was ok to giggle a bit, or flirt a little, or even let her hair down once in a while.
"So you agree that your relationship with Jennifer is... broken?"
"Oh yes... that's why I'm here..." she replied in a dreamy voice as she slipped down in the chair with the buzzing that was permeating her head.
"And you're here to fix... the relationship? Yourself?"
