Chapter 3
1044 Words
Monday arrived faster than I expected. I had been reading books about counseling 101 and listed down a few questions that I could ask during the session.
“You look very angelic yet professional. I love it.” Ash complimented my outfit for my first day at work.
I was sporting a white turtleneck shirt paired with a white high waist skirt that almost covered my knees and tied my brown hair with copper highlights in a bun as usual.
“Where’s the kid?” I asked. It was now 1pm on my watch which was the scheduled time for my only appointment today.
“He’s already in the counseling room. I’ll be in my office if you need me. Oh, and remember to smile so that you don’t look too intimidating for the poor guy.” My boss advised. I can’t believe he’s in charge.
“Good afternoon, I’m Clementine Bishop. You can call me Ms. Bishop. ” And I’ll be teaching… gosh, I sound like a boring teacher on the very first day of school.
“Forrest Roche but you knew that already, right?” He’s just as his file described him to be. A pretty boy with loving eyes, long nose and full lips who was sporting a gray cardigan with a light blue polo shirt all buttoned up paired with black pants.
“Okay, so let’s start! Could you tell me something about yourself, Mr. Roche?” I sat down on my desk which was facing the black leather couch he was sitting on.
“I’m a… guy.” He said seriously without batting an eye.
What? That’s it?!
“I see that.” I had a straight face on.
“And do you have any particular hobbies or interests?” I added.
“I like capturing nature and beautiful things with my best friend right here.” He pointed at his DSLR camera which he was wearing around his neck.
“That’s nice.” I scribbled some notes and heard a click while doing so.
“Did you just snap a shot of me?” I asked.
“No. Okay, maybe I did. Let’s see what we got here… wow, you’re very photogenic. Here, have a look.” Before I knew it, the guy was crouched beside me with our shoulders slightly brushing as he showed me a picture of myself.
“Yeah, I do look great here.” It’s all about the right angle really.
“Okay, let’s get back to the subject, Mr. Roche.” I tried to redirect the guy.
“Call me ‘Fort’ and can I not call you Ms. Bishop?”
“Clement would do. So why do you think you’re here, Fort?” I fixed my glasses in place.
“I’m not sure. I must’ve done something to tick my parents off, right?” Forrest chuckled.
“How is your relationship with your folks?” I asked.
“Well, I’m still living under their roof but other than that… we’re not really talking.” He fidgeted with his camera.
“I see. Since when?” I jotted down a few notes.
“Since I decided that I wanted to pursue my dreams in life.”
“It’s sad, isn’t it? Them wanting to control what you want to do with your own life…” I sighed.
“Are you on bad terms with your folks too?” Forrest asked.
I just look at the guy but did not answer him.
“Do you want something to drink?” I checked my watch and realized that we still had thirty minutes left.
“Coffee would be great, thanks.” Forrest smiled.
We’re just halfway with the session but I was already running out of questions! It’s probably because he doesn’t really dodge the questions and just answer them directly which I failed to foresee.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Ash slipped out from his office and was now hovering beside me while I made two coffees.
“I’m running out of questions! He’s such an easy guy to deal with. I mean, I should’ve known because we do have the same temperament which is phlegmatic and that’s great really but what else do I talk about?!” I can’t believe I’m panicking right now.
“Okay, you need to take a chill pill. Are you sure you’ve asked all the questions that I told you to ask?” Ash tried to calm me down.
“A hundred percent sure.” I drank from my coffee.
“And what did you find out?”
“That his parents are being unreasonable. Wait, I don’t think this is the time to talk about this. Fort is waiting for me in there.” I exhaled deeply.
“You’re on first name basis now? Whoa, that was fast. Anyway, just ask him more about his dream and how he’s planning to achieve it.” Ash advised. Why didn’t I think of that?
“Okay, I’m going back in. Thanks.” When I came back inside the room, I found Fort dozing off on the couch…
Well, that’s a relief on my part. I tried to wake the guy up but apparently, a few shakes and a bit of yelling didn’t do the trick. He must be such a heavy sleeper, I guess.
In the end, I waited for him to wake up until it was closing time at the office.
“Still asleep, huh? Poor guy must be really tired. Um, I have to go meet someone for work. Is it alright for you to lock up when he’s up and running?” Ash handed me the keys to the office.
“No problem.” It was around dinner time now and I was getting kind of hungry but I decided to babysit anyway.
“Oh and before I forget, here’s our second case. You might want to read that file for tomorrow’s session.” Ash handed me the folder.
“Already?” I arched a brow.
“I told you I have a lot of connections.” The guy smirked before he left.
Since I was bored out of my wits, I decided to read the file without further ado.
Levin Cole
Age/s*x: 22 year old male
Birthdate: July 15, 1998
Height & weight: 5’9”; 70 kg
Hair: Brown with side swept bangs
Eye color: Blue
Skin color: Pale white
Posture & habitual action: Slouched posture; gaming addict
Clothing style: Jacket & headphones
Ethnicity: Canadian
Class: Higher class
Occupation: Intern at a gaming company
Education: Game Design & Development
Home life: Living off of rich parents who has a family business
Hobbies: Gaming, virtual friends
Sex life: Virtual dating
Ambitions: Wants to be a professional gamer
Temperament: Melancholic
Attitude toward life & people: No comment
Complexes: Obsessed with gaming; doesn’t like real life
Abilities/qualities: Expert in computers & has high imagination & I.Q. but has poor judgment & taste when it comes to reality
Parent complaint: According to mom, “I want him to date REAL girls.”
Okay, this one sounds like a shut-in but who am I to judge?
- Writer
