in an open relationship 2

Chapter 39

Her gaze falls on me .

" I want us to be a real couple" .

" Elaborate " she writes down.

" I want us to connect as husband and wife " .

" Since when has there been a disconnect between you as husband and wife?" .

I murmur," from the very start ".

" Then why did you marry ?".

I keep quiet.

She stares at me ," was it a forced marriage?".

" On his part " I say embarrassed.

" Your family forced him to marry you ?, Or is it his family?".

" No" my eyes fall to the carpet I'm scared to look at Ethan at this instance .

She notes down ," you did then ?" .

" Yes ".

She sighs , finally a different expression," Mr Price, why are you here ?" She asks him directly.

" She insisted on therapy".

" No Mr Price, listen to my question .why are you here ?".

" I want us to start afresh ".

" this is a different scenario then I expected ,we are going to have to start from how and when you met ?,give me the brief timeline of your relationship".

" In school " we both answered.

" And?".

" We became the best of friends the moment we got into highschool " I answer.

" And ?".

" Ethan was in love with another woman whom he wanted to marry after school".

" Do you mind just airing it all out without waiting for me to ask you to continue ".

"Sure " I stutter , " we went to different colleges, my family...".

" We'll get to that part ,give me a timeline with you and your husband".

" Right , we went to different colleges and after Ethan finished his course and was to take on the family business, he planned to marry his love and I took her place ".

" Is that it ?, What about children?" .

" None " I mutter.

" How did Mr Price respond to your deception?".

" Not good " .

" How long did he stay mad at you for ?".

" Five years ".

" How long have you been married?" .

" Five years " , I see a hint of a smirk on the corner of her lips.

" I assume there has been no physical interactions in the past five years then ?"

"No ".

" Let me get this straight, you've been married for five years and have been complete strangers because of Mr Prices anger which subsided recently,the reason you are seeking help is not because of fights or worn of feelings like most couples but because you want to be a real married couple?, Not a fake one like you said , and why do you think you need counselling for that ?,you can start with dates and just get to know each other".

" We have been doing stuff of that sort ,we eat together, sometimes go on dates etc truth is I feel restricted around him " I answer honestly.

" And ?".

" There's a wall between us and I can't think of anything else that can break it ".

She remains quiet for a bit ," let's start with Mr Price, do you see the wall Mrs Price says is there ?" .

" Yes " he clears his throat.

" And what do you think is the cause of it ?, It should be simple since you are now willing to give it a try and spend your lives together ".

" I don't know " he answers.

" It's because he won't talk to me " I talk over him.

" Do you feel you don't talk to her Mr price ?".

" We talk , we hold good conversations from time to time ".

" there's always an awkward gap between them ,he talks to me casually when we are around people but when it's just the two of us he turns into this machine that can only speak when spoken to or when its in regards to other people and not us , I want us to talk about the past but he doesn't, I want us to be real with each other but we can't because we both know we still have unresolved issues that will continue to be a barrier between us unless it is broken down " I spill on him .

The whole purpose of hiring a therapist is so that we can be honest about how we really feel and allow them to help us find a solution to our problem,they can't give us the proper one if we hide the things that we should be revealing to them ,so Ethan being angry or offended is the least of my worries.

" What exactly happened in the past that he doesn't want to talk about?" She asks .

" Stuff " I figgle my nails together.

She seems to get the message and does not proceed to ask me what kind of stuff.

" You feel the 'stuff' that happened is the reason you can't move into the new dimension you both want ?".

" That is what I believe, he believes in sweeping things under the rug ".

" I think I finally get the context of this whole story,  for the sake of time let's start here ,why do you two want to give it a try after all this time Mr Price?".

" We've lived together for so long I think I got  used to her without knowing ,she wanted to leave some months ago I think that's when I realised her true value in my life , I don't want to lose her at least not before knowing where this can go " he expresses.

" Mrs Price?".

" Well" I look past her ," because he asked me and I've been in love with him in the last three years of our marriage so I couldn't skip this opportunity because I have the hope that it might work ".

" So you fell in love with your husband during the course of your marriage and not before?".

" Yes , before we were just friends ".

" Okay ,I won't put you under the spotlight just as yet Mr Price" she stands and goes behind her desk , she takes a pile of papers and hands them to us separately.

" I want you to fill these questionnaires at home , separately and you are going to read them to each other on your next session ,you were supposed to do this here but because of Mrs Price's late arrival we will resume next weekend , Mrs Price you are going to answer it the way you think your husband would and the same with you Mr price , understood?" She asks .

" Yes mam " we both reply.

" We are all done for today, just a heads up the next sessions won't be as short ,today was just the analysis phase . thank you both for your time " she bows her head lightly," you are excused "

We both nod and say our goodbyes to her , Ethan and I release huge breaths  as we exit the building.

I'm not sure if that helped because the both of us  feel more awkward.

To my surprise Ethan utters positive words towards the situation," it was only the first session, she was just assessing us ,I'm sure there will be improvement on the next one "

" I believe so too " I mutter.