Near Devotion

Anything can happen in Oakwell. Ask Kenzi, the town's most renowned Therapist. When an out of town resident pays a visit secrets are spilled and bad blood is drawn. Or is it?

The morning sunrise was that of a movie. Red, orange, and blue danced across the cloudy sky. The day awoke and so did the people. Lights adorned the streets, adults and children preparing for the day ahead of them. Up the hill sat a house that dwarfed the rest. Kenzi Rowe, an esteemed psychologist, built her home from the ground up. Nobody ever figured out where she came from nor why she decided on Oakwell, but no one was against her being around. She had a certain charm to her one that kept people going back to her. Only a few questioned why she was so popular, but none could make a rational answer.

With cars whizzing by, Kenzi made her way down to Verlin Street. Soft greetings were given as she made her way. She was used to the attention, it was something that she craved. The sound of her sleek black heels filled the streets. Heads turned as everyone knew who was coming their way. Rounding the corner she ran into Janice, a sweet older woman who ran her own pop-up coffee house. Her usual cup of black coffee would be given to her for free. Kenzi had once upon a time treated her son when he went a bit out of his head. Janice had treated her as her own ever since. It was a pleasant display of love and respect. With a smile and a thank you, Kenzi was off to finish her walk to work.

Soon enough, the familiar gray-toned building came into her sight. It’s perfectly placed windows gave light to the street below. She knew this building like the back of her palm, she had spent so many years of her life working here. Making her way to the door she pulled out her keys, she had come early to unlock and prepare for her first patient. She had started her study is Psychology when she was 14 after her brother’s untimely death. The death sent her into a spiraling path of bad decisions, but she got back on her feet with the help of herself. If there was one thing she knew was that she never wanted to see anyone else go through that.

Today she was meeting with a new patient, Danny Norris. The woman stood only a few inches shorter than her with striking gray eyes. Her long red hair looked like a late night fire, it was enchantingly beautiful. Kenzi had yet to figure out what she was coming for but she knew it had to be something big. There she say in her seat, writing down what she would need to ask. Suddenly there was a knock at her door. She sauntered over to the door opening the large near metal frame. There she was, her gray eyes were wide and full of life. Kenzi welcomed her inside.

She knew what she had done as soon as the door closed.

The two sat in their respective seats, only the clock making noise. Kenzi came to her mind quickly and began her opening questioning. “What brings you here?” She questioned. This seemed to bring Danny alive. Her eyes sparkled, but quickly dulled down as she sank in her down into her seat.  Her arms were crossed now and she looked rather upset.

“I’d rather not speak of it.” She said in a blunt voice. It seemed the thought of speaking of her problems wasn’t her strong suit. Kenzi raised an eyebrow at her, leaning back in her seat. She had dealt with these type of people many times before. She finally spoke up, “And why do you not want to? Was the main reason you were sent here not to speak of the things that have affected you in your past?” Her voiced dropped into a more serious tone. She saw Danny move as if her seat was shrinking around her. Suddenly she sighed letting her body slump back once again.

“Well my pissy aunt wanted to get me out-of-town for a while. I wouldn’t budge, I told my mother I didn’t want to go and she said okay and let me stay. But my aunt threatened that I would go to hell if I didn’t go with her.” she said, she couldn’t think of a solid reason why her aunt would do that. “Oh doc what do you recommend? It’s the stuff of nightmares. It was weird and what kind of aunt does that?” she overdramatized it, “Maybe it’s silly, I know, but I think about it often.” Her hands were shaking, she was nervous but she remembered that people give off  certain movement that tell when they lie. She didn’t know if her movements signaled it or not. She tried her best not to move her eyes too much in fact she tried so hard to be normal that it came off as if she had anxiety. “You see! I practically shake just thinking about it or maybe that’s just my anxiety.” She laughed nervously hoping she didn’t blow her cover.

Kenzi wasn’t buying her act. She watched her every movement like a hawk. She could tell something was off, but wasn’t going to show that she had already caught on to her act. She straightened her back, folding her hands on the table. “I see. You’ve had a rather emotional past with your relatives. Some would call it tough love, others might call it abuse, depends on the person.” She joked, hoping the mood would lighten a little. It seemed to make Danny laugh a little. “I would recommend a sit down between you and your aunt, try to work things out. It seems as though you guys have turmoil that you could try to deal with. If that doesn’t work we can schedule another appointment.” She reached for her pen, ready to write her note until Danny stopped her. Her eyes darted up, stopping when they saw the other woman's gray orbs staring into her own cobalt eyes.

“I wouldn’t mind coming back.” She said, her voice low and sounded like the embodiment of silk. She wore a small smirk like a prize. Kenzi felt a rush of heat to her cheeks, but quickly brushed it off. This was against her rules as a psychologist. “Oh doc, don’t be like that.” Danny chuckled, moving until she was at the edge of her seat.

“I do not appreciate the way your acting in my office and would like to please ask you to tone it down.” Kenzi stated more harshly than necessary. This seemed to shock Danny as she frowned and crossed her arms again. Kenzi wrote down Danny’s story before quickly asking, “Is that all you’d like to talk about?”

“I want to know what you do.” Danny stated, slamming her hands on the dark wooden desk. Kenzi jumped, her eyes widening at the sudden aggression towards her. Danny knew there was something she was hiding and she wasn’t leaving until she got an answer. “I have no idea what you mean.” Kenzi sputtered out, putting her feet back on to solid ground.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Danny stood, her seat pushing back and nearly tipping over. She grabbed her bag grabbing a manila envelope out, placing it on the desk. Pictures and documents fell out into Kenzi’s eyesight. She recognized them immediately. “How did you find these?” She questioned hurriedly. She grabbed everything shoving it back into its original case. Her past laid out in front of her.

“You could say I have connections.” Danny smirked, she knew Kenzi couldn’t hide behind her fake life any longer, “I could just tell by your picture that there was something evil inside of you. Something controlling. There had to be a reason everyone loved you and now I know.” Suddenly Kenzi lunged out of her seat to Danny. Danny let out a small squeal as she felt her back press against the hard eggshell painted wall. There was anger in Kenzi’s eyes.

“How dare you come and try to invade into my life. I left all of that behind me.” Kenzi spit out, anger clear in her voice. Reality was finally kicking her in the teeth and she wasn’t happy about it. Danny will be silenced but how? “What do you want from me? You clearly came here to break me down, but why?” Kenzi questioned. Danny locked eyes with the woman in front of her and she smiled.

“I didn’t come here to spread your secret,” Danny murmured. Kenzi sighed deeply, backing away from Danny. She knew she did wrong. A soft land fell on her cheek. She looked up, those familiar gray eyes locking with hers. For a moment she felt whole. She could hear her heart in her ears. Without thinking she reached her hand up, brushing a piece of Danny’s hair out of her face. A soft blush swept Danny’s face. Despite the days activities they still felt a certain way about each other. They drew closer to each other until there faces nearly touched before Kenzi pulled back shaking her head.

“No. This can not happen.” Kenzi blurted out. There was a residual tension in the air that anyone in a near radius could feel. It was awkward between them now. Danny sat back in her seat and Kenzi made her way back over. An alarm suddenly went off indicating that their time was up. Kenzi shut the alarm off before approaching Danny with some papers. “I recommend speaking to one of these professionals to get properly checked out.” She said bluntly, her feeling were out of whack and she just wanted to go home. Danny solemnly took them, slowly making her way to the door. She turned, looking down the blond bombshell behind her. With one more farewell the two made their way into the lobby. Kenzi grabbed her coat, while Danny buttoned hers.

“I’ll be back next week for my next appointment.” Danny whispered, quickly leaning up and planting a soft, yet loving, kiss on the other woman’s lips. Kenzi blushed, but kept her composure. With a soft wave and the clicking of heels Danny was no longer is sight. Somehow Kenzi had found her way into a sticky situation that may never meet an end, but for now her heart felt full and she knew what love felt like, as did Danny.

Kenzi Rowe was a fearless, heart captivating psychologist. Danny Norris was a woman with a troubling past. When two forces combine, will love come to be visible?

Author's Note

I just got back into lengthy writes and could use some advice!