Page 12 of Seeking Stars
"Okay." He nodded once. "So, do you always announce that you've started recording?"
"No, it typically gets in the way. I just do it once or twice but, later, you can pretty much assume I'm recording if I'm around. You can always check for the recording light or ask me."
"Right. Well, ask me something."
She gave him an inquisitive look, as if she were trying to read him and his intentions. Maybe he wasn't the only one measuring, assessing.
It didn't take her long to speak. "To make this as real as possible, I'll simply ask what's on my mind. That's how this typically goes."
"Sure."
"What made you text me last night?"
His mind went blank.
"You can tell me you don't want to answer, if you like," she added.
"No, I mean…" He scratched the back of his head. Time to act as he said he wanted to act. He forced his words out. "After you left, Coulton continued to tell me how taking a break is a bad idea, and that letting you make a documentary about what's going on with me was a great one. That's the gist of it, anyway."
She pursed her lips and brought them to the side, as if wanting to chuckle but hiding it. "Did you ever tell him you knew my work?"
"No. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction."
She laughed, a full, hearty sound. A wave of pleasure went through him, surprising him. He liked that she hadn't held back this time. That he caused it.
"I imagine he said something good?" Her eyes were still crinkling at the corners. "Something to make you consider it?"
Ana gazed at the fountain. Her nose had a light bump, adding character to her face. Her attractive face.
"Yeah. He said to talk to my therapist," he explained without thinking, still lost in looking at her.
She responded to his comment by turning towards him. His eyes locked with hers, wide open.
Burnt umber. Brown ash left by a fire. Tantalizing. He licked his bottom lip.
"And did you talk to your therapist? Was that what convinced you to reach out?" She asked.
He nodded. "Dr. Linda— my therapist— she said that it might slow things down and that it was a good idea."
"And that was it?"
"No, that was only part of it." He considered for a moment, wondering how to proceed, stealing a look at the camera. "She also said that spending time answering your questions could make me think about things differently."
"Things? What things?"
"Things that I talk about in therapy. Personal things. She said I should try to think of what the documentary could do for me, before deciding whether I want to be a part of it."
She accepted that with one nod. "Okay. That makes sense."
She stared at the fountain again, and he did the same. It both excited and unsettled him that he'd been able to share that with her, after knowing her for such little time. That she'd taken his words without pushing.
"Coulton knew that I'd listen to my therapist," Liam added, unprompted. "He gambled that she'd like the idea and, lucky for him, she did."
"You know," she said after a while, "I started college thinking I wanted a major in film and a minor in psychology. I think that I make documentaries because it helps me understand people, get to the soul of a person, but it's way better than becoming a therapist, because you don't have to deal with as many years of training or all the responsibilities."
He grinned. "This is something I noticed. You also talk about yourself in your films."
"Yes, that's on purpose. For one, I'm social like that." She glanced back at him for a second with a brief smile, before turning back to the water. "Also, I think it's only fair. I ask for a lot of vulnerability from the people I work with, and I try to pay it back with some of my own."
