#ask minty

You'd been to therapy before when you were younger, not for very long, but you still felt a little nervous sitting in that waiting room. Your regular appointment was at the end of the day, so you always saw the receptionist leaving as you went in.

You needed someone to talk to. You and your boyfriend had been arguing a lot lately and he was refusing to do couple's therapy. "We're not even married, you're overreacting." he would say, brushing you off. He didn't like to talk about the problems the two of you were having, preferring just to sweep things under the rug, promising that things would just "get better". But they never did.

You thanked him for taking you on as a new client after the two of you spoke on the phone.

"Not a problem. It's very nice to meet you." He started, his voice sounded sincere and calming. "You told me about some of the issues you were hoping to speak about today, but tell me a bit about yourself."

He always took notes during your sessions, you sometimes wondered what he was writing.

You started going to him to hoping to fix things with your partner, but there was a lot of stuff you ended up confiding in him. And while you knew it was his job, it was nice to have someone around who was so sympathetic to you and helped you figure out the rough spots in your life.

He was a bit older than you, but he never seemed like he was looking down on you for anything or judging you. He was really put-together, well-dressed, proper. And he seemed... nice. Professional. Kind, even. You didn't want to rely on him (or anyone else for that matter) too much, or think that he had any kind of interest in your life beyond what was acceptable for a professional, but...

Talking to him was easy.

You would come into your appointments with him, always feeling like you were bringing bad news. That your boyfriend hadn't responded well to his points about the problems in your relationship. That he'd gotten mad, accusing you of taking your therapist's word when the guy made him out to be some kind of asshole. That he'd dismissed everything, calling you insecure and stopped short of just calling you crazy.

And that hurt.

"That sounds... difficult." He seemed to be holding back whatever emotions he was feeling about what you'd told him, but maybe you were just projecting a little. Maybe... hoping that he felt upset on your behalf, that someone was on your side for once. "I can understand how that might be troubling for you. I do wish you had a more supportive partner to help you through these issues."

In a rare, tender moment, a supportive smile and a hand on your shoulder, he made you a promise.

"I will do what I can to help, my dear."

He caught himself, apologizing for the familiarity, but you just laughed, the sound a bit foreign to you after so long. You said you didn't mind, that it sounded... nice, coming from him.

Trying not to think about what that could've sounded like, you just focused on the rest of your appointment. There was... a lot to talk about.

He sat in his office after you had left the session, his receptionist had already gone home for the day. It was getting dark out, but he wasn't ready to leave yet.

He wished you had stayed.

Sitting across from you on a bi-weekly basis just wasn't enough.

His notes were filled with things he noticed about you. What you'd worn, the scent you were wearing, the expression you made.

What he wanted to do to you.

"You went back to him again." He sighed, staring at the chair where you had been sitting just moments ago. He didn't dare to walk you out to your car, as his last appointment of the day. As a polite gesture, it could endear him to you. But outside of this office, you weren't his patient. He wouldn't be able to keep himself from getting closer, it would be too obvious how much he wanted you.

He couldn't take that chance. Not yet.

But it was getting harder and harder to hear you talk about him every other week.

Every instance that you mentioned that... boyfriend of yours, he had to jab himself with his pen, keeping a straight face through the pain.

When he would reassure you and the slightest hint of a smile would ghost over your lips, the need to kiss you would become absolutely overwhelming.

When his reassurances would actually get you to laugh, the sound would morph in his mind to something intimate, something primal. He would imagine your touch, the sounds you would make as he took you. Nothing else made him feel as alive as the thought of you.

He needed you.

Your boyfriend was already failing you as a partner. What real harm was there in making you see that clearly? The sooner he was out of your life, the sooner you would realize that you needed someone different.

Someone who listened to your worries without judgement.

Someone who reassured you when you were in doubt.

Someone who would slowly become everything to you, making you come to rely on him more and more until there was no one else.

He just needed to speed some things up. If there was a chance that you wouldn't leave him, well...

He may just have to take matters into his own hands.

He smiled to himself, thinking that it might be nice to meet him in person. To feel the fading of his pulse as his hands squeezed around his neck.

Then, nothing would keep you from him a moment longer.

"Soon, my dear."

look at this upstanding gentleman, he's clearly someone to trust with your mental health

nothing like couple's therapy where half the couple refuses to attend, surely a sign of a well-adjusted relationship

i imagine this guy as classy, with a slightly posh accent and well-dressed, to the point where the reader is wondering if their insurance can actually afford this guy, you called him because he had high ratings and his office is close to your apartment

little do you know, he heard you over the phone and is severely undercharging you, he knew you'd be perfect for him from that first phone call

now he spends every session and every free moment thinking about you and how to get you to depend on him and love him back

im not a fan of yanderes that have had past beloveds, even tho it's more realistic for their current beloved to not be their only love in life, especially if they're older, but this guy could fit with "he's had past patients that he's thought were "The One" but they just didn't work out/he found something about them that made him disillusioned with them" and then found you

despite how he's using your sessions to push you to dump your boyfriend and depend on him more and more, he actually does take his job very seriously. his other patients are in very good hands and if you presented with serious symptoms of any mental health conditions, he would do everything to take care of you and love you regardless, nothing could make you any less perfect for him

im imagining that he is a psychiatrist with a couple of degrees who usually treats wealthier clients and lives a very comfortable but lonely life

and, unsurprisingly, he is VERY unwell himself. he isn't usually violent in his everyday life, but his obsession with his beloved will lead him to do anything to have them, and what's a bit of death and blood if he can finally help you see that you're perfect for him!

i know i've been writing slower lately, im in the process of finding a new job and maybe moving if i can't find anything local, but im still interested in writing, if you're interested in seeing something specific from me, or want to see a sequel to a story of mine, sending an ask is all it takes

(or join the Discord! all that takes is sending an ask with your discord handle and being 18+, it's p much me and like seven other people, so it's very chill and if you're infrequent on there, no one's gonna judge ya, im the worst at being on there regularly, lol)