Dark, bottomless pools of black remained unwavering as they bored directly into a much warmer gaze, one that seemed patient enough--one that's been in this position many times before. After years of prying and uncomfortable persistence, Lee Eunjung--certified therapist and supreme being of tolerance--finally figured out how to run Jack's race despite his, for a lack of a better word, quirks. Some days papers and desktop items would be scattered across the floor and other days he'd spit the remnants of his nails that were torn off with his teeth in her face. But the point is--even if it was at an excruciatingly slow pace--is that there was progress. Enough progress that she was aware of his manipulative behavior and she could stare at the man chewing his on his nail across from her without flinching from paranoia.
"Jack," she speared through the silence first and the sound of two rows of teeth grinding against each other came to a halt and his mouth curled into an illegible sneer around his finger. The male didn't respond because he was well aware that the persistent therapist would continue to speak whether he uttered a word or not and he just didn't care to--there was nothing to say. A wrinkle formed on the bridge of his nose once he found something to speak of as he tongued the metallic sore on the corner of his lip and his hand dropped back in his lap with a roughened exhale. "It smells like shit in here," his voice, roughened by a few too many cigarettes, sounded and Eunjung frowned. And an erratic smile formed on his lips. Then the minute hand on the clock seemingly ticked faster--time was being wasted and Jack still hadn't mentioned the washes of deep purples and healing yellows on his peppered cheek. "Your cheek--what happened?" She clutched the edge of her notebook and the male could visualize her patience being worn thin. Jack's bleak features easily fell into a scowl and he plucked a piece of lint off of his pants and he dropped his head onto his shoulder lazily, gaze still fixed on the therapist.
"Why d'you ask if you know?" He turned his head to spit a chewed piece of his nail to the side and his eyebrows knit together incredulously. He never fully grasped the concept of repetitive and rhetorical questions if she held the answer to them. She was well acquainted with his pastime that included obscured judgment, bloodied fists, blurred faces, and a toilet seat imprinted into his cheek the next morning--so he believed she was deserving of the backlash. She always was. "Ya' gonna tell me that I made a poor decision? Then you can ask me if I've been taking my medication daily but of course I'll tell you that the bottle says that it's recommended that I don't mix the two--" She parted her lips to speak but a syllable barely spilled from her lips as the male continued his verbal blow. "After that you can use the remaining minutes of our time to think up some other bullshit to ask me next week that doesn't involve wasting time, Eunjung. See you next Thursday." The sound of his chair grazing the wooden floor sounded in the room and he lifted his hand to flippantly wave with a smile that didn't exactly reach his eyes as he turned on his heels. Eunjung brought her notebook over her features as she dipped her head back tiredly and exhaled a sigh that sounded as if it came from the very bottom of her lungs.
"Next Thursday, Jack." Tiresome, obnoxious, maddening Jack.
