It all started when a woman asked:
“So, why don’t we start with introductions?”.
She stared expectantly at the couple who sat across from her on the comfortable beige couch of her office. Isabella Mills had been a marriage therapist for two decades now, but these two were unfamiliar faces.
“I’ve been told a few things, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
The young woman had wavy, chestnut-brown hair, cut to just above her shoulders. It delicately framed her pale, freckled face that contrasted against her bright blue eyes. She wore a plain white turtleneck, tucked into a floral-printed skirt, matching her baby blue flats. Beside her sat a tall, slightly bulky man. His brown eyes kept stealing glances at the brunette at his side.Dimples appeared on his face when he smiled even slightly. Carelessly styled short-cropped blonde hair sat atop his head. He fidgeted with the hem of his gray sweater, which was accompanied by black jeans and some paint-spotted Converse. Their styles were different, but they complimented each other, Isabella noted.
“My name’s-”
“I’m-”
The pair spoke at the same time, stopping when they realized what they had done. They laughed it off and the young woman encouraged her partner to go first.
“Well, my name’s Jasper,” The blond introduced himself. Then, he turned to look down at his girlfriend. “Sorry about that, baby. Go ahead.”
The blush that spread across the young woman’s cheeks did not go unnoticed.
“I’m Emma. I was the one to book the appointment with you.”
Isabella smiled at the sight of the couple. Ah, young love, she thought to herself.
“It’s lovely to formally meet you both, Emma, Jasper. As you already know, my name is Isabella Mills and I’m a licensed marriage therapist. How long have you been together?”
Emma and Jasper stared at each other for a moment, almost as if they were attempting to find the answer to the question together. Finally, Jasper replied that they’d been together for about a year and a half. Isabella made a mental note that neither of them was fully confident in the amount of time they had spent as a couple. Next, she inquired as to how they had met. Then, Emma answered that they met in high school through a mutual friend called Brandon. She explained that their first meeting had been when they were both invited to Brandon’s sixteenth birthday party, hosted at a roller skating rink.
“I have never been great at skating,” commented Jasper, “But I went for my friend’s birthday and I saw a beautiful girl just casually doing laps in the rink. So, with all the confidence fifteen-year-old me had, I approached her while wobbling in my skates. I asked if she wanted to join me at the little diner area the place had for some milkshakes—”
“I am, in fact, lactose intolerant,” Emma interjected suddenly.
Jasper heartily laughed at the interruption. “Yes, she is. So she said no, and I went off on my own to get an Oreo shake. Then, we crossed paths again at our university and hit it off then.”
Emma excitedly explained how she’d been playing violin at one of the university’s gazebos and Brandon and Jasper happened to walk by as she did so. Despite him being a Graphic Design major, Jasper immensely enjoyed music and started freestyle dancing to Emma’s songs. He offhandedly mentioned to Isabella how he’d also played the piano since he was young when a spark appeared in his partner’s eyes. She playfully nudged his arm and said he hadn’t brought that up before. He grabbed her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the knuckles, apologizing while smiling at her. Again, Emma blushed as though she was experiencing this affection for the first time all over again. Jasper went on to explain how he also played accompaniments for violinists several years ago and the pair realized that they had crossed paths many times before, as musicians.
The rest of the session went smoothly, though Isabella noticed some inconsistencies in the pair’s anecdotes. Sometimes a friend was there, while in the next explanation, they were nowhere to be found. Dates were also confused, but Isabella did not dwell on them for too long. This couple was clearly still in a honeymoon phase and did not have any concerns that stood out to her. Wanting to understand, the therapist asked:
“Why did you come see me? I do think it’s wonderful that you sought out a space to talk about your relationship with an unbiased third party, but I was just curious because you seem to have a very healthy relationship.”
Emma smiled at Isabella before speaking again.
“As you said, things are going great for us. But we agreed that this was more about counseling than therapy. We want to know how to have conversations openly to avoid major issues. And if we have those clashes, we want to be able to handle them in a healthy manner.”
“I suppose it was us seeking professional relationship advice.” Jasper summarized, putting his arm around Emma’s shoulders.
Soon after, the young couple thanked Isabella and went on their way. The therapist felt as though she gave the two the best professional and personal advice she could provide, and it made her happy to know that such genuine love could be shared by people even now.
Outside the building, Emma and Jasper walked over to his car and just stood by it in silence. He leaned against the hood, crossing his arms and looking over at the brunette. She stared back, face still bright pink. An amused expression took over her features.
“That was actually so much more fun than I thought it’d be!”
Jasper chuckled and shook his head at her enthusiasm. “Naturally. And we weren’t caught, which makes it all the better. We really sold that we’re a couple.”
Emma shuffled to stand at Jasper’s side, letting their arms touch as she leaned against the car. “Yeah, we did.” She nudged his arm playfully. “But, seriously, why didn’t you tell me that you played the piano? I actually really enjoy piano music.”
“Didn’t think it was too important or relevant to the plan,” He shrugged. “Guess I’ll just have to play for you some other time.”
“Yeah, you do. Now, why don’t we go get something to eat? All that talking made me hungry.”
“Sure thing, baby.”