Perspective of Dr. Berkingsten (3rd)

   Allyson sat with her back ramrod straight, and her eyes were sad and hollow. I thought at that moment about how it must have felt to remember that moment. She shooed away Aaron, and now he was gone.

"Is that true?" I asked. I'd never been so emotionally invested in a client before. I was breaking so many rules, so many regulations that should be followed at all costs. I was effected by her. The way she spoke and the way she loved moved me in strange ways. I respected her, and I wished with all my lonely might that I might one day meet someone I hold as dear to me as she does Aaron.

She looked up, "is what true?"

"That you hold up walls, to keep others out?"

"Well, yes. That's true..." She looked straight in my eyes, without blinking. I looked to the empty cushion beside her. I thought it strange that when she came in she left room for a whole other person to sit beside her, but it all made sense now. I don't know why it dawned on me, but it just did. Her and Aaron were inseperable, not even death could keep them apart. She still left a space next to her, knowing that only he could be the one to fill it. It was sad. It was heartbreaking. But obviously she knew no other way.

I recovered from my thought and got back on track, "tell me about your friends, hm?"

"Oh.. Well, there's-"

"It says here you and your friend... Ethan? You've known eachother for..." I squinted at the paper without my glasses.

"17 years, roughly. Our parents are longtime friends, we've been bestfriends since we were old enough to hold our own heads up." She grinned lazily.

"And your other friend... Genny? How long have you two been friends?"

She scratched her head in that trade-mark "I'm thinking" way. "About 4 years? Not as long as Ethan and I. But I love her, none the less."

"Why don't you tell me a bit about them, shall we?"

"Okay. Let's see... Uhm, I'll start with Geneviere!" She pressed a petit finger to her pursed lips and then spoke thoughtfully, "Genny is witty and cute. Cute as a button, really. She's bisexual, her and I always attend all the Pride events. I try to be super supportive. She's outspoken, but not in the rude way. She's smart, but a bit of a slacker. Don't tell her I said that, though!" Ally giggled and continued, "she likes to read. She likes to take pictures. Photography. Oh, she's so good! She can capture a moment and develope it and it's perfect, it's always identicle to that exact moment. She knows exactly how to capture the life in someone. Really great."

"Now Ethan... God, where to start?!" She grinned that grin again, obviously just for Ethan. Her Ethan grin. "He loves retro movies. He paints like there's no tomorrow. Abstract mostly, lots of colours and textures. I've got one hanging on my bedroom wall. He called it "Allyson", it's all pastels and twirling, swirling strokes. He's goofy, and he remembers everything. Like, when you tell Ethan something, you can garauntee that he'll remember it twenty years from now. He plays lacross, and I attend his games religiously. Genny and I make posters and everything. I could go on about him for hours, really. So stop me now!"

I laughed, "he sounds nice. Did Aaron and him get along well?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked at her lap, "not exactly..."

"Not exactly? So, no?"

"No. Aaron wasn't a fan of Ethan's, let's just say."

"Why's that?"

"Aaron claimed that Ethan was in love with me. Which is a ridiculous idea. I mean, to think that was even a possibility! Well, only Aaron would think such insane things." She rolled her eyes.

"Was it really so insane to think that?" I inquired.

"Maybe... maybe not..." Ally whispered, almost to herself. I could see in her eyes the confusion, and unassured way her hands were fiddling with the fabric of her shirt. "There was this one time before Aaron."

"Would you care to talk about it?"

"I'll share." She grinned.