THEO KNOCKED ON the door. "Annette, please, open up!" He cried as he continued to knock for the hundredth time. "I'm sorry, I was out of line. I was just trying to help, Annette! I was pushing you and I realize that I shouldn't have done it the way I did." He said apologetically. "Annette, I'm sorry, but please open this door. I-I want to help you--"

There was shuffling from inside the room. Then, silence.

Theo signed and dropped his hand to his side. It had been a few days since the incident and every day, he went and begged for her to open the door. But it always ended the same way. "I-I'm sorry," he apologized weakly as he reluctantly turned around, walking back to his house full of regret and guilt.

He had messed up. It was all his fault.

From inside the house, Annette leaned against the door, her hand lingering over the doorknob. Every day when Theo stopped by, she ended up in the same position every time. She wanted to open the door but something stopped her every time. She was afraid. She sighed, letting go of the doorknob and backing away from the door.

She was upset. At first, she channeled all of her anger and frustration at Theo, especially after that day. But the more she thought about it, the more she grew angry at herself. He was only trying to help. He was simply doing what she asked him to do. But she couldn't do it. "What's wrong with me?" She muttered under her breath as she took another step away from the door, backing herself into a corner.

It wasn't his fault.

It was hers.

Annette frowned deeply and sat down in front of her laptop. She opened up her blog to see recent comments on her most recent post but she didn't feel happy - not like she used to. Instead, she felt an empty pit in her stomach. She had started her blog because it was the only way she communicated with the outside world. It was her only source of feeling normal and part of the world she locked herself out of - or in her case, in.

How pathetic.

She scrolled through the endless comments on her page and sighed deeply. The comfort she used to feel from these comments vanished into thin air. She just felt alone.

How had she managed to let things get so out of hand? How had she managed to lock herself in her own home for the past ten years? How had she managed to let this control her until now?

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned off her computer. Frustrated, Annette brought her knees up to her chest and cried into her hands uncontrollably.

+++

"It's been a week since the last time we met," Theo explained solemnly as he sat in front of Dr. Maundy with a defeated look on his face. "I-I understand if you want to pull me out of this assignment. I know I messed up and--"

"I'm going to stop you right there before you say anything more that you'll regret later," Dr. Maundy cut in as she raised her hand in front of him, taking off her glasses. "Mr. Bennett, this is your first client," she started as she drew in a big breath. "The first client is always the hardest."

Theo nodded, frowning deeply. He knew she was only trying to encourage him, but he couldn't take her words to heart. He knew he made a big mistake and there was no way to reverse it. He probably made her life worse--"

"If you quit now, then you're never going to make it in this field." Dr. Maundy stated as she snapped her fingers in front of his face, grabbing his attention. "If you let one client, one mistake ruin you like this, how are you going to survive? This field is hard. You need to be strong and you need to stay confident through every meeting, every client, every mistake. Our job doesn't call for a specific protocol to follow every time, Mr. Bennett. Every patient is different. We're thrown into a new environment every time we meet someone new, which means there will be trials and errors every time."

Theo nodded slowly as he looked up at his boss, listening to her words carefully.

"Think of every new case as a new relationship - you're bound to have a fight with a client during the whole process. But in the midst of that, you need to learn to understand them and go about it in a different angle, together. This job doesn't just call for your thoughts and opinions, but it calls for theirs, too. It's a two-way street and you have to come to a reasonable compromise." She said, giving him a small crooked smile. "Now, if you want to give up now, then be my guest."

He sighed deeply and shook his head. "I--"

"If not, then go and finish what you've started." Dr. Maundy stated, putting on her glasses again and flipping through her files. "I'm busy." She said, already having dismissed him.

The corners of his lips lifted up as he nodded, carefully rising up from his seat. 'Thank you, Dr. Maundy." He told her to which she ignored blatantly. He rubbed the back of his neck with a shy smile and left her office.

"How'd it go?" Rebecca asked, her voice full of concern.

Theo stared at her and shook his head. "I'm not giving up." He told her, walking over to the desk where she sat. "She was surprisingly comforting," he joked as he leaned against the desk, peering over at his co-worker.

Rebecca leaned away casually when she realized how close they were and smiled. "Well, that's part of her job, you know?" She said, looking over her notes to distract herself from the close proximity they were in.

Theo grinned and checked his watch. "Rebecca, I know I said I'd have to dinner with you tonight, but I think I have to--"

Rebecca quickly nodded and closed her notebook, quickly getting up from her seat. "No, of course! It's completely fine, Theo. I'm glad you're continuing," she said, clutching her notebook close to her chest. "I'm happy for you."

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Rebecca," he said, dropping his hand to his side. "You're a really great friend," he told her sweetly and let out a deep breath. "Okay, I think I have to go."

The frazzled redhead frowned at the sound of his words but quickly covered it up with a weak smile. "O-of course, you're a good friend, too..." She muttered under her breath as she gripped onto the notebook harder. "Y-you should go," she told him and watched him leave the clinic. The second she saw the door close, she dropped her notebook and sat back down. Her heart dropped and seemed to sink lower as every second passed. "Friends..." She whispered as she opened her notebook again to review her notes. "What were you thinking, Rebecca?" She asked herself, burying her face in her hands.

+++

Theo stood in front of the blue house and sighed. It had been four days since the last time he came here begging for forgiveness. "You can do it," he whispered to himself and lifted up his fist, knocking on the door twice.

Silence.

"This is normal," he told himself and nodded, trying to stay positive. "Annette?" He called out cautiously as he leaned in closer to the door. "I-it's me, Theo ... your next door neighbor." He introduced himself awkwardly. "I know it's been a while since I was last here banging on your day, but I have something to tell you. I know I may be the last person you want to hear from right now, but if you could please just listen to me." He pleaded earnestly as he leaned in closer to the door. "I-I'm truly so sorry for the way I acted and I promise I will never do that again. I was out of line and it was unprofessional of me to force you to do something you didn't want to do. I should have been more patient, more understanding, and more willing to listen to you and help you. I realize I made it more about myself and that's why I acted to rash. I made it a one-way street and tried to force my thoughts onto you, and I'm sorry." He explained as he let out a sigh. "This is a two-way street and you deserve all the time you need. So, I'll be here and I'll wait for you. Take as much time as you need, I'll be patient. Do what makes you feel comfortable and when you're ready, we can talk about it together." Theo finished and waited a moment before leaning away from the door. "I'll be here waiting, Annette."

It would be a lie if Theo said he hadn't hoped for her to open the door and welcome him with open arms - metaphorically. But he was fine with the silence, too. He just hoped she had heard him. "You did well," he comforted himself and he took one last look before turning around to walk away.

Creeaak.

Theo stopped in his tracks and turned back around to see the door to the house wide open and Annette Thomas standing in front of the doorway. For the first time, she lifted her eyes to meet his and she waved awkwardly.

"Hi," she said quietly. She had ditched her sunglasses and hat and stood in front of the doorway with nothing to cover herself with like she usually did.

Theo's eyes widened as he caught sight of her face for the first time. "Wow," he breathed out, taking a step forward. She was beautiful. 

+++

Hello, readers ..wow I finally updated after about a year hiatus. I am terribly sorry. I really have no excuses except that I literally died bc of school this past school year .. but with the little time I had in the summer, I hope to find some time to write again, so I will be active but I can't promise weekly updates :( Thank you for reading and supporting me even though i'm a terrible person </3