"Alexei, stop flirting with the receptionist," I groan as I try to pull him away from the counter. "You just broke up with Jenny. Now is not the time."

I manage to pull him away from the counter, but their eyes are still glued to each other, darkened by lust. As I often do, I help him out of bad times before he does the wrong thing again, such as dating Jenny. With a soft grunt, I sit him down in the first chair I can find.

"She's cute," He mumbles to himself, letting out another one of his sighs filled with those emotions of his.

I roll my eyes at his words and begin to take a seat next to him while we wait for the therapist to call us in. Before I can even graze the chair, the door opens, revealing another beautiful woman for Alexei to flirt with.

"Dr. Theodore will see you now," She informs us before returning to her place behind the Receptionists' Counter.

"God, kill a duck!" I exclaim in pure rage, sending Alexei a glare as his birthday present. 

...

"You must be Mr. Roman and Mr. Lucille. Please, come in and take a seat."

Standing in the entrance of his office, I'm greeted by a warm, homey feeling, one I've never had before. Unlike Alexei, I stand by the door if something goes wrong. He takes a seat on the couch without any hesitation.

"You must be Dr. Theodore," He beams, seeming a bit happier than usual.

Taking my chance, I take a swift glance around the room. The sun's vibrant, yet restrained rays send a glossy sheen against the white blinds covering the windows, despite receiving so many refusals. The birds' chirping outside washes over me a wave of tension and distress, one I recognize quite well.

My mind, as fuzzy as a warm towel after a shower, attempts to retreat to a place where I can relax more than I can here. With a mental sigh, I allow my brain to focus and find something to distract me.

My eyes dart all over the room for something that can interest me, or at least, help me relax. Lining the walls are bookshelves with books of different sizes and colors, putting my mind at ease for a mere moment. As if they're calling out to me, I approach them with an overwhelming urge of wanting to read. I pull a book off the shelf at random.

"Which book is that?" Dr. Theodore addresses me, reminding me I'm not alone.

"It's," I pause, staring at the book in my hands with intensity in my eyes before I continue, "Hunger by Knit Hamsun."

A moment of awkward silence surrounds us as it seems no one can think of what to say next. The single conversational item I can think of has already been used. It won't be of any use to talk about it again. My eyes remain glued to the book in my hands like the pair of eyes stuck on me, almost waiting for me to do something.

Slowly, my patience runs thin as I wait for their gaze to shift to something else. Of all the things I can be doing, standing in awkward silence isn't one of them and will never be one of them.

"If we sit here in silence, we won't get anything done." Dr. Theodore forces a chuckle out amidst the awkward silence to lift the mood a little. "Mr. Roman, please, take a seat."

In reluctance to what he said, I turn to them and take a seat next to Alexei, but not before putting the book back where it belongs. Across from me sits Dr. Theodore with a notepad in his lap and a pen in hand, ready to take notes. 

Between us sits a wooden coffee table with China tea set, painted in simple colors, as well as an elegant, wooden music box as its centerpiece.

The calming music plays its relaxing tune in a low volume. My eyes stick to it as though it's the only thing that brings me joy in the room.

"Cy," Alexei says to me as I stare at the box in its pristine condition. His hand sits on me shoulder in a firm grip. "Why are you staring at the music box like that? Is there something wrong with it?"

"There is something about a music box that makes me think of home," I respond to his question, reminiscing in the wave of nostalgia coming over me.

As I sit there, I recall the Lavender scent blended with Palmarosa that always lingered in the air. The broken, crooked smile my mother used to wear, the forced laughter we had when at gatherings, and the stench of my father's alcohol in the air - it all comes back to me as if I had forgotten about it.

It all happened while the music box my mother owned for years played in the silence that lived.

No one acknowledged it except me. It didn't matter anymore because as time went by, it was only for decoration rather than music. A warm smile creeps upon my lips as the music comes to its end, the urge to make it play again doubling me over.

"What do you think, Mr. Roman?" The question brings me back to the reality I live in.

"About what?" The words slip my lips before I can process the situation I'm in.

My gaze lifts from the music box to rest on the man sitting before me. For the first time since I entered his office, I've gotten a closer look at him.

His appearance is breathtaking and unlike any other I've seen before. His ashy hair, slicked back into its neat, formal style, reveals not a single hair out of line. Bushy, yet tames eyebrows crown slender eyes that speak of a reserved nature bearing old principles. His expression remains calm and composed and his lips are pressed into a playful grin.

"Mr. Lucille was saying that you always space out," He tells me, writing something in his notepad as he avoids my stare, adding, "Is that correct?"

"Yes," I reply through gritted teeth, glaring at Alexei with eyes blinded by a bit of rage.

"You do know I didn't say that," Alexei informs me, fighting back a fit of laughter at my impulsive attitude, adding," He pranked you, dumbass."

"Lucky guess, huh?"

"Yeah."