So, let's get straight down to business. Tell me what I should do here.

"I think you know that this doesn't really work like that."

Well, how the hell does this work then? Am I supposed to lie here and tell you some bullshit about my mother and how I want to sleep with her? Because like I said, it's my sister.

"Why don't you start by telling me why you moved in with your stepsister in the first place. You're a successful film maker; you must be able to afford your own place."

It's documentaries. And she moved in with me. In fact, I didn't even see her for the first three weeks that I was in New York.

"That's a long time not to at least say hello."

Yeah, well, like I said, at that point I saw her as my sister. And I had no particular desire to see her. In fact, I wasn't particularly eager to talk to anyone in my family. They were all pretty upset about Kate.

"Kate?"

Kate was this woman I was living with for the past year-and-a-half. When I got the job offer here in New York, I didn't invite her to come with me. It came as kind of a surprise to her and to my family. She used to come to London with me for holidays. She was smart, pretty, witty, etc. Everyone in my family loved her. Well, everyone except me.

"And why do you think that is?"

Oh, that had nothing to do with Casey. At least, I don't think it did. Don't get me wrong, I did like Kate. In some ways though, I always felt like I could never be completely myself around her. It's not that I thought she would judge anything or me like that—it's just that certain parts of me, parts that I really liked, just didn't come out when I was around her. It's sort of hard to put into words . . . Even though we lived together and had some mutual friends, we each had our own friends too. Occasionally, she would come out with me and people that I was close to and I always felt like she was never really there with us. Like somehow, she was standing outside a window and watching me. Sometimes she would comment that I seemed like a totally different person with those people and I think it bothered her a little bit. It certainly bothered me. I really tried with her, but when I got this job offer in New York, I realized that I just couldn't lead her on anymore. After we talked about it, I think she understood where I was coming from. But my family kept bringing it up with me. I knew that Casey would when I eventually returned her phone calls.

"She had called?"

Yeah, after I got to New York she left me several messages. She and Brian wanted to have me over for dinner or maybe take me out to lunch. And, apparently, my stepmother had given her a box of stuff to pass onto me the last time she went up to visit them.

"Brian?"

Yes, that was the guy that she was living with. She'd only moved in with him about six months earlier, but the two of them had been dating for almost two years. I liked the guy. He was a sportswriter who had published a book with the company she works for. Used to hook me up with tickets to things whenever I was in town. We got along.

"So why isn't she living with him right now?"

That's kind of a long story.

"We've still got time."

Well, finally after almost three weeks I gave her a call. Man, was she pissed.

"About Kate?"

No, about my not returning her phone calls. So after we had that whole argument and got into the Kate thing, I agreed to let her and Brian take me out to lunch. I needed to get that box of things from her anyways.

So I meet her at this café near her office, and when I arrive I see that Brian's not there. She tells me that he called this morning to say that he was tied up at work, but that I should definitely come and have dinner at their place sometime soon. And actually, lunch turns out to be kind of nice. She tells me about all the crazy authors she works with and I tease her a little about the book she's been writing practically since we graduated high school. Her writing is good, but she's just such a perfectionist that the thing is taking her forever. So, anyways, I agree to come over for dinner sometime and to let Brian take me to a sports game.

Of course, then she just starts to gush with sisterly affection . . . About how glad she is I am here and that, if I promise to be a gentleman, she might even set me up with one of the girls from the publishing company. I roll my eyes at that, but secretly, make a mental note of it.

So anyways, after much argument from me, she picks up the check and we start to say goodbye. Then I remember the box from my step-mom and she realizes that she left it in her apartment. I tell her that's okay, and that I can always get it from her another time, but she tells me that it's only five blocks away and insists we stop by to get it.

It more like 10 blocks, by the way, and by the time we've arrived at her apartment building she's had to take off her heels and is walking around in her bare feet. I smirk at her for that, but she just rolls her eyes at me.

So we go up to Brian's condo on the 23rd floor, and when she unlocks the door I think I hear a noise. She brushes it off and tells me that Brian must have left the TV on. We head into her bedroom to get the box and that's when we see it. Brian and another woman are in their bed. I later learn that it was their next-door neighbor. So at first, Casey just stands there completely paralyzed with this horrified look on her face. He covers up, the woman runs out the door, and starts to explain things to Casey. And she looks really sad, but still doesn't say a word. He asks her to forgive him, and based on the expression on her face, it looks like she's actually considering it.

I couldn't believe it. Here was this strong, fiery person just crumbling. It was not like her at all, and I had trouble seeing it. And before she can respond to him, I hear this low angry voice asking him how long it had been going on and realize that it's my own. She throws him a pleading look, and he sighs, and tells us it's been about two months. She bursts into tears and before I even realize what I'm doing I deck the guy in the jaw.

I tell her that we're leaving and guide her into the elevator.

"So that's when you invited her to move in with you?"

No, that just sort of happened. This whole thing with her just sort of happened.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Venturi, we'll have to pick this up at our next appointment."

Author's Note: So this one is going to a little different. I think it will be less dark than I originally imagined it, but at the same time, the tone of it will on the serious side.