Liam had been dreading this meeting for what felt like months. He knew why they hadn't done it earlier. He'd been in these situations before. They let some time pass, so people could calm down, let their emotions settle and, in his case, figure out what they wanted to say.
Except he still didn't know what he wanted to say. Somehow he didn't think any of his semi-rehearsed phrases would have the effect he wanted. All he'd been able to do to prepare was to make some effort with his appearance; shave the face he hadn't bothered to shave in days, comb his hair for once. He even put on a proper shirt as though he were going to a court appearance. He knew it made him look out of place, but it felt like it was needed, somehow. Considering the last time they'd really seen him he'd been wearing nothing more than his underwear. It was a strange kind of penance.
He was mostly worried about Eva. Juro he knew would probably not even be angry; he was weird like that. After living with him for over three years Liam thought he had some sense of what kept the boy running, and he privately thought the last couple weeks had probably been difficult for him, without Liam around. Not that Liam was any kind of friend - he wasn't - but Liam was part of the routine. Hell, arguing with Liam was probably part of the routine. Not that you could really have an argument with Juro, as you inevitably would end up chasing yourself in circles, but still...
No, he was worried about Eva. Other than brief glimpses at meals and from a distance he hadn't seen or spoken to her in person since that night. It was true that he'd been with a lot of girls. Sometimes he liked to be rough, in a playful sort of way, but he would never take it further than they wanted. There were only two women in his life he'd ever hurt, physically, and Eva was the second. After the first he had felt as though his life was ending. This was a different feeling, but no less unpleasant.
He knew he had to do it though. He wanted her to really know how sorry he was. To look her in the eye and try to make her understand. He knew it would never be the same between them, that she would probably never trust him again, but he had to try. It was a sick thing really, that she was suddenly more important to him than all those other girls, because she was the one to get hurt. It just was.
He meant to get to the meeting on time but his feet didn't seem to want to take him there. He shuffled along at a much slower pace than usual, which meant that when he did finally get there, he was the last to arrive.
"Come in, Mr Cokely," the counsellor said, without looking up at him, an air of impatience in his voice. "Sit down."