Physical Therapy For The Soul

After dessert was served and the table cleared, they sat on the couch much like they did the previous evening and talked. And talked. They talked about dating horror stories, previous boyfriends and girlfriends, their years growing up, high school and college. They talked about their musical preferences, their families, and their jobs.

Sometime during their conversation, Theresa's hand found Zerrick's and it was as if it were the most natural thing in the world to them. Soon thereafter, her head found his shoulder from time to time. A quaint sigh would escape her lips as she did so. Zerrick didn't hear the contented noises emanating from her, but that mattered little to him. He was too busy enjoying the warm of her face and body as she stealthily got closer and closer to him. He didn't mind at all.

It was a little after ten o'clock when their conversation waned slightly. By then, Zerrick's arm was around her shoulder holding her to him. Theresa felt like melted butter as she snuggled against him and wasn't shy in letting him know it pleased her.

"I could stay like this forever," she murmured more than once. "This feels so good."

Zerrick would merely chuckle and give her a gentle squeeze. As she lay against him, he had the most powerful urge to kiss her. He debated within himself how to approach it. He certainly didn't think she'd mind, considering how many signals she was throwing his way, but one never knew. On a rare occasion, his date might kiss him first, which saved him from making the decision, but being with Theresa was different from any girl he had dated and he wanted to get it right.

He looked down at his shoulder where her face was resting and found her staring at him, a half- smile peeking from the corners of her mouth. Before he could speak, she asked softly, "Would you please kiss me?"

Zerrick nodded slightly, his mind in a whirl. Did she know he wanted to kiss her? How could she?

Theresa broke him out of his thoughts by touching his face and smiling. Zerrick leaned over and their lips met tentatively, giving each other short, soft kisses before parting.

"Your lips are really soft," she commented while sitting up straight next to him. "Very soft...."

Theresa moved forward and her hands found his face once more, gently pulling him to her. Their lips met again. There were no sparks, no fireworks, and no trembles of sexual excitement, but Theresa loved it. It was everything she hoped it to be. She opened her eyes when they parted for the second time and saw Zerrick staring at her intensely, studying her features.

"I like the way you kiss," he said softly, breaking the silence between them. "I like it very much." His eyes still bore through her, full of expression and wonderment.

Without waiting for a reply, it was he who moved forward and began kissing her with earnest. A low groan escaped Theresa as she accepted everything he was giving and returned the same in kind. Alternating between soft, gentle kisses and more urgent, passionate ones, they remained embraced for almost a minute before stopping.

"Oh my," she said, trying to catch her breath. His kissing had sent definite signals through her that time. She was glad she was sitting down as she felt a bit light headed. "I guess I wasn't expecting that."

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "It had been a long time since I've been kissed like that."

"That's too bad. Maybe I'll have to work on that."

"Please do."

By midnight, Zerrick reluctantly decided to call it a night. He was tired and achy, his knee protesting the late hour. As a joke, he thought briefly of asking to stay the night instead of driving the five minutes home, but thought better of it. The entire evening had gone splendidly and he didn't want to ruin it by being facetious.

Sad and not wanting him to go home, Theresa walked him to the door. They had spent most of the latter part of the evening kissing and snuggling, something she wished would never come to an end.

Neither spoke for a moment as Theresa had her back to the door, a small smile creeping from the corners of her mouth.

"You're going to have to let me go sooner or later," he said, hands on his hips. "I still have to do those blasted exercises before I go to bed."

Theresa laughed softly as she pushed away from the door. "I'll let you go. I just want one more kiss." She moved forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly.

"I could get used to that," he said.

"Could you?"

"You bet."

"I think I'm going to like dating you." Her hands were on his shoulders as she looked up at him.

"I know I'm going to like dating you," he replied, smiling as he looked down at his shoes. "I guess I'll see you Monday."

"Five o'clock sharp. Be prepared to work," she warned.

"I'm always prepared when you're around."

Theresa turned and opened the door for him. She took his hand briefly as he slowly brushed by her and stepped into the night.

"Thanks for everything," he said, looking back to her. "I had a great time. I think we'll have to keep this dating thing going, eh?" He cocked an eyebrow and smiled.

"I couldn't agree more."

"Good." He took a step before turning back again. "Don't forget on Monday."

"Forget what?" she asked, puzzled.

Zerrick turned and walked to his car.

"Forget what?" she asked, a little bit louder.

With his hand on the car door handle, he replied, "Remember our deal, wear a loose shirt and bend over once in a while."

Theresa could only shake her head as a laughing Zerrick disappeared into his car.

Chapter 4

As the days and weeks rolled by, things progressed well for Zerrick and Theresa. Zerrick's knee continued to get stronger and his mobility was much better. True to her word, Theresa remained tough on him; maybe not as tough as before they started to date, but she still made him work long and hard and wouldn't let him slack one inch. She knew it was just a matter of time before she would allow him to do light running. Theresa kept close tabs on him with the therapists at the swimming pool and they concurred with her. Perhaps in a month or so, they thought he would be ready to run. As far as they could tell, no one knew of their private lives and they hoped to keep it that way.

As a couple away from the rehab center, they continued to date on the weekend. They went out for their entertainment as much as they stayed at one or the other's house. It was never like they had to do something or go somewhere. Each were content just to spend a quiet evening together either talking, listening to music, or snuggling and kissing. They were satisfied with that up to that point. Neither felt the need to take their relationship any further and they wanted to get to know each other better before they explored a sexual relationship.

Of course, Theresa teased Zerrick from time to time at the rehab center, allowing him a sneak peek down her shirt. She still didn't understand why he made a fuss over her breasts, but if it made him happy, who was she to deprive him of his motivation? Inside, she was intensely proud of his progress and thought perhaps in a small way, she was responsible for some of it. His knee was responding much faster than she ever imagined, faster than anyone she had ever trained and at times, she couldn't believe his progress.

Zerrick's regimen continued to include his pool work, bicycling, light weight training, exercises, and electrical stimulus. Of course, there were days when he didn't want to work as hard, be it because of pain or that he had a bad day at work. Theresa was able to discern between the two and adjusted accordingly. Because he normally worked his knee so hard, it wasn't difficult for her to cut him some slack on those rare times.

It was a mutual choice for them not to date during the week. Even though their relationship was new and fresh, they already saw each other three times a week at the rehab center, albeit briefly. It was working well for them thus far, so they saw no need to change. Now, when Zerrick finished his rehab, they figured they would re-evaluate their feelings and perhaps date throughout the week. More than likely, they would just meet for dinner at one of their houses, but it would be a date nonetheless.

It was on a Friday during the third week of April when Zerrick made a breakthrough in his rehab and with Theresa. For the past few sessions, he had been itching to begin running, but Theresa always cautioned him and held him back saying it was too soon and that he wasn't ready for such a step. His knee was feeling great and he was walking without a limp, so he thought it natural to take that next step.

He did his pool work that day and changed in the locker room before he walked into the exercise room. He ambled to the stationary bicycles and began his road work for the day. He moved free and easy and he knew he had to try that day.

Theresa came over to check on him, as was her ritual, and was met with a stern face, something she wasn't expecting.

"How are you doing?" she asked apprehensively.

"I'm running today," he answered, his jaw set and his eyes serious.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I feel great. It's time to try."

"I think you should wait."

"I'm going to run today, with or without your permission."

"But...."

"I need to do this," he interrupted. "I have to find out."

"I don't want you to get hurt and ruin everything you've worked so hard to achieve so far."

Zerrick looked at her and touched her hand, even though he knew he shouldn't, not there. "I'll make you a deal. If I feel the slightest pain, the slightest twinge, I'll stop and I won't say another word about it. Deal?"

Theresa looked into his eyes and knew it was useless to try and talk him out of it. "Get off the bike," she commanded.

Zerrick stopped pedaling and did as he was told. Theresa walked approximately twenty yards away and looked at him.

"Walk to me," she said.

Zerrick started to walk to her. Theresa studied his gait for any sign of a limp or anything out of line. Even the littlest limp would cause her to not let him do it. She saw none. If he did limp and wanted to run anyway, he would have had to find himself a new therapist because she would not be a part of it.

When he reached her, she said, "Put on your brace and come to the track."

He did what he was told and within a few minutes, he was on the track with Theresa. Under her breath, she hissed, "If you get hurt, I swear to God I'll kill you."

"You're beautiful when you're angry." He winked at her.

Theresa shook her head and muttered something he could not hear. She then walked away approximately ten yards before turning back to him.

"I want you to start walking and slowly increase your speed. Keep walking until I tell you to start jogging. Don't go any faster than a jog, understand?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

A bit nervous, Zerrick began walking to Theresa. Theresa back pedaled in step with Zerrick, keeping an eye on his stature and looking for any sign of a limp.

"A little faster," she said.

Zerrick increased his speed to a medium paced walk.

A few yards later, she said, "Faster."

He picked up his pace to a fairly fast walk. Theresa was almost jogging backwards to stay ahead of him.

"Start jogging," she commanded.

It's now or never, he thought to himself. He picked up his pace until he began to jog.

Theresa kept her eye on him, but was all smiles on the inside. He's doing it, she kept thinking. He's doing it.

To Zerrick, it felt exhilarating to say the least. He felt no discomfort, no pain, and it was wonderful.

Theresa backed off and watched him as he circled the small indoor track. She could only shake her head in amazement. Zerrick made two complete circuits before he trotted to where Theresa was standing.

"I told you I could do it," he panted, bent over at the waist.

With her hand on his back, she leaned close to his ear. "You did great! How do you feel?"

"Fine." He glanced to his right and got another perfect view of her breasts as her shirt billowed out again. "You know," he whispered, "I won't be able to finish my workout if I have a hard on."

Theresa straightened instantly and looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. She glanced his way and saw the unmistakable sign of his appreciation. Sweet tingles invaded her as she fought off a shiver. From time to time since they had started dating, she had thought about Zerrick in a sexual way, especially when they were kissing a bit more passionately than usual, but this was a first for her. She knew she was liking him more and more and felt in her heart their relationship would take that special turn eventually, but now she thought perhaps she was ready for it to happen and didn't think she would shy away if the moment was right.

Was she in love with him? That, she couldn't be sure. She did love many things about him, but she never really gave it a whole lot of thought. Theresa was very satisfied with the way their relationship was going and thought about him a lot when they weren't together. Had that special spark been lit? There were too many things to think about and she didn't have the time. Walking away, she told him to get back on the bike for five minutes so she could sit down and collect her thoughts.

Perplexed, Zerrick was certain he had said the wrong thing, but he couldn't take it back. In a time when he should have been elated with his progress, he was instantly sad thinking about her feelings. Dejected, he slowly made his way to the bicycles.

For the duration of the session, they talked little and that was strictly about his knee. After he iced his knee, he went to the locker room to shower and change. He thought about what happened and wished he could take it back, wished he hadn't said anything about her open shirt. He just couldn't understand it. She had never had a problem with his joking about her breasts before, but now she was obviously upset. It was now starting to get complicated and that was the last thing he wanted. He was now afraid she would want him to switch to another therapist, something he definitely didn't want to do. She had gotten him to this point and he wanted no one else to train him. She motivated him like no one else could and he wouldn't be where he was without her help.

Normally, he would dress as quickly as possible so he could have a few more minutes with her, but now he dawdled, not knowing if she would even want to be with him that evening. That thought saddened him. Until then he couldn't remember a single incident where they were upset with each other. Theresa was the first woman he dated who elicited such mixed emotions. She was the first woman with whom he felt he could actually fall in love. She was a constant challenge to him and he welcomed it. He was beginning to love her; at least he thought so since he had never been in love before. She meant so much more to him than anyone else he had let into his life, so it had to be love. Didn't it? With these thoughts swirling through his head, Zerrick he pushed his tired body off the wooden bench and made his way out the door and to Theresa's desk.

But, she wasn't there. Zerrick looked closely and saw her gym bag and light coat resting on her chair. Thinking she was using the bathroom, Zerrick waited. As the minutes ticked, he began to worry. She was always at her desk when he came out of the locker room. He went to the women's rest room door and opened it slightly.

"Theresa? Are you in there?"

Silence.

He knew of no other place for her to be except the swimming pool, so he went in that direction and found her sitting on a folding chair in the corner. A small smile escaped her lips when she saw him emerge through the doors.

Zerrick saw the smile and knew she couldn't be too angry with him.

"I was looking for you," he said when he was within ten feet of her.

Coming out of deep thought, she replied softly, "I was thinking of that first time when you wanted me to go out with you. This swimming pool brings back a few memories."

"I remember that quite well," he replied. How could he forget that?

"Yeah, I guess you would." Theresa smiled shyly and looked away for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I just needed to think about some things, that's all. I'm okay." She stood up and walked towards him, arms extended. She hugged him tight and buried her face in his chest. "You did great today. I'm so happy for you."

When she pulled away, tears filled her eyes.

Zerrick looked at her, but didn't know what to think. "What's going on, Theresa? This isn't just about me running today, is it?"

Theresa laughed lightly and shook her head. "No, it isn't just about what you did today. It's a lot of things I've been thinking about, namely us."

"Us?"

"Would you believe me if I told you something?"

"Of course I would, you know that." Zerrick stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, I think I'm starting to fall in love with you." Theresa looked at him apprehensively. She wasn't sure how he would take it.

For a moment, Zerrick showed no emotion as he let her words sink in. It certainly was something he did not expect to come from her, considering how the rehab session went. Slowly, he realized a woman was actually in love with him and the enormity of the moment hit him hard.

"Wow," he said softly as he shook his head. "Wow." His face brightened as a grin appeared. "That's really something." He continued to stare at her and smile.

They were quiet for a few seconds.

"I've thought about it a lot lately," Theresa said. "I think about you at home after work and I wish you were with me. I think about you after a date and wish you stayed longer. It just seems like I always want you around and I hate it when we're apart. It has to be love, doesn't it?"

"I don't know. I've never been in love before."

"Do you feel the same about me?"

"I don't know." He saw the crestfallen look on her face from his remark. Zerrick added quickly, "I mean, I like you a lot and I think about you, us, quite a bit, but like I said, I've never been in love before, so I really don't know."

Zerrick looked within himself and grimaced. Was it that hard to admit he might love someone? He knew he never had this deep of feelings towards anyone else he dated. Why couldn't he admit he loved her, too?

"Look," he continued, "I don't know if I love you or not. I've got so many things I feel about you. For sure, I feel closer to you than anyone I've ever dated. That's something, isn't it? I just don't know about being in love with you. It's not like I don't want to be. This is all new to me. I just don't want to mess things up by saying the wrong thing."

"What could you say that would be wrong?" she asked.

Zerrick sighed and looked down. "I don't want to say I love you unless I know it and mean it. It would be wrong to say that and not really mean it. I have to be sure."

"How will you be sure?"

"You're full of questions tonight, aren't you?"

"And you're trying to evade the subject."

"You noticed that."

"Yeah."

"How will I be sure?" he asked himself aloud. "I guess maybe when I get to the same point as you where I think about you all the time and have to have you near me every second."

Theresa looked down briefly before returning her gaze back to him. Zerrick could see sadness in her eyes. He held her chin with the tips of his fingers.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I guess it's just that I hoped you would feel the same way as I do."

"Geez Theresa, what do you want from me?" he asked, slightly exasperated. "Not all partners fall in love at the same time. Shoot, maybe I am feeling the same things as you and I don't know it. Maybe I just can't verbalize it as well as you. I don't know. All I know is this; I do want to fall in love with you, but please be patient with me." He let go of her chin and sighed.