Practice Makes Perfect by Kris Ripper

Author:Kris Ripper [Ripper, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kris Ripper

Chapter Twelve

Hugh was in a weird mood. At least, Ally thought he was in a weird mood. It wasn’t easy to tell.

Everyone else was pretty upbeat for a Sunday morning. Except Justin, who was always apparently a grouch, but even that kind of made it better. She felt like she really knew the people in the class, even Sandy, who never talked unless he had to.

Plus, she’d kissed Paul hello, and he’d held her hand until Hugh called everyone to attention.

She smiled across the circle. Paul smiled back.

“This morning we’re going to do something a little different.” Hugh cleared his throat. “I’d like everyone to share something they wouldn’t normally share, something you’d only say in a situation in which you trusted the person or people whom you were addressing. It can be about anything, though if you would like to stretch your limits a little with regards to the conversations we’ve been having over the past two weekends, you’ll likely find that the most satisfying.”

“So we’re sharing secrets?” Avery asked. “Ooh la la.”

“Not necessarily secrets. Though it could be. Or a story. Or a desire you would only share if you felt a sense of intimacy.” Hugh looked around, at each of them in turn. Ally had to steel herself not to look away because sometimes when he looked at her she felt like he could see right into her.

“You’re trying to force intimacy,” Justin muttered. “That never works.”

“On the contrary, I think we already have a sense of intimacy, at different levels for different people, of course. And I’m not asking anyone to, ah, bleed out for us. But if you push yourself slightly, you might find the rewards are worthwhile.”

Justin snorted. “Oh yeah? That include you, too?”

“Of course.” Hugh spread his hands, palms up. “I feel a sense of intimacy with this particular group. All the same, I am about to share a very deeply personal story. I think it’s relevant, but I’m wary.” This time when he looked around, he landed longest on Ally. “I need it to be very clear that the stories we tell this morning will not leave this room. I hope we’re all on the same page.”

Nods all around the circle, even Justin.

Hugh’s gaze again returned to Ally. “I asked Truman’s permission to tell this story. It’s very personal, Alison. I trust you with that.”

“Okay. I won’t mention it.”

“I know.” He took a breath, then two more. “This happened fairly recently, and the sting of it is still fresh. My husband and I have been together for six and a half years. We’ve done a lot in those years, but in all that time, I never explained post-scene drop to him. And there’s a certain irony to that; I’m considered the one who over-processes every little thing. But perhaps it never came up because I dislike speaking about drop when I’m the one experiencing it. And our boyfriend has always had an instinctive grasp of what he needed to do—backed up by a fair amount of internet research, he assures me.

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