speculating on what kind of person Jonas Kant might be. His father was a heartless, money grabbing monster. Was it really possible that Jonas was unaffected by all of that?
She told herself that she had no right to judge the son based on the sins of the father, but it was still all just a little bit too convenient. She put Daniel away, and then Jonas just happened to show up? Even she was suspicious of those circumstances.
She gazed at her degrees proudly displayed on the wall where Kant’s had once hung. She had done her best to erase any and all influence he might have had on the space, even going so far as to bring in a crew to re-paint the walls. They’d gone from a brooding, deep gray color to a soft, mint green hue. Green was her favorite color, and this particular mint went a long way towards calming her when she thought she might be losing her mind.
Glancing down at the surface of her desk, Genny’s eyes fell on a framed picture of her, Owen and Eddie from the party the day they’d won their case. She was seated on her lover’s lap upon the couch in her old apartment, her arms wrapped around Eddie, who was lounging besides them. Just two months ago, they’d been so happy.
Now, they had to face the real word – the repercussions they should have known were coming.
At two on the dot, a firm knock came on her door and Genny straightened in her chair, her chest tightening. Taking a deep breath, she invited the visitor to enter. Stella opened the door, poking her face in with a carefully neutral expression. “Doctor Thomas, your two o’clock is here.”
When Genny nodded, the redhead let the door swing open to reveal the tall, thin form of Jonas Kant.
The young man really was the spitting image of his father. He had Daniel’s watery gray eyes, his weak nose and his sharp jaw. Unlike his father, however, Jonas didn’t carry himself with any sort of self-assurance whatsoever. He slumped to hide his height, his dark hair was unkempt, and the clothes he wore had several stains on them.
He didn’t look like a man hell bent on strangling the life out of her. In fact, he looked almost as nervous as she was.
“Thank you, Stella.” Genevieve dismissed her friend with a nod of her head before gesturing to the armchair before her desk. “Please, Mr. Kant, have a seat.” When Stella closed the door behind them with a hollow sort of finality, Jonas stared at the chair as though it might lurch forward and bite him.
Genny could have sworn he was trembling. “Mr. Kant?” She inquired again, carefully. “Please, sit down.”
“I know what you think.” Jonas’ voice was high and nervous, startling her somewhat when he spoke. He stared down at the carpet, twisting his fingers together anxiously. “You think I’m just like my father. I know you do.”
His words were like a punch in the gut. Genevieve swallowed thickly, trying to force herself to breathe. She knew his statement should have sounded like an accusation, but instead, it came out like the frightened whine of a child.
“Mr. Kant,” She began slowly, drawing on her reserves of knowledge to try and calm him down, “I don’t-”
“It’s Jonas!” He shot back almost immediately, suddenly raising his head to meet her gaze. When he did, the terror there took Genny’s breath away. She had completely misread how scared he was. Jonas was about ten times as frightened as she was, if his body language was any indicator. “My name is Jonas!”
And he certainly didn’t seem to like being referred to by his surname. “Alright. Jonas.” She re-addressed him in his preferred method. “Please, calm down. We haven’t properly met, so how can I make any assumptions about you?”
“You think I’m like him .” The young man was very clearly disturbed. It looked like he would rather be anywhere at that particular moment than in her office. “Everyone thinks I’m like him, but I’m not .” Leaning against the closed door, Jonas slid down slowly