Therapy With My Stepmom — Episode 1: Then Tell Me to Stop

Thursday, seven o'clock, a fire in the hearth, and Cole in the chair across from Riley. He first came to untangle Richard, the man who went cold after the divorce. He kept coming back for her. She holds every secret he has. He holds only one of hers: she carries the scent of rain. Tonight he rolls a small purple heart keychain between his fingers, the one tender gift Richard ever gave him, and Riley gently tells him he is still waiting.

Maybe he is waiting for something else. The session ends, they both rise, and the air between them turns heavy and slow. 'Not you. Not here,' she warns, but her voice already wavers. Episode 1 of Therapy With My Stepmom lingers on that breathless pause as Cole leans closer: 'Then tell me to stop.' She doesn't. Her lips answer his, and a line that should never move simply melts.