Brad was trying really hard not to completely lose his mind.

Was Preston really that bad at handling rejection? Really? What, did this guy think he was God’s gift to men or something?

Brad understood rejection wasn’t fun. But it wasn’t like he wasn’t interested in Preston. Even now, while he was being an asshole, the guy was hot. He was slouching in the chair wearing well-worn jeans and a shirt that was just tight enough that is stretched across his chest, hugging him and showing off his muscles.

He looked like a walking fantasy, in other words.

Brad shook himself. This was not, of all times and places, where he should be thinking about someone like that. Especially a guy who so clearly hated him.

He sighed inwardly. This was going to be difficult, he could tell.

Not that it would take a genius to see that or anything.

Sometimes, when people acted out in class like this, it was because they wanted to see if Brad genuinely cared, or if Brad would just give up on them. A lot of people with anger issues had lost relationships, be it friends, lovers, or family. They wanted to see if this was one person who would stick it out despite the frustrations.

Brad had a feeling that Preston wasn’t one of those people. He was doing this just for the sheer joy of making Brad frustrated as all get-out.

So he wasn’t going to let Preston get to him. Nope. Partially because he had a damn reputation, and he wasn’t going to let himself lose his temper in front of the people he was supposed to be helping control their anger. Partially because he was stubborn and proud, and he wasn’t going to let Preston get the pleasure of watching Brad lose it.

Partially, as well, because dammit, he cared about his career and his potential clients, and wanted the best for them, and he couldn’t help them if he couldn’t show that he could handle whatever they threw at him.

Preston smirked at him, like he knew Brad was struggling and was enjoying watching it.

Brad ground his teeth. No way this guy was going to get the better of him. No way.

The others in the group would’ve had to be blind, and possibly deaf, not to notice the power struggle going on. They all wisely stayed out of it, doing their exercises and mostly just glancing from Preston to Brad or vice versa, as if waiting to see what would happen next.

This was probably like a soap opera to them.

Katie acted as though it was all water off her back. No big deal. When she was leading exercises, she tactfully ignored any of Preston’s little digs— although Brad noticed that Preston wasn’t as bad with her as he was when Brad was leading the exercises.

Trying to follow her example, Brad did his best to conduct his part of class as usual. “We’re going to start with some simple meditation,” he said. “If you can’t blank out your mind, that’s okay. It takes practice, just like anything else. Focus on your breathing, keeping it slow and steady. Inhale for three slow seconds, then exhale for three slow seconds.”

Preston looked like he had plenty of things he wanted to say to that, but was magnanimously choosing not to voice his thoughts.

Brad wondered if right now was a good time to start believing in a higher power and asking that higher power for a little help here, please.

Preston actually did the exercises with minimal complaining. Mostly just rolling his eyes, making little comments under his breath, that kind of thing. At one point, he asked sarcastically if he should be prepared to do trust falls.

Brad almost made him do a damn trust fall just to spite him. But he had a feeling that Preston would somehow be able to tell it was just because of him, and he wasn’t about to give the guy that satisfaction, so he just asked everyone to form a circle and do some basic yoga poses instead.

When it got really bad, though, was when it came to the whole idea of sharing your thoughts.

“I’d like you all to start keeping a journal,” Brad explained. “Whenever you feel angry, I want you to write down how you felt, and what caused it, and why you think that you felt that way. Writing things down can really help you to sort out your thoughts.

“It’s recommended that when you’re angry, to write down everything that you’re thinking before you say anything to anyone. Then you purge out the most hurtful thoughts, and you can compose a better way to talk to the person about the reasons why you’re upset.

“You’ll bring these journals to class so that when we talk about why we might have such anger issues, you’ll have a point of reference.”

Preston scoffed. “Hell no. Do I look like a fourteen-year-old girl? I’m not going to bring in a journal. How do we know that you won’t just take it and read it?”

It screamed trust issues at him. Brad took a deep breath. “Your journals aren’t for me. They’re for you. I won’t be reading them unless you ask me to. They’re so that you can start to understand what sets you off and why.

“Everyone who has anger issues really has another issue deeper down, something that they might not even realize. Any small things that set you off are only because there’s a big thing that you’re not addressing. The journals, and talking about them in class, will help you all to identify that.

“The exercises are only half the process. You need the other half to really, truly be free of the anger that’s been holding you back for so long.”

“Holding us back?” Preston sounded like he was trying not to laugh.

Brad figured that perhaps a little bluntness was in order. His mom had always appreciated bluntness, and Preston seemed similar to her in that way. “Preston, if you’re uncomfortable with the idea of sharing your personal thoughts and experiences, I understand. But you’re going to need to find a way to trust the group and get over that if you want this process to actually work.”

Preston looked a little stunned that he’d been called out. “I’m not sharing anything,” he all but snarled.

Brad reminded himself that people lash out with anger when they feel scared or threatened. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, it was how Preston felt, and that was why he was acting this way. “Okay. How about we start with someone very simple. Can everyone go around and share a short story about a time when they were angry? How they reacted, what made them react that way? There’s no wrong thing to say here. We’re just trying to understand one another.”

One by one, they shared their experiences. Jared talked about when he’d forgotten some coupons at home, and so he’d punched the cereal display at a grocery store. Another person talked about how she’d thrown dishes against the wall when her daughter hadn’t cleaned up after herself again.

When they got to Preston, he looked thoughtful for a moment.

Then he said, “One time, when I was a kid, my father came home really angry. He grabbed a kitchen knife…”

Brad rolled his eyes. “Nice try, Joker; I’ve seen that movie.”

Preston shrugged, as if to say it was worth a shot.

Katie did not help by biting her lip to hold in her laughter. Brad wanted to ask her what the hell she was thinking, letting Preston act out like this, and why she wasn’t at the very least jumping in to help him out a bit. He was going to ask her all about it after class.

“It doesn’t have to be something significant,” Brad prompted. “It can be something small. Maybe something recent?”

“Well, I did get pretty angry the other day, when this one asshole at the grocery store…”

“Very funny.” Brad wasn’t going to let that sentence continue any further. If the class knew that he and Preston had a history—well, aside from outing him, they’d wonder if he was personally compromised, because he and Preston had gotten into a fight prior to Preston joining his class.

And Katie might even ask to have him move to another class, and there wasn’t one nearby. Also, he liked Katie. He’d liked her classes, and he’d liked working with her so far.

Preston shrugged. “I guess I just don’t feel like sharing, Doc. Pity.”

“Sharing is an important part of this process, I’m afraid. You’re always welcome to quit if that doesn’t work for you.”

That was important—letting his students know that they had control. Part of why they were so angry was that they felt out of control, and getting angry made them feel like they had that control back again. Brad wanted them to always know that they were in charge of whether or not they stayed in this class.

Preston folded his arms, and Brad almost had to laugh at the look on his face. The guy was practically pouting like a five year old. “Guess we’re at an impasse, then,” Brad said. “Laura, why don’t you tell us something?”

He wasn’t going to keep indulging Preston and putting up with his moods and apparent need for attention—or need to make Brad annoyed, it was one or the other. Maybe both. But whatever the reason, Brad had other people to help out in this class.

Still, he didn’t like the idea of Preston not getting the help that he needed.

Preston seemed perfectly willing to do the exercises. He rolled his eyes, but he went along with them. It was the sharing and talking about himself where he seemed to be digging his heels in.

He was even listening to the others and not interrupting them. That was a problem Brad had encountered before—where one person wouldn’t respect the others in the group, and would belittle them or talk over them in order to feel in control and establish themselves as “top dog,” so to speak.

Preston, however, wasn’t doing any of that. He really only seemed unhappy when he had to share.

When they paused for a water and bathroom break, Brad looked over at Katie. “What the hell?” he hissed.

“You can’t let difficult clients get to you,” Katie replied. “You have to see the humor in it. If you find the lightheartedness, and if you show how you can stay calm, then they’ll trust what you tell them so that they can be lighthearted and stay calm.”

“I’m not superhuman; the guy’s deliberately pushing my buttons.”

“Well, then pay attention to how Preston is behaving. Everyone is unique, but some people need something a little extra, or different, in order to help them. What could Preston need?”

Brad considered that. “It’s not something we’ve done before, but maybe ... we could offer to complement the group sessions with private sessions for Preston? Maybe he’ll be willing to share with just one person. It’s the sharing that really seems to get him riled up.”

Katie smiled at him, nodding. “Very good. Why don’t you be in charge of that?”

“What?” Oh, no.

Katie shook her head at him playfully. “Nuh-uh, none of that. You’re not always going to have me or someone else there to have your back. You’ll have to handle clients on your own. This will be good for both of you, I think.”

“But I’m not certified yet.”

“Preston will still be in classes with me. You can report to me on how things are going, and I can always swoop in if I have to. Change it up. But you, my baby bird, have to fly the nest at some point, right?”

He hated that she had a point. “Fine,” he sighed.

“I love that you act as though you ultimately had a choice,” Katie laughed.

True. She could have ordered him to do it, and Brad would’ve had no choice, unless he wanted to put in a request to switch groups or something.

Preston would probably laugh in his face or make a sarcastic comment or something. But the more he thought about it, the more Brad thought it might be worth a shot. Preston had been fun and flirty at the grocery store at first. There was a good person underneath all the anger and frustration he was carrying.

Brad wanted to help that person come out. He wanted to help Preston. Anyone who was this defensive and prickly had to be carrying around a lot of pain inside. Brad wanted to help with that.

There was no harm in asking. He’d ask Preston to stay after class and see what happened.

Hopefully, this wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass.