I want to shoo her away, but then she shocks me when she places her palm against my back and rubs in a circular pattern. The motion is comforting rather than aggravating, which worries me. Being near each other is one thing, but touching? Completely inappropriate and unprofessional, but I can’t find it in me to get up and move. Instead, I sit there, still as a statue, while Ellie tries to soothe me, a man who doesn’t deserve an ounce of her sympathy or compassion.
