Comfort in the storm

Comfort in the storm- rough draft v1

The sight of Natalie, trembling and crying, pierces through the armor of my resolve. Before I can even consider my own reaction, my arms are already reaching out, wrapping around her trembling form in an instinctive gesture of comfort. I hold her close, feeling the shudder of her sobs through the connection of our bodies.

Natalie doesn't resist; she clings to me like a lifeline, her words tumbling out in a torrent. There's so much pain and guilt in her voice, like she's drowning in remorse. Her words speak of the tumultuous maelstrom of possessive anger and wild, uncontrollable thoughts that she's been battling. And now, freed from the hypnosis, she's consumed by guilt.

"I understand why Lissy left, .....I didn't expect it to hurt this much, I never meant to care for her, ......letting her in like I did was more for 'damage control' than anything else,..... Its why I set things up the way I did,.... either she would reject the prompt completely then leave or... become harmless, but I really did care for her towards the end,.... in my own twisted way." she chokes out between sobs, "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave too. God, Jasmine, I... I deserve worse."

My heart clenches at her words, but I keep my hold on her firm, offering a stability amidst the storm. I gently shush her, letting her know I'm here, that I'm not going anywhere just yet.

"Natalie," I say softly, her trembling slowly subsiding under the comfort of my embrace. Her eyes meet mine, the vulnerability within them almost unbearable to witness. It's time to bare my soul as well. "I need you to hear me out, okay?"

Natalie nods, the movement small and tentative. The agreement, however faint, gives me the courage to press on.

"While I was in the shower, I... I did a lot of thinking," I start, choosing my words carefully. "I needed to sort things out, to understand what was real and what wasn't. The hypnosis, it... it messed with me, Natalie. It messed with us."

Her eyes flinch slightly, but she doesn't pull away. If anything, she seems to brace herself, ready to hear whatever it is I have to say.

"It amped up everything in me," I confess. "My goals, my ambition, my love for you. It all got cranked up to the max. And in the process, it made me... blind. Oblivious to certain things that I should've noticed."

Natalie starts to protest, but I gently shake my head, interrupting her before she can get the words out.

"No, Natalie, let me finish," I insist. "The thing is... even though the hypnosis influenced me, it didn't invent my feelings. It didn't create my goals or my love for you. Those things... they were always there. They still are. But we need to re-calibrate, okay? We need to find balance, we, not you, not me, us."

Her gaze is uncertain now, a blend of fear, hope, and confusion.

"And, Natalie," I pause, meeting her tear-filled eyes with a soft, reassuring look, "I still love you. Yes, we have a lot to work on, but I... I still want to be with you. You're still my world. The worst of this was the program right? You are responsible but its not all your fault, it came from a place of wanting to help, we can fix things and when Lissy calls us we can do our best to fix things there. Just like we did with Mark. "

There's a long, drawn-out moment of silence, broken only by Natalie's ragged breaths as she digests my words, her eyes still locked with mine, the fear gradually ebbing away