"I love you too..."

You take a deep breath. Were you really about to confess your love to this girl, who was still under the impression that the emotions she was experiencing weren't entirely her own? But it was too late to change the subject now. It was a yes or no question. Either you tell her that you love her too, or the opportunity is lost, maybe forever.

You curse yourself for not telling her earlier. For not letting her know that these feelings are truly hers. But at the same time, that should only make this decision easier. Because even if she thinks that she's still being manipulated, you know that she's not. That this is real. That this could all be real if you just tell her...

"I love you too."

...

...

...

Silence. For what feels like an eternity, the room is filled with nothing but the sound of your breathing.

Then a raspy inhale breaks the silence. The ragged breathing of someone who's trying to hold back tears. You feel Carliah's body shake behind you as she starts to audibly sob.

You turn around to face her, but she pulls the sheets over her face to hide the tears. "Carliah, I... I'm sorry, I..." you want to apologise to her. To make things right. But you don't know what you did wrong.

"P-Please, don't apologise." she says in between sharp inhales. "I just... I just wish it could be real." she says, struggling to get the words out. "But it's not. None of this is real. You're making me feel this way. And... And when you leave, God knows what will happen to me. How I will feel about this all." she adds, her voice getting louder as anger starts to consume her. "I've never felt this happy before, and it's all. Your. DOING!!"

She pushes you away, trying to crawl out of the bed, but you grab her wrist out of reflex.

"All I did was turn it off!" you tell her angrily. You're not even sure where the anger was coming from. It just... happens. "Everything you're feeling is real. These are your true emotions." you add, but Carliah just yanks herself out of your grip.

"BULLSHIT!! You showed me how you can change my emotions. I saw you do it!" she shouts at you as she stands up next to the bed. She glares at you, giving you a moment to think.

"Grab my phone and check for yourself then. I promise you that's what you'll find. What goes in is what comes out. No changes." you tell her.

With her expression unchanging, she walks over to her desk where you spot your phone. She grabs it and walks over to you. You extend your thumb and the connection is made. Your phone unlocks and the overview screen of Carliah's ECU pops into view.

She keeps the screen tilted away from you, but you know exactly what she's seeing. Slowly watching the anger levels decrease. The sadness levels increase. Emotions flowing back and forth like water in a river. All natural. Unchanged.

She bursts into tears, dropping your phone onto the bed. You move up to her and wrap yourself around her from behind. Keeping her steady as you whisper into her ear that everything's going to be okay.

"I love you too..."