Somehow, inexplicably, getting back this absolute tangle of feelings actually helps quiet his down slowly but surely. It gives him something to focus on, first of all, and for a guy who uses work to soothe himself that's an invaluable thing. He gets to start out identifying like pairs, matching up parts of himself that resemble parts of Nate, the places where they align.
As match after match pairs off and straightens out from the rest of the tangle, what it leaves behind seems smaller and less overwhelming. It's easier to focus on the ways that they're on the same page -- fear and affection, loneliness, anxiety and a sizable strand of love, singular for himself, strange and slightly unorthodox though it may be.
Feelings aren't articulated thought, he can't know the context for a lot of it. He can't suddenly read Nate's mind and know his history, or the precise source of his conflict.
But he gets enough to slow himself down a little, take himself off of 2.5 times speed, and it has a new kind of relief layering itself onto the rest. It's accompanied by a slow and quiet exhale, and a clearer, more direct look at Nate than he's given for most of this conversation.
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Somehow, inexplicably, getting back this absolute tangle of feelings actually helps quiet his down slowly but surely. It gives him something to focus on, first of all, and for a guy who uses work to soothe himself that's an invaluable thing. He gets to start out identifying like pairs, matching up parts of himself that resemble parts of Nate, the places where they align.
As match after match pairs off and straightens out from the rest of the tangle, what it leaves behind seems smaller and less overwhelming. It's easier to focus on the ways that they're on the same page -- fear and affection, loneliness, anxiety and a sizable strand of love, singular for himself, strange and slightly unorthodox though it may be.
Feelings aren't articulated thought, he can't know the context for a lot of it. He can't suddenly read Nate's mind and know his history, or the precise source of his conflict.
But he gets enough to slow himself down a little, take himself off of 2.5 times speed, and it has a new kind of relief layering itself onto the rest. It's accompanied by a slow and quiet exhale, and a clearer, more direct look at Nate than he's given for most of this conversation.
Hey, man. Nice to meet you again. )
Dude, you should see a therapist.
( It's funny because-- ah whatever, you get it. )