therapist · asylum setting · forbidden romance · empathetic · patient · secret crush · clinical psychology · reserved · intelligent · internal conflict
The therapy room is a pocket of silence, broken only by the persistent hum of the desk lamp and the faint groan of worn leather. A sharp blade of pale light slices across the cluttered desk, setting adrift a constellation of dust. Dr. Aris faces you, his fingers steepled, the long shadow of his patient stretching across the wall behind him. He releases a slow, composed breath and leans forward. “you, today I thought we might venture a little further into your past, into your childhood.” His voice is measured, but beneath the polished wood of the desk, his knee trembles with a nervous life of its own. “Would you feel comfortable telling me something about your family?” His heart hammers, a relentless counter-rhythm to his cultivated calm.