Jeremy blinks in surprise, but - "You know me," he insists. "You wouldn't - you -" He holds up their linked hands for emphasis. "You know me," he says more insistently, not to argue against Rich as much as to clear away any self-doubt. "This is just a bad high. Not literally, I mean, but you know there's definitely been times where I've felt- anyway. No. Yeah. You're not as bad off as you think."
He smiles encouragingly at Rich. It starts fake and thin but becomes more genuine as Jeremy convinces himself and studies Rich's expression. "Like if things were really bad, you'd be hearing something and I'd recognize it. But you're not. So you're in a pretty good place, actually."
He chews on his tongue, thinking, and then pulls his hand out of Rich's. "Okay, so, it's a little different from a drug trip? Like, Rich, you're here right now." He holds up his pointer fingers, touching each other and pointing at the ceiling. "In the middle of two places. You can't stay in the middle. So you can either go over here-" He moves a finger to the right.
"And blue pill, I help you try to calm down here in the cafe, focus on everything you can see and feel and try to get you more stable. Or," Jeremy slides his other finger over to the left, "I can bombard you with memories you can't explain and kinda overload your system until you reboot your mind in safe mode.
"So that would be more intense? I don't know which one is right." He drops his hands and offers his palms as if they really had pills. "It's up to you. Calm down or freak the hell out? Both are, um, good."
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He smiles encouragingly at Rich. It starts fake and thin but becomes more genuine as Jeremy convinces himself and studies Rich's expression. "Like if things were really bad, you'd be hearing something and I'd recognize it. But you're not. So you're in a pretty good place, actually."
He chews on his tongue, thinking, and then pulls his hand out of Rich's. "Okay, so, it's a little different from a drug trip? Like, Rich, you're here right now." He holds up his pointer fingers, touching each other and pointing at the ceiling. "In the middle of two places. You can't stay in the middle. So you can either go over here-" He moves a finger to the right.
"And blue pill, I help you try to calm down here in the cafe, focus on everything you can see and feel and try to get you more stable. Or," Jeremy slides his other finger over to the left, "I can bombard you with memories you can't explain and kinda overload your system until you reboot your mind in safe mode.
"So that would be more intense? I don't know which one is right." He drops his hands and offers his palms as if they really had pills. "It's up to you. Calm down or freak the hell out? Both are, um, good."