Eclipsed Dreams

Chapter 6

"It's okay, you know," Evelyn said quietly, her voice a soothing balm on his frayed nerves. "It's okay to hurt, it's okay to be scared. It's normal."

She paused, a gentle smile on her lips. "And it's okay to let someone in. It doesn't make you weak, it doesn't make you vulnerable. It makes you human."

Sebastian's breath hitched, his chest feeling tighter than it had before. The words clawed at his defenses, threatened to tear them down, expose the raw, fragile part of him that craved connection.

But the fear, the deeply ingrained fear of being hurt, of being left behind, was too strong, too potent.

"I can't," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can't... can't let myself..."

Evelyn's heart ached for him, for the fear that was holding him captive. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, to show him that it was safe, that he was safe.

But she knew she couldn't force his walls down, not without making him feel more trapped than he already was. So she settled for speaking, letting her words be a lifeline, hoping he would take it.

"You don't have to let go all at once," she assured him, her voice a soft murmur. "You don't have to expose everything right now. Little by little, step by step."

Sebastian ran a trembling hand through his hair, his breathing uneven. Her words cut through the fog in his mind, bringing a flicker of clarity.

It was true, he didn't have to let himself be vulnerable all at once. He didn't have to lay bare all his raw, painful feelings in one go. He could take his time, let the walls down bit by bit, step by step.

But the fear was still there, the deep, gripping fear of opening himself up, of giving someone the power to hurt him.

"What if..." he began, his voice catching in his throat. "What if I let myself feel and..."

He trailed off, his eyes meeting hers. The unsaid words hung in the air, the unspoken fear they both knew he was referring to.

What if he let himself feel and got hurt? What if he let someone in and got abandoned?

Evelyn understood the unvoiced fear, knew it was the core of his resistance. Her heart ached for him, for the pain he was carrying.

She reached out, her hand gently covering his shaking one, her touch a soothing anchor in the storm of his emotions. "What if you let yourself feel..." she echoed, her voice quiet yet firm, "and you find happiness? Find love? What if you let someone in," her fingers curled around his, "and they stay?"

Sebastian's breath hitched, the touch of her hand, so simple, so innocuous, was like a jolt of electricity through his veins. Her words, so gentle, so full of hope, echoed in his mind, clashing against the harsh, scathing words of his own thoughts.

He wanted to believe her, he desperately wanted to believe that letting someone in would lead to happiness, love, connection.

But the bitter voice in his head, the voice of fear and past disappointments, wouldn't quiet.

"You can't promise that," he rasped, his voice trembling. "You can't promise that if I let someone in, they'll stay."

He withdrew his hand from hers, running both hands through his hair, his thoughts tumultuous, chaotic.

Evelyn sighed, a soft, sad sound that filled the room between them. "No, I can't promise that," she admitted, her voice sincere. "I can't promise that every person you let in will stay."

She paused, her gaze roaming his face, her eyes filled with a quiet understanding. "But is that a reason to never let anyone in at all?"

Sebastian's breath hitched, her words hitting closer to home than he wanted to admit. He hated the vulnerability in his chest, the aching feeling that her words stirred up.