~* Bad decisions make great stories *~
A Harry Styles dark romance that explores the intricacies of mental health, morality and sexual attraction. Enter a world of sin, opulence and crime.
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It started and ended with the wind.
She was a hurrican...
Spoiler Warning for 'The Gathering Storm' Book 12 of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
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Cognitive dissonance; a psychological phenomenon that occurs when a person experiences an internal moral or philosophical contradiction.
In other words - Harry is messing with my head. How is it fair that the person - well, one of them anyway - that has hurt and upset me, is also the one I want to run to for comfort? It's not hard to see that we share a connection that goes well beyond what is normal. Trauma bonding, looming external threats and a host of complex social and political forces bind us together in ways that are almost impossible to escape.
But he makes me feel weak. Just being in the same room is too much temptation. Which is why I was forced to put the physical barrier of a door between us. I'd been seconds from folding and, once again, allowing Harry's dominating presence to overwhelm my sensibilities - his touch is addictive and makes me forget my hurt and anger.
Besides, it's easier to misdirect my displeasure towards Harry, than to focus on the fact that I let Logan trick me into friendship. Was any of it real? Memories flood my brain and blood rushes in my ears as my vision blurs for a split second; I dimly register a repetitive thumping noise but a wave of dizzyness steals all my attention.
I can feel a disconnect starting so, with trembling hands, I desperately search the drawers and cupboards for something sharp enough to ground me back in reality - I know this feeling.I hate this feeling.
My frantic movements are suddenly halted by large, warm hands that envelop my own in a firm grasp. I blink through the haze clouding my eyes and come face to face with a very concerned-looking Harry. How did he get in here? I could have sworn I locked the door. "It's ok, just breathe for me, yeah?" This is all unsettlingly familiar.
Strong arms wrap around my shaking body and the solid tiles beneath me fall away. My muscles instantly tense and I reflexively throw my arms around Harry's neck for support, even though deep down I know he'd never let me fall.
I pay little attention to where we're going until the soft cushions of a lounge chair replace Harry's embrace. My eyes snap open in panic and I'm not proud of the distressed whimper that escapes my throat at the thought of him leaving me. Weak.
"I'll be right back, I promise." His low, accented voice is strained and holds a hint of something I can't quite identify. I relax fractionally, but keep a close watch as he makes his way over to one of the large bookshelves on the opposite wall. He moves with precision and purpose as he plucks a large book from amongst its literary peers. I can't help but track his every move - curiosity over-taking every other emotion currently wreaking havoc on my nervous system.
