At noon, Michael and Isis were scheduled to work on his autobiography in his garden. He was dressed in an orange button up, black trousers, and loafers. Michael tapped his foot on the floor as he patiently waited for them to arrive. Twenty minutes had passed and they still didn't arrive. Isis was always punctual, so it left Michael confused as to why they were late. Perhaps they had gotten lost at the ranch.
Michael decided to head inside to look for them. The hairs on his back stood up when he heard shrills once he stepped in. He quickly walked to the grand living room and saw a screaming Isis with their eyes closed tightly, their hair hanging in their face. They were wearing a black turtleneck tucked into navy jeans and black combat boots. Michael rushed to their side to see what was wrong. He bent down to their level to look at them.
"Isis, what happened?" Michael said, panicky. "Did someone touch you?"
Someone did. It was an employee, Maria. She greeted Isis with a handshake, immediately triggering them. Within seconds, Isis regressed to the night they were abducted. They were in so much distress, they couldn't see or hear anything around them. All they felt was Michael's presence, which made them scream even louder and flail.
Isis' episode had Michael incredibly anxious. He wasn't too sure what to do. More people would've made it worse, so security was not an option. He had to deal with this on his own. Reluctantly, Michael went behind Isis and wrapped his arms around them.
"You're okay, Isis. It's just me." He said in their ear, rubbing their arm.
Isis relaxed in his arms and stopped screaming. His voice brought them back to the present moment. Isis opened their eyes and saw they were in the living room, the employee nowhere in the sight. Isis was shocked when they realized they were in Michael's arms.
Isis took a glance at Michael. For a few moments, they marveled at him. His nicely kept arched eyebrows, rimmed eyes, high cheekbones, faint hints of rose on his cheeks. He rose his hand to smooth their fly away curls off their face.
"Are you okay?" He softly asked.
"You're touching me." Isis quietly responded, confused.
A smile appeared on his face. "I am. You calmed down the second I did."
This was the first time Isis found comfort in someone else's touch. Michael's arms felt safe, which not only confused them but scared them as well.
Isis awkwardly broke their embrace. "Sorry. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you in the garden."
"Are you sure? We can skip today's session." Michael said, concerned.
"There's no need to. I'm fine. I'll be there in a few."
Michael decided to back off and go wait in a sitting area in his garden. He took time to deeply ponder about Isis' episode. An employee touched Isis and sent them into a downward spiral. Michael touched them and suddenly their spiral stopped. That along with Isis being open with him made him wonder what their true feelings for him were. Isis met him at the area and took a seat in front of him.
"No amount of words can express how sorry I am, Isis. I made it very clear to my staff to not touch you, but Maria forgot. She's been fired and I'll hold a meeting with my staff to remind them."
Isis nearly gaped at him. "You didn't have to do that, Michael. I'm just your ghost writer. These are your long time employees."
"You're not just my ghostwriter, Isis. Not to me." Michael said. "Once you decide to open yourself up for love, I'll be first in line. But for now, I'm currently dating Brooke Shields. Could we focus on that for this chapter?"
"Oh?" They responded, taken back. "Not this specific chapter, but I can find a place to put it as our sessions progress. When did you two meet?"
"Back in 1981 at the Oscars. She came across as sweet and full of life. I find comfort in her because of the upbringing she had. She was a child model and actress. We share our experiences and bond over them. The romance we have started recently."
"How recent?" Isis asked, hints of jealousy in their voice.
Michael laughed. "You want the exact date for the book or for yourself?"
They got defensive. "Obviously, the book."
"Three days ago." He stated. "My turn. Do you find yourself wanting what you cannot have, Isis?"
Isis scoffed. "My wants are none of your concern."
"I'll take that as a yes." Michael said, smiling. "Isis, you can't get jealous when you're the one who rejected me. Repeatedly. I offered to take you anywhere in the world and you said no."
"I know what I said and I stand behind it. I am not jealous. What is there to be jealous of? A soon-to-be failed relationship?"
Michael laughed, blown away. "Oh, wow! Dating Brooke is really getting under your skin. You really like me, don't you?"
Isis decided to ignore this question. "Back to the book. What has given you hope that this won't fall apart like the others?"
"I am the first person you've let in since you were abducted. We already acknowledged that, but how you behaved the moment I touched you shows just how much you've let me in. It scares you because you were oblivious you let me in that much. You don't know how or why you are doing it and you're scared because you don't know how far you'll take it. That's why you deny your feelings for me."
Although Isis didn't want to, they were in agreement with his statement. They found comfort in Michael during an episode. If he had been anyone else, his touch would've made it worst. But they relaxed in his arms instead. It was quite evident that he was someone special to them. Isis realized that to a certain degree, they felt something for him.
"Alright, fine. I do feel something for you, Michael. But I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's romantic feelings. I don't have to. All I have to do is write your autobiography."
Isis' confession made Michael smile brightly. "Or let me take you to dinner. A night with me will show you how much you feel for me, no?"
Isis thought that accepting a date would be crossing a very important boundary. Mixing business with pleasure is never a good idea. What if something wrong happens? Would Isis work through it or would they have to quit? It was possible they could get blackballed. It was risky. Way too risky.
But a part of Isis that wanted to say yes. They wanted to learn about their feelings towards him so they could create boundaries to prevent them from growing deeper. Isis reluctantly agreed, hoping that they didn't make the worst mistake in their career.