James allowed himself to be wrapped into the bubble of Ambriel's presence. His aura was warm, his voice soothing, his smell familiar. And yet, this was all so strange and foreign. James didn't know how to respond. He didn't know what he wanted or how to proceed. He wanted to believe Ambriel at his word because it was spoken, simple as that. But he couldn't. Something stopped him. Something blocked him.
He was a short wire, not quite reaching the outlet to plug in and feel. The electrical current was there, but James lacked the capacity for connecting to the surge. It was bizarre to know that emotions like these existed out there and be unable to fully embrace them. This inward look at himself, this realization, it made James see that he lacked. James hated lacking.
Pushing Ambriel firmly by the shoulders, James shoved him back. "No. They can't. Go back to your chapel and pray you don't go to hell for touching me."