Cycle I: Coming on Strong
The Hidden Voice
The Nerve · 03 (v2.00)
THE HOUSE OF ZAN — Zan

“I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.”
— You’ve Got Mail

A future is easiest to write before the other person gets any lines.
One good exchange suggests compatibility.
That opens possibility.
Soon a shared life exists in one mind without anyone agreeing to it.
It rarely feels like fantasy while nothing has contradicted it.
Potential sounds more reasonable.
The imagined version has an unfair advantage.
It knows the part.
Wants the correct things.
Reaches the ending on cue.
The actual person brings needs that were not in the script.
They disagree.
Move slowly.
Choose a different role.
Disappointment may arrive without betrayal.
Reality only has to differ.
Then somebody can feel hurt by a promise nobody made.
They may still be there.
What disappears is the future they had already been made to carry.