Oh, thank you! What a wonderfully enthusiastic and thorough comment! Thank you for reading "What It's Like," and thank you for letting me know you did.
When I started the story, I didn't know it was going to end up as the first movie night (watching "A New Hope," no less). I knew Nick was at his limits, that Natalie would insist on understanding, and he was going to let himself tell her (as brave a move, on his side, I think, as staying on hers). Of course the action is very like that "Dark Knight" scene ("Who cares how I did it?"/"You do!"), but as Natalie was not surprised there (merely exasperated), I speculated that it had occurred before.
As soon as they talked it through, Natalie wasn't about to just leave him in any of her capacities -- coworker, doctor, friend -- and the movie-night trope raised its hand and waved.
Re: Movie time!
When I started the story, I didn't know it was going to end up as the first movie night (watching "A New Hope," no less). I knew Nick was at his limits, that Natalie would insist on understanding, and he was going to let himself tell her (as brave a move, on his side, I think, as staying on hers). Of course the action is very like that "Dark Knight" scene ("Who cares how I did it?"/"You do!"), but as Natalie was not surprised there (merely exasperated), I speculated that it had occurred before.
As soon as they talked it through, Natalie wasn't about to just leave him in any of her capacities -- coworker, doctor, friend -- and the movie-night trope raised its hand and waved.
Again, thank you so much for reading!