Iago Incarnate

Perception Becomes Reality, part 5

Monday came around and Dr. Malvagio was in his office, door open, hoping to invite Dr. Cassius to stop in. The latter was tense and awkward lately, and the former was sure that his heavily veiled suggestions of trouble in paradise had infiltrated Michael’s head. As if some bit of divine timing, Michael walked in just as the line “and yes, what a shame, what a shame the poor groom’s bride is a whore” came through the speaker behind Nick’s desk. He gave his colleague a head nod and reached back to turn down the music before gesturing to Michael to have a seat. “Hey, what’s up, man. Day’s just getting started, don’t tell me you’re tired already.” Nick teased in a way that sounded lighthearted and playful.

Dr. Cassius sat and let out a burdened sigh. “I really don’t know…” he trailed off, unsure how to actually reply. “Hey, the advantage to a solid, committed relationship is the ability to drown your stress and anxiety in some wild, freaky sex with someone you’re close to, you know? Go home and lay on the romance, be sweet as hell, and spend the weekend just rearranging Bianca’s insides. Nothing else can need to be tended to more than that. You can vacuum and shit next weekend. Right? Get some wine and put together a good soundtrack and have at it. Make it one of those experiences that resets things and gives you both the chance to channel some deep, dark fantasies and lose yourselves in one another. I’m telling you, you’ll be glad you did.” Michael seemed focused on nothing in particular, just looking at the edge of Nick’s desk as he sat silent a moment. “I can’t even tell you the last time we fooled around, honestly.” Cassius admitted without looking up at Nick.

“All the more reason why.” Nick offered nonchalantly. “Remind her why she fell for you.” he added while leaning forward onto his desk, fully compassionate and clearly out to help, or so it would seem to the dejected doctor across the table from him. “I just…. I dunno, it feels like she’s losing interest in me..” before Michael could continue Nick interjected, shaking his head dismissively. “Are you giving her reason to be interested? You spend so much time here, you’re stressed as shit every time you leave. You’re letting all this consume you. You want to end up the guy with the stellar reputation who goes home to his cat and spends your night jerking off to thoughts of someone else fucking the woman you let go?” It came out almost as a challenge, but that was intentional. Every word Malvagio ever spoke was intentionally chosen like a battle tested strategist.

Cassius stood and nodded. “I hate that you’re always right, asshole. Thanks though, it means a lot having someone I can trust with this stuff.” Nick leaned back in his chair and turned the music back up, giving another nod to his colleague who he seemed to have reeled in almost entirely. Dr. Malvagio didn’t have a patient first thing, so he had some time to get online, using the burner that nobody knew he had to follow Bianca on social media. It wasn’t a catfish game, he had no need to get that involved, neither she nor Michael was worth that much effort. Though the fake account he followed her through always liked her posts, a move that was innocuous enough on the surface, but helped remind her that other men found her interesting without needing to be aggressively trying to flirt. When she began returning the likes to his clickbait photos borrowed from the personal trainer Nick worked with, he knew it was working.

Nick probably would have slept with Bianca, she was charming and attractive, but he had a wife at home who had been programmed to drink the Kool Aid and provide the doctor with anything he might want. Instead, Dr. Malvagio took pride in knowing that when Michael tried to romance his beloved, she was going to jump at the chance. Problem was, she likely was imagining this mysterious online “friend” while she was letting Michael have at her. Each gets what they think they need without ever allowing the other any chance to know it wasn’t truly as they imagined. Perception, as they say, is reality.

All this time to make amends
What do you do when all your enemies are friends?
Now and then I’ll try to bend
Under pressure, wind up snapping in the end