I felt his body tense up, but it was okay; I was still going to embrace him and give him the warmth he so desperately needed.
His hands remained frozen; probably he had found it difficult to return my hug, but that didn't make me move away from him. He was going through a rough path, and I guess I will have to lead him out of his darkness.
So without further ado, I chose to break the silence. "We are going to do this, and I will get to remember what you want me to know, Gabriel. But before we do that, you need to get rid of those voices. You shouldn't ma-"
"Enough, Jasmine! I no longer hear them; they are gone. Let's get done with the ritual."
". . ."
His voice came with much irritation, as if I had just sprouted something that he greatly disliked.
Sigh. I guess he was not ready to get rid of those voices.
