"Caze, you'll be fine. You've been preparing for this presentation for the past month. I promise you know what you're doing."
    Casey twirled their fingers together nervously and fidgeted with them. They knew, in theory, that their girlfriend was right. But they were still so damn nervous. Casey even convinced Madison to come with them to work and give them a pep talk beforehand. They were convinced that would work, but a simple pick-me-up didn't make Casey any more confident.
    "I know, but -- what if it doesn't go well? And what if they don't take our proposal, and I--"
    Madison put her hands on Casey and gripped them tightly. "Caze. I promise. I know you. You are one of the most confident people I know. Besides, the people at this job love you! You think they would throw you away because of one bad presentation?"
    "Y-you think I'm going to do badly?" Casey's face paled as they filtered out everything except the last sentence.
    Madison put her head in one hand. "N-no, that's not what I-- okay." Madison's eyes became more determined as she looked at her partner with a tinge of irritation. "Listen. I want you to be confident for me. Go up there, give your presentation, and if you get nervous or think you're doing poorly, just think about how proud I am of you. No matter what happens."
    Casey's eyes watered a bit. A lot. "You are?"
    "Yes! And your boss is so proud of you too. I talked to him outside."
    Madison was hoping that would convince Casey to go up there with confidence, but it didn't. Clearly there was only one last option. "Fine. I have one more idea. Caze, look into my eyes."
    Casey was going to ask more questions, but they did as they were told. They loved it when their girlfriend took the lead on things -- but they couldn't let themself get too worked up now. "I want you to follow my eyes as they move left and right." With Madison's head in place, her eyes went left and right. Casey's eyes followed them obediently. "When my eyes go down, you're going to drop into a trance for me. Understood?"
    "Yeah, Madison," Casey said sleepily.
    Madison's pupils went down, and Casey dropped. "Good," Madison whispered into Casey's ear.
    "Feel yourself dropping deeper as you take my suggestions in. I want you to go up on stage, back straight, head up, with confidence surrounding you. Every time you get even an ounce of insecurity or panic, you will immediately feel it drifting away into thin air. Feel yourself understanding my words -- you are going to be confident and strong as you give an amazing presentation. Understood?"
    "Yeah, Madison," Casey responded.
    "So when I bring you up, you're going to go out there, talk for your fifteen minutes, and think about me afterwards. And the incredible reward I'm going to give you." Casey giggled as she 'thought' of what the 'reward' could possibly be. "No matter what happens, you're going to be confident and strong. Confident and strong. Confident and strong. Repeat it."
    "Confident and strong," Casey murmured. "Confident and strong."
    "Just like that," Madison smiled. "Now, I'm going to bring you back up, and you're going to go up on stage like I'm telling you to. As you feel insecure, remember: you are confident and strong."
    "Confident and strong."
    "Exactly. Now, let's bring you back up..."
    Casey barely remembered the next fifteen to twenty minutes, but they remembered parts of it. The audience laughing, the standing applause they received, and thinking in the back of their mind about the reward they were going to get. And the promotion they may get, as well.
    As they walked off the stage, applause following them, they collapsed into their girlfriend's arms.
    "Confident and strong?" Madison asked.
    "Confident and strong," Casey confirmed, the tiredness seeping into their voice.
    "Good," Madison cooed. "Let's get you home early, babe. I know you've been wanting to try that new toy I got..."