Ensign Adam Jackson nervously approached the Counselor Troi's office, steeling himself as he lightly knocked against the door.
"Come in," Counselor Troi's distinct voice replied from within.
The door slid open with a hiss, Adam took a calming breath before he took the plunge and entered. Gazing around the interior space, he felt a little more at ease. Decorated in a variety of warm, inviting colours, the room served to give the Counselor's patients a feeling of tranquillity, deliberately separating itself from the typical aesthetics of a Starfleet vessel. The lighting was fairly dim, with the brightest space of the room being the one directly occupied by the Counsellor and a troubled crew member, creating the illusion of the pair being isolated, as though whatever was said would always remain within the small space.
"Ensign Jackson?" Counselor Troi asked, snappsnapping Adam back to reality. "It's okay, just the two of us here."
Adam turned to face the Counselor. He had only ever seen her from afar during his off hours in Ten-Forward, but he was almost taken off guard by seeing her up close. She was dressed in a teal dress that had become a common alternative to a Starfleet uniform for her to wear whilst on duty, something Adam assumed was her way of making her more approachable compared to the other officers. Her legs were encased in matching stockings, her feet clad in equally teal heels. Most embarrassing for Adam was how much of the Counselor's cleavage was placed on display by the dress.
Her facial features were striking, framed by curling dark brunette hair pinned up by a decorative Betazoid barrette, a beauty Adam and other species had come to expect from the Betazoids. She looked up at him with a soothing smile, politely holding her hand out towards the seat opposite her.
"Please, take a seat, ensign," she requested lightly.
"Thank you, Counselor," Adam replied respectfully, stepping across the room to take his seat.
The Counselor let out a melodic chuckle. "Ensign, this is a personal meeting between a patient and his Councilor, you don't need to be so formal. I find it more advantageous if my patients view me as a confidant rather than a superior officer, removing the power dynamic. Please, call me Deanna."
"Oh, I'll keep that in mind... Deanna," Adam smiled, trying to shake off the strange feeling using an officer's first name. "I suppose that would mean you should call me Adam, then?"
Deanna nodded her head. She crossed her legs and interlocked her fingers around her knee. "Now that we've been introduced, why don't you start? What brought you here today?"
Adam looked down, afraid of any judgement she might given him. "Well, it's a bit of a personal matter, I suppose."
"I guessed that," Deanna laughed good naturedly, "that tends to be the draw for my office. You don't need to hold anything back in here, what you say will never be repeated by me."
Despite her comforting urging, Adam still tried to think of a way to explain his situation in a way that wouldn't humiliate him in front of the beautiful Betazoid. "Uhm, well it sort of began during my time at Starfleet Academy. Both of my parents are serving officers, so joining Starfleet was near enough an expectation of me."
"I can understand how that can place a lot of pressure upon you, especially during your formative years," Deanna agreed.
"So I knew going in that I had to excel if I wanted to make them proud," Adam continued, not daring to glance up in case his eyes brushed across Deanna's cleavage, "I threw myself into my studies. Any exam, practical or academic, I completed with flying colours."
Deanna tapped a nail against her data pad. "I saw your files, very impressive. It's quite uncommon for a Starfleet graduate to be fast tracked into an engineering position quite so rapidly."
Adam blushed, rubbing the sleeve of his uniform. "Just good timing. As you can see, it finally landed me a post on the Enterprise-D, my parents were more than happy; exuberant, almost."
Deanna leaned forward slightly, a small look of confusion on her face. "But that sounds like a wonderful thing, your hard work and determination brought you to the flagship of Starfleet."
Adam knew it was now or never, he'd made it so far. "that's sort of my point. I spent so much of my time at the Academy studying and revising that I forgot to... form certain relationships."
Deanna scrutinised Adam closely, wishing he would lift his head up just once. "I'm not sure if I'm following, do you mean you have regrets about not socialising during your time at the Academy?"
"To an extent," Adam felt himself redden upon realizing there was no way around explaining it. "More specifically, because I spent so much time with my head glued to data pads and learning about optimal warp core efficiency, I found myself lacking in the necessary skills required for... approaching the female cadets."
An understanding smile spread across Deanna's face as realization dawned on her. "Ah, you're worried that a lack of experience stemming from your days as a cadet has adversely impacted your ability to copulate."
Adam coughed into his hand. "That would be a fair summary. I'm not even sure if it's worth your time," he stammered and attempted to stand, hoping to forget the entire ordeal.
"Wait," Deanna calmed him, reaching her hand out to clasp his thigh. "I know this might be a little uncomfortable for you, but I can assure that this is a very common thing. I couldn't even begin to count how many similar stories I've heard since becoming a Counselor."
Adam had a feeling she was just trying to spare his feelings, but her hand kept him in place. Even the smallest contact with Deanna fulfilled a number of dreams he had involving her. Suddenly, he froze up, remembering that the woman in front of him was a fully capable empath, capable of understanding the most private thoughts that could pass through his mind. He prayed to whatever god he could think of that she wasn't using her ability at that very moment.
"That doesn't make it any easier," Adam sighed, sensing that he would be relegated to a case study of some kind, "every time I get close to striking up a conversation of some kind I freeze up. Flirting isn't even in the equation."
Deanna stroked his thigh, jolting Adam enough to finally look up at her. "As simplistic as it may sound, all you need is a little courage. If there's a woman that interests you the worst thing that can happen is a rebuff of your advances."
