Page 19 of Elevator Pitch

“I’m sorry,” we say in unison before laughing awkwardly. I do a zip motion over my lips to give her the floor and she laughs silently.

“I was saying that I want my therapist to know I’m making an effort. I’ve been coming here every Tuesday morning. So, I might see you again.”

“You will. Next week,” I respond eagerly.

She nods. “Have a good day, Greyson. I hope you don’t get in too much trouble for being late.”

“I’ll be fine. I hope you have an even better day. See you around,” I say with a smile.

I shift on my heels, stopping at the counter to order a refill before I head out the door. When I look back on my way out, she waves.

My day is more than good. It may be too early to say that, but I don’t care.

I pull up my notes for the music she mentioned. I open theKiwi MusicAppand add the songs to a new playlist before heading into the office.

Next Tuesday.

10

glasses

Selah

Manhattan, NY | October 3, 2023

I’ve been doingthis whole immersion therapy experiment for the past month, and it’s been challenging. It wasn’t so bad last week, though my handsome neighbor had something to do with that. He wasn’t as annoying as I thought he’d be when he sat down. He was good company and calmed my nerves a lot. I breezed through the rest of my shift here, and the time flew by. I know he said he’d be back again today, but I won’t get my hopes up. He seems like a busy guy, and I can’t expect him to set aside time to sit with me in a cafe just because I have anxiety and it’s a Tuesday.

I’m sure he has better things to do.

I brought him up in therapy again this week. Dr. Garnett was intrigued, to say the least. Everyone keeps making a big deal about this guy. He’s just friendly and very attractive. Correction: he’sthemost attractive man I’ve ever seen in my life, but that doesn’t mean I should pursue him. He’s also my neighbor. Why doesn’t anyone else think it’s a bad idea?

I grab some tea and my headphones to set up my workspacein the cafe for the morning, queuing up a playlist for when my anxiety is high before logging on for the day. I remind myself this is temporary, and I just need to endure a few hours before I can return home. I’ve done this three times before today and can do it again. Eventually, it’ll get easier.

I carefully sip my hot tea and review my agenda for the day. As I sift through my morning to-dos and my music starts to calm me, I check the clock on the screen and consider that a lot can happen in a week. If he needed to bail or reschedule, it’s not like he had my number to give me a heads-up.

Should I have given him my number?

I tell myself it’s okay and that even my therapist would agree that it’s not healthy to get attached to someone to avoid expressing your emotions. I am fully capable of coping on my own and working here without having an anxiety attack, whether my neighbor shows up or not.

Twenty minutes pass and I accept he got busy or forgot. The more I think about it, the more I feel silly for suggesting this man should come and sit with me in the morning when he should be at work. He was already late last week, and I worry that he may have gotten in trouble for it even though he was all nonchalant like he owned the place.

What if he got fired?

What if he lost his job because he sat here with me?

Oh my God.

A shadow looms in front of my table. I peer up slowly, and it’s none other than Greyson. I bite my lip to prevent from grinning like an idiot, but he doesn’t.

“Excuse me, Miss? Are you expecting someone?” he asks.

He has his coffee and donuts just like last time, with a smile that doesn’t waver. Next thing I know, I’m smiling back.

“I am, actually.”

“What a shame. I guess I’ll have to share these donuts with another beautiful neighbor of mine.” He makes a show oflooking around and frowns. “I’m afraid I don’t have any others and your date seems to have stood you up. I think we should save each other the embarrassment and sit together. What do you think?”

We stare each other down and I’m the first to break. His gaze is too intense for whatever is happening right now. I look down and cover my face with my hand.

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