That requires confidence I don’t currently possess.
King:
Confidence is mostly performance anyway. Half the time, people are just bluffing and hoping no one calls them on it.
Ivy:
You make it sound very doable.
King:
That’s because it is. Also—and this is important—the other person is probably way less focused on it than you are.
Ivy:
You really think so?
King:
Absolutely. Most people are too busy worrying about their own embarrassment to dwell on yours.
Another pause.
Ivy:
Hypothetically… what if the other person seemed veryunembarrassed?
I laugh under my breath.
King:
Then congratulations. You’ve met someone who’s either very confident or completely shameless.
Ivy:
That’s not comforting.
King:
It should be. It means the awkwardness is optional.
She sends a thinking emoji.
Ivy:
So your professional advice is: joke lightly, don’t overthink it, and resist the urge to flee the continent?
King:
Correct. Argentina is Plan B.
Ivy:
Good to know. I’ll keep my passport handy—just in case.
I lean back, smiling at my phone.
Then—
