Elias stared at his desk, not sure if he should say the words that were playing through his mind. “What if I screw it up?”
“You will,” Jonnas said easily. “Everyone does. That’s kind of the point.”
Elias looked up. “You’re not helping.”
Jonnas leaned forward. “Listen to me. You’ve spent years playing it safe with your self-imposed rules. You don’t date anyone from work, you don’t take risks, and you avoid complications. And where has that gotten you?”
Elias didn’t answer. He really didn’t have an answer to give. “Take the leap of faith,” Jonnas continued. “Stop borrowing trouble from the future. If she didn’t want to be on the date, she wouldn’t have raised that paddle to bid on you.”
Quiet settled between them. “She said she’d like to see me again,” Elias admitted.
Jonnas grinned. “Then what the hell are you waiting for?” Elias picked up his phone, thumb hovering over her name. His pulse kicked up, just like it had the night before.
“It’s just a leap of faith,” Jonnas added, standing. “You should try it sometime.” Elias smiled despite himself. Yeah, maybe it was time.
He pressed the call button and smiled when he heard her voice on the other end of the call. “Aliza, it’s Elias. How about that date you promised me? Does tonight work for you?” There, it was out there, and all he had to do was hold his breath and wait for her to answer.
Aliza
Aliza had spent the entire day telling herself not to check her phone. She tried to keep herself busy with her studies, but she found herself checking her phone every five minutes. It was a lie to think that she could get through the day without overthinking her date with Elias.
She’d checked it at least a dozen times before noon, pretending she was looking for emails from her advisor or updates from her online class portal. By midafternoon, she stopped pretending and just stared at the screen like it might magically light up if she focused hard enough.
She hated this feeling. The waiting and wondering if he truly meant that he’d call, or if he was just being polite when their date ended. He didn’t have to ask her out on a second date, but he had. Maybe he was just being nice and never planned on following through. The way one dinner had managed to knock her carefully balanced world just slightly off-center was a mystery to her. She’d gone back over every moment of the night in her head—what she’d said, what she hadn’t said, whether she’d laughed too much or talked too little. She’d even overanalyzed the kiss on her cheek, debating whether it had been sweet, cautious, or a sign that he wasn’t actually interested.Maybe he was just a nice guy who was letting her down easily. Of course, she knew that she was being ridiculous. He said he wanted to see her again, but old habits died hard, and overthinking things was her go-to move.
She was curled up on her couch with her laptop open, halfheartedly reading an article she’d already skimmed twice, when her phone finally rang. The unfamiliar spike of adrenaline hit her so fast she nearly dropped it onto the floor.
Aliza checked the screen and saw his name—Elias. Her damn heart stuttered—actually stuttered as she held her breath to answer the call. She let it ring once, just once, before answering, forcing herself to sound as normal as possible. “Hello,” she choked.
“Aliza, it’s Elias.” His voice was warm, steady, and it did something unsettling to her insides. She smiled before she could stop herself.
“Hi,” she said.
“How about that date you promised me?” he continued. “Does tonight work for you?” Tonight worked for her. Hell, her calendar was wide open for months, but telling him that might make her sound eager, and she didn’t want to come off that way.
Aliza knew that she was taking too long to answer, but her first instinct was to panic. She wasn’t dressed. Her apartment was a mess. She hadn’t planned for this. She’d planned for nothing to happen, which was safer. Aliza had effectively convinced herself that Elias was just being a nice guy and didn’t really mean to ask her out on a second date.
Dani’s voice echoed in her head, warning her that dating Elias was complicated. That he was older than her—much older. He was established in his career, and she was still in college, trying to figure out life. But another thought followed right behind it, quieter and braver. He didn’t make her feel small for still not having her life together.
Aliza exhaled slowly, knowing what her answer would be. “Tonight works,” she said. “As long as you don’t mind casual. I’m not auction-level fancy today.”
He laughed softly on the other end of the call. “Casual sounds perfect, actually,” he said. Something warm spread through her chest, easing the last of her nerves.
“Then yes,” she added. “I’d like to go out with you tonight.” They made simple plans—dinner again, somewhere low-key, and he said that he’d be over to pick her up at five, before they ended their call. When she hung up, Aliza stared at her phone for a long moment, stunned by how easy that had been. She hadn’t spiraled, and she didn’t talk herself out of doing something that she wanted to do. She’d just said yes.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately with a text from Dani.
Dani:Did he call?
Aliza laughed as she typed back.
Aliza:Yes. I’m seeing him tonight.
Three dots appeared, disappeared, then reappeared.
Dani:I’m nervous for you. And excited. Mostly nervous.
Aliza:Same.
