Sapphire
Of course.
Me
Please tell me you’re not going to one of those nudist retreats next year.
Sapphire
I’m not. But why do you care?
I can’t handle her line of questioning.
Me
Goodnight, Sapphire.
Like I tend to do, I abruptly end our conversation and then check my schedule for the upcoming week to reluctantly add the retreat to my calendar.
“Shit.” I curse when I realize it clashes with Nathan and Arianna’s wedding this weekend.
Where the heck is my head? It’s lost in a five-foot-zero cloud of chaos—that’s where it is.
I’ve completely gone off the rails.
If I tell her I can’t make it now, all it will do is make her think I’m too chicken to go.
Fuck.
I need to go and tell her in person.
It’s the right thing to do.
Another text appears from her, pulling me into her orbit yet again.
Sapphire
Tell me, Eli, when did you last do something that pushed you outside your comfort zone?
This conversation with you now is, and that feels scarier than any court case I’ve ever faced.
I swallow loudly and trace the edge of the table with my pointer finger, then reply.
Me
I haven’t for a very long time.
I’m ashamed to admit that. I no longer do anything on the fly.
Sapphire
You should try something new this week, push yourself to do something you’ve never done before. If fear knocks, answer it, and step through trembling. That’s where you’ll discover your courage. You need to learn how to mellow out. There’s no time like the present to start.
Me
And what do you suggest?
Sapphire
