about you too much to see you lonely.”
“I’m not lonely, Mike. I’m alone. Those are two completely different things.”
“Are they?” Mike asked. “Because I feel like that’s the lie I’ve told myself for years. I’m just trying to save you some alone time. God knows I’ve seen enough of it.”
Ellen walked slowly to the door, turning before leaving. “I’ll think about it.”
Mike nodded as she left, knowing that someday Ellen would thank him.
After rehearsal, Sarah felt inspired. She’d had a good day working on the new piece and unsure of whether it was the secret admirer or the newfound confidence she had after playing Beethoven, she formulated a plan.
As she walked the city street from the auditorium to her downtown apartment, she decided to take a page from the ‘note and purple rose’ handbook and leave a message for Mike Montgomery. Just to let him know someone was interested.
She stepped into the coffee shop full of confidence but suddenly second-guessed herself. Worried that he’d think it was too forward, or worse, that he was in a relationship, she sat at the table by the window and thought through her big idea.
Taking her phone from her pocket, she went back to her Google search. He seemed pretty amazing on paper – just like her mystery man.
She waited until the shop was empty to ask for help with her little plan.
“What can I get started for you today?” asked the young man.
“I have an unusual request,” Sarah began.
“Tell me,” he said with a smile.
“I want to pay for and leave behind a message on a cup for a man that comes here in the morning. Do you work mornings?”
“No, ma’am. I’m usually in the afternoons.”
“There’s a young girl here. Works mornings. College student, long brown hair, brown eyes?”
“Lexi Scott?”
“Yes,” replied Sarah, remembering her name. “Can I leave the cup for her? I think she’ll know who to give it to.”
“Tell me exactly what you want,” he said with a wink. “I’ll make it happen.”
It was yoga night and Ellen thought about Mike’s words of advice as she walked down the street to the familiar studio. She burst through the door and immediately began to look for Penn, secretly hoping they’d have a chance to talk.
Even though she’d turned down his request for her company, she couldn’t get the sound of his voice as he called her Elle out of her head. She wanted the chance to be with him again.
After Mike hinted that maybe she didn’t really know Penn, she began to second-guess her refusal of his romantic advances. Why wouldn’t she try to get to know him? Even if it didn’t turn out to be romantic, she would have a new friend. And Ellen knew that really good friends were hard to find. She liked Penn’s company and at the very least she’d have someone new to hang out with.
When class began and Penn wasn’t to be found, she felt horrible. It was a let down not to see his face, and an even bigger disappointment that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk with him after class. She wanted to explain herself more. She wanted to tell him why she wasn’t ready to date. She wanted to know Penn’s story.
Ellen knew Mike was holding something back when he mentioned meeting Penn, but he wouldn’t elaborate any further, stating that she needed to talk with him herself.
Ellen struggled with the yoga class, unable to focus and clear her mind for the first time in as long as she could remember. As she finished, she wondered if maybe Penn was taking yoga on a new schedule so their paths wouldn’t cross. And then it occurred to her – what if she’d chased him away? What if she never allowed anyone else to love her? Good men like Penn weren’t going to stick around time after time while she casually tossed their affections to the side in the name of her scared and empty heart.
As she left class and walked home in the cold by herself, she was cruelly reminded how solitary the hike was. For the
“I’m not lonely, Mike. I’m alone. Those are two completely different things.”
“Are they?” Mike asked. “Because I feel like that’s the lie I’ve told myself for years. I’m just trying to save you some alone time. God knows I’ve seen enough of it.”
Ellen walked slowly to the door, turning before leaving. “I’ll think about it.”
Mike nodded as she left, knowing that someday Ellen would thank him.
After rehearsal, Sarah felt inspired. She’d had a good day working on the new piece and unsure of whether it was the secret admirer or the newfound confidence she had after playing Beethoven, she formulated a plan.
As she walked the city street from the auditorium to her downtown apartment, she decided to take a page from the ‘note and purple rose’ handbook and leave a message for Mike Montgomery. Just to let him know someone was interested.
She stepped into the coffee shop full of confidence but suddenly second-guessed herself. Worried that he’d think it was too forward, or worse, that he was in a relationship, she sat at the table by the window and thought through her big idea.
Taking her phone from her pocket, she went back to her Google search. He seemed pretty amazing on paper – just like her mystery man.
She waited until the shop was empty to ask for help with her little plan.
“What can I get started for you today?” asked the young man.
“I have an unusual request,” Sarah began.
“Tell me,” he said with a smile.
“I want to pay for and leave behind a message on a cup for a man that comes here in the morning. Do you work mornings?”
“No, ma’am. I’m usually in the afternoons.”
“There’s a young girl here. Works mornings. College student, long brown hair, brown eyes?”
“Lexi Scott?”
“Yes,” replied Sarah, remembering her name. “Can I leave the cup for her? I think she’ll know who to give it to.”
“Tell me exactly what you want,” he said with a wink. “I’ll make it happen.”
It was yoga night and Ellen thought about Mike’s words of advice as she walked down the street to the familiar studio. She burst through the door and immediately began to look for Penn, secretly hoping they’d have a chance to talk.
Even though she’d turned down his request for her company, she couldn’t get the sound of his voice as he called her Elle out of her head. She wanted the chance to be with him again.
After Mike hinted that maybe she didn’t really know Penn, she began to second-guess her refusal of his romantic advances. Why wouldn’t she try to get to know him? Even if it didn’t turn out to be romantic, she would have a new friend. And Ellen knew that really good friends were hard to find. She liked Penn’s company and at the very least she’d have someone new to hang out with.
When class began and Penn wasn’t to be found, she felt horrible. It was a let down not to see his face, and an even bigger disappointment that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk with him after class. She wanted to explain herself more. She wanted to tell him why she wasn’t ready to date. She wanted to know Penn’s story.
Ellen knew Mike was holding something back when he mentioned meeting Penn, but he wouldn’t elaborate any further, stating that she needed to talk with him herself.
Ellen struggled with the yoga class, unable to focus and clear her mind for the first time in as long as she could remember. As she finished, she wondered if maybe Penn was taking yoga on a new schedule so their paths wouldn’t cross. And then it occurred to her – what if she’d chased him away? What if she never allowed anyone else to love her? Good men like Penn weren’t going to stick around time after time while she casually tossed their affections to the side in the name of her scared and empty heart.
As she left class and walked home in the cold by herself, she was cruelly reminded how solitary the hike was. For the
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