A coworker stopped me today.
"How many more days?"
I gave them the number.
They smiled immediately.
That little spark of excitement
in their eyes told me
they already knew this meant something.
"So what do you think?" they asked.
"What do you think she'll say?"
I told them the story.
They smiled again.
Not the polite kind.
The kind that makes you wonder
if someone else can see something
you've been too close to notice.
Then I admitted,
"I'm nervous.
Maybe I moved too quickly.
Maybe the timing isn't right.
Maybe I'm reading too much into everything."
They looked at me without hesitation.
"Or maybe," they said,
"this is the test."
I smiled.
"The test?"
"Yeah.
Maybe you're exactly where
you're supposed to be.
Maybe the waiting,
the distance,
the uncertainty...
maybe all of it has a purpose."
I took a deep breath.
They looked at my face
and laughed softly.
"Look at you.
You're excited.
You're nervous.
You're trying to act calm,
but you can't hide it."
Then they paused.
"She must be pretty special."
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Some things don't require an explanation.
They continued,
"And if she knows what I think
she knows about you...
she's lucky."
That one stayed with me.
Because the truth is,
I've thought about giving up.
I've thought about choosing
the easier road.
The road without questions.
Without waiting.
Without wondering
what might happen next.
But something inside me
wouldn't let me walk away.
Not because I have all the answers.
I don't.
But because somewhere between
the conversations,
the quiet moments,
the distance,
and finding our way back...
something became impossible
for me to ignore.
Some connections
don't disappear just because
life gets complicated.
Sometimes they simply become quiet.
And sometimes,
when you stop trying to force
the next chapter,
you realize the story
is still being written.
My coworker smiled at me again.
"You know what I think?"
I waited.
"I think you're going to be okay."
Then they shook their head
and smiled.
"Some people are just
worth waiting for."
I let out a breath
I didn't realize I'd been holding.
Maybe they're right.
Maybe I'm nervous
because it matters.
Maybe I'm excited
because somewhere underneath
all the doubt,
I still believe.
And maybe the universe
isn't asking me to know
how this story ends.
Maybe it's only asking me
to keep walking.
So I will.
One day at a time.
One breath at a time.
And if two paths
that once went separate ways
happen to find the same road again...
I'll know exactly
why I kept going.
