Once it became clear that fear of rejection was at the root of the problem, it didn’t seem like such a big deal after all. So what if he was turned down? He’d finally be able to move on, focus on somebody else. Most important, what if he wasn’t turned down?

He half expected not to find her there. It was a silly thought, he knew her work schedule by heart already. “Listen, uh… Well, I’m sure you get this all the time, but, uh, wouldyouliketogooutsometime?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Would you like to maybe, uh, get a coffee? Or something?”

“Oh!”, she smiled. “Yeah, sure.”

“I meant, like, with me.”

Her smile broadened, “I got that.”

After her shift ended, they had coffee and talked for hours. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to her. It felt like they’d known each other forever, and seemed only natural that she’d invite him over after the coffee house closed.

When his mutilated body washed up next day, the police were unable to identify what animal had attacked him, but dismissed the case as an accident.