Member-only story
2 Seconds of Courage: A Call That Changed Everything (or did it?)
They say your whole life can change in a single moment; sometimes, it takes two seconds of courage. I didn’t believe it until today. Working the graveyard shift at a supermarket isn’t exactly glamorous. The hours are long, the warehouse is dimly lit, and the faint murmurs of the radio echo through the aisles of endless choice. My body was there, but my mind was somewhere else. Somewhere better. Somewhere filled with thoughts of her.
For days, she occupied my mind. Every spare moment — even some that weren’t spare — was filled with thoughts of her smile, her laugh, and how she said my name. I could feel myself shutting out the world around me, disregarding life's endless possibilities. All my focus and energy was drawn to one singular point: her.
But why couldn’t I pick up the phone and say that to her? Why did my courage falter every time my thumb hovered over her contact? Instead, I hid behind mundane texts about anything and everything that wasn’t my feelings.
I’d convinced myself of every excuse. “What if she doesn’t feel the same?” “What if I ruin everything?” “What if she laughs, or worse, doesn’t respond?” The possibilities paralyzed me. Each excuse built a wall higher than the last, and soon, I felt trapped behind a fortress of my own making.
