Day 2 (in two moments)

"Hey," I offered in greeting after flipping open my phone when it vibrated on the nightstand. I paused for a moment, waiting for him to tell me why he called and finally asked what was up.

"I'm fine," I replied slowly, a bit confused, when he asked how I was. "How are you?"

"I saw you earlier," he finally stated and I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you drunk?" I guessed. "I know you saw me earlier - we talked."

"Not then," he replied and though I could hear his amusement, I was unable to discern its cause. Moments later, I found myself at the window per his request. Standing before the sliding doors, I peeked around the edge of the sheer drapes, letting the fabric pool on my wrist as I pushed it aside.

"Look down," he ordered and my gaze darted toward the lower floors of the building opposing my own. "Left," he suggested and I finally located him, his curtains shoved aside as he stood in an open doorway.

"Hi," I smiled, feeling my stomach flip pleasantly as I lifted a hand to wave. "I didn't realize we were balcony buddies," I commented when he didn't reply, seeking to put the conversation on more familiar levels.

"You weren't wearing anything," he said, looking up at me as he said it. I blinked, forgetting to breathe and felt myself blush as I frantically tried to think of what to say in response.

*****

"Breathe," I reminded myself, inhaling deeply and pausing before slowly exhaling. The speaker with the time immediately before mine was finishing up and I braced myself against the nervous quivers. It's just 10 minutes, I told myself. You'll get up, climb the stairs to the podium and tell people what's on the slides. Your voice won't shake; you will look confident and intelligent. And even if you don't, it will be over soon.

I remember few details of the actual presentation, mind focused exclusively on the task at hand and not on remembering how often I looked at the audience and how much I moved my hands. (The answer to both of those is likely 'a lot.') I took compliments afterward with modest smiles and hurried to my next meeting after escaping the meeting room.