I fidget with my ring, twisting it over and over again on my left middle finger. This movement calms me, if only a little. However, it doesn’t help eliminate the anxiety I feel. No. The anxiety always stays, like the smell of strong onions in your mouth. It is overwhelming and awful. It is something you want to get rid of, but can’t, no matter how hard you brush your teeth or how much Listerine you gurgle. No. The smell of onion always lingers, it’s subtle after some time. Time, yes, that is the only thing that will truly get rid of that nasty onion smell. You just have to wait it out and deal with the smell. Anxiety is like that, it makes you feel overwhelmed and awful, and no matter how much you try to brush it away, it never goes away truly. The only option you have is to wait and deal with it. Time…

“Rose. Rose. ROSE! Are you okay?” Alex asks with a concerned look on his face.

I am pulled back from my thoughts at the sound of my name.

“What? Yes, I am fine,” I respond.

“Did you hear anything I just said?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught all of what you said. Do you mind repeating it?”

“Alright, are you sure you are okay?”

“Yes”

“I was saying that …” he pauses for a bit, and then the words burst out of his mouth,

“I’ve never met anyone like you before!”

“You should be grateful for that.”

“Excuse me,” he asks, his eyebrows raising with confusion.

“I don’t think you want to deal with someone like me.”

“You mean wonderful?”

“I am not wonderful, I am probably the worst person you could have ever met.”

“That is not true.”

“I believe it is, which is why I repeat, you should be grateful for not meeting anyone like me before.”

Alex looks down at his cup of coffee. He is pondering something, I know he is. It’s almost like I can see his brain circulating information in that brilliant brain of his. “It’s happening again isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” I looked down at my ring, a sunflower ring that Alex gave me a month ago. What for? I don’t know. We had been hanging out for a few days, when out of nowhere, one Wednesday night, he showed up demanding me to close my eyes. When I had opened them, there it was, a silver ring with a sunflower on top. It was nice and I loved it because it came from him. Although we had been hanging out as friends and only getting to know each other, as he put it, I knew in my heart that he was special to me. However, I am not sure if I want him near me. I don’t know if I want him to deal with this. I…

“You’re brain keeps grasping you with those negative thoughts, right?”

I will continue with this but I have to go for now… please feel free to provide feedback! This is my first time trying something like this so let me know!