“So, I don’t want to have to go shopping for your headstone because you’ve got the hots for your downstairs neighbor. Either come up with something way better than that or move on. I get that you’re attracted to this woman, but there’s a shitload of chicks in this town who’d easily give you the time of day without having to jump through hoops. She ain’t worth it.”

“I suppose,” Ruby said, gathering up the remnants of her lunch. She got up and tossed it in a nearby trash can. “I think we better get back to work, or we’re both going to be late.”

“I know. I know,” Doreen said, getting up. “I’ll talk to you later. All right?”

“Okay. See you.”

Ruby watched as Doreen made her way across the courtyard. Ruby appreciated Doreen’s concern, but the woman hadn’t made a dent in Ruby’s resolve. For over a year, Ruby had waited for a plausible reason to interact with Bennett Archer. Every attempt for small talk on the stairs or in the hallway had fallen on deaf ears, but one errant piece of junk mail had finally cracked the ice. Now…how to open the fissure?

***

Ruby woke up Wednesday morning with the same resolve she’d had the day before during her lunch with Doreen, and after making a slight change to her routine, by Friday, Ruby began arriving at the brownstone as Bennett Archer was leaving. Sometimes they would pass in the hallway, and Ruby would flash a smile and say hello, and when they passed on the stairs, Ruby offered a quiet apology for the cramped situation, and each and every time, her words were ignored. So, after a week of trying to get a response from Bennett Archer, Ruby stepped up her efforts just a smidge.

Ruby was locking her mailbox when she heard a door, three floors up, opening and closing. She took a slow, steady breath, and tucking her mail under her arm, Ruby climbed the stairs. After doing this for a week, she knew exactly where she’d pass Bennett Archer, and as the woman started descending the second flight of steps, Ruby found her voice. “Hi. Remember me? I’m your neighbor from the fourth floor. I was wondering if you’d like to go out and grab a drink. It’s Friday, and that’s what Fridays are for—right?”

Bennett Archer’s eyebrows became one. “And why, pray tell, would I want to do that?”

It was an excellent question and one Ruby wasn’t prepared for. “Oh…uh…well,” she said as blood rushed to her cheeks. “Look, it’s like this. Unless my gaydar is broken, you and I have something in common, so I thought, why not get together for a drink and see where it goes? What do you think?”