The Lift

20

Things were a little awkward at first as David and Preston got used to each other again. The days apart had somehow made David even more physically awkward and unsure of how to touch Preston — he always worried about coming on too strong, especially since she wasn't a very touchy person. But he was really worried about scaring her away now, particularly since last time they saw each other she visibly recoiled away from him.

While walking from the car to the restaurant, for example, without thinking he gently put his hand on her back before not-so-smoothly pulling it back and scratching his head. Preston gave him a funny look but didn't say anything.

Preston found his increased awkwardness very entertaining and started casually brushing up against him as they waited for a table, lightly touching his arm to get his attention and then brushing the side of his head with her forehead to whisper in his ear.

She felt very concerned internally — this was a sort of new side of David. But his visible discomfort helped temper her own worries. Preston could always balance out other people's emotions pretty well. She felt a little bad about leading him on with physical cues, because he eventually started responding more naturally, gaining some confidence.

As they sat in a booth at the restaurant, kicking each other's feet under the table to establish foot space dominance, David remembered some things he needed to update her on.

"So I wanted to text you about this during the week," David began, "but I was trying to respect your space... This weekend I'm throwing a big party to celebrate reaching 10 million subscribers."

"10 million?! Are you joking?" Preston nearly yelled. "Why the hell are we here celebrating me?"

David was clearly trying to downplay it and didn't play along, though he smiled warmly to make her know it was okay. "So the party. You'll come, right? It would mean a lot to me."

Preston could tell he was nervous inviting her; clearly they had some work to do re-establishing their boundaries. She grabbed his hand that was fumbling with his phone. "Hey, I'll be there."

He visibly relaxed and smiled big. Then their food arrived and they ate in a comfortable silence.

Because brunch hadn't been planned, Preston already had late afternoon plans. David begrudgingly drove to drop her off, pleading for her to bail. But Preston wouldn't budge.

On the drive back she brought up the "10 million thing" as David called it.

"So, uh, what day did you hit 10 million?" Preston tried to ask casually.

"Um, a few days after we stopped talking," David said. "I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but I kept hoping you'd find out somehow and then call me." His face had a slight blush, Preston noticed. But maybe that was because just before she'd had her hand on his leg as he drove?

Her hands now sat in her own lap and she looked out the window at the traffic, trying to focus on something else besides David for the rest of the drive.

Preston felt good about the general turn of events for the day but knew she had to tone down the physicality. Getting close to David in that way would mean telling him that all these months she already knew him. Just a couple weeks ago she'd caught herself asking him about a story she only knew because of his social media. She covered at the last second by saying Alex had mentioned it to her.

Her life was turning into a cycle of getting too comfortable with David, trying to carefully reverse it, and somehow ending up closer than before. Was it time to create a true exit strategy? She briefly glanced at David and he gave her a soft, tender smile.

So she shoved that feeling down once more, reveling perhaps a bit too much in the moment.

While Preston pondered her next move and what the day had meant, David was ecstatic about how things had gone. Once he dropped off Preston, he immediately called Jason to brag.

"Guess who I just got done eating with?" David said before Jason could even finish saying hello.

"Your boyfriend Alex?" Jason joked.

"Dude, come on," David said. "Whatever. You're never going to guess anyway." He paused for dramatic effect. "Preston Wakefield."

"Shut up, David. No you didn't," Jason said. "What sort of prank are you trying to pull? She was ready to never see you again."

"No prank," David insisted. "I just dropped her off."

"So you're not going to waste your time, right?" Jason asked.

"Of course not," David said before realizing what Jason said. "Wait, waste time with what?"

"With asking her out dumbass," Jason said. "If you don't make a move, she's going to meet someone else. You lost two weeks due to your drunken incident."

David started feeling flustered just thinking about the memory and tried to get a word in, but Jason kept talking.

"David, you've got an amazing girl in your life, way better than you deserve, and you're still dragging your feet. I know Preston has some issues, but there's never a right time. I'm glad you guys have apparently worked things out, really, but this is your wake up call. At least try and talk to her about your feelings."

"Jason, I know you've got good intentions and you mean the best for both of us," David started and trailed off.

"But?" Jason interjected.

"I need you to trust me. To trust us," David clarified. "We don't need you to be a dad about this. There's a lot more to Preston's broken engagement than even I know. She needs... time. I'm going to do everything I can to respect that. And she's forward enough that she would tell me if there's something I need to know."

"I don't know if I've ever heard you sound so adult," Jason half laughed. "At the very least I trust her. She's a good influence on you. If you're happy with your friendship, then more power to you."

"We are happy," David said, thinking back on the recent brunch. "And I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way."