Breathe in. Wait several seconds. Breathe out.

That was one of the few techniques from therapy that helped, calming her down regardless of how bad things could get in life. And she needed such a tactic now, facing a very special door to a very special someone's place. Being a short gnome in a human populated metropolis was already an ever-present challenge, but in classic Amelia fashion, she just had to develop a huge crush on her neighbor, Stewart.

First meeting him when she first moved into the apartment complex, Amelia had struck up a friendship with the nerdy human, running into him often whenever she left to get groceries or work her mind-numbing job as an assistant in a banking firm. Aside from his awkward stutters and stammers, the main thing that captivated Amelia about Stewart was his respectful treatment of her. Make no mistake, gnomes were hated in this city, seen as subhuman and not worthy of time or respect. Amelia honestly believed, as she so eloquently described to her therapist, that “none of these lanky fucks will ever give a damn about me”, yet Stewart stood in stark defiance of her assumptions―without even trying.

Enough positive conversations and invitations to hang out in his apartment caused the gnome tomboy to reluctantly develop feelings for him, and also lead Amelia to where she stood now, outside his door, a shaking fist about to knock on the door to set her plan into motion. She would confess her feelings to Stewart, and maybe convince him to give her a chance.

"Well, 'ere goes nothing."

Even though she was as focused as she could be, self-doubt began to creep in. Was she unsuitable for him? Will he support her feelings, no matter how optimistic they were? Wasn't her heart broken enough in one lifetime?

The doorbell rings.

"I'm on my way!"

His voice sounded as skinny and weak as he did. Stewart's uneasy smile greeted her as he hesitantly opened the door, looking surprised and pleased that she had decided to come visit.