Page 13 of Sexting the Pakhan

I smile.

Karina sees me smiling and looks offended on principle. “What now?”

“He asked how much you pressured me.”

She clutches her chest. “Heasked? So we’re assigning pronouns now?”

I hesitate.

She catches it immediately. “Oh my God,” she says. “You think it’s a man too.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You thought it.”

“I just think…” I stop and glance back at the screen. “I don’t know. The tone feels masculine.”

Karina beams like she’s won something. “Exactly.”

“But we could both be wrong.”

“We could,” she agrees. “But we’re probably not.”

I type back:Enough that I can blame her if this goes horribly.

Unknown Number:That’s generous of her. Most people refuse to take full responsibility for their bad ideas.

I laugh again, quieter this time.

Karina reaches across the table. “Hand it over. I need to evaluate.”

“No.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m preserving the only shred of mystery left in this situation.”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re into the mystery.”

“I amnotinto the mystery.”

“You are one hundred percent into the mystery.”

I open my mouth to deny it, then close it again because unfortunately that feels a little too close to the truth.

Maybe I am. Not in some huge way. Not enough to be stupid about it. But there’s something weirdly thrilling about talking to someone who exists only in sentences. No face, no assumptions, no immediate disappointment. Just language. Timing. Humor.

I tap out another reply:If this becomes a cautionary tale, I plan to tell it in a way that makes me look unfairly sympathetic.

Unknown Number:That seems reasonable. I’d do the same.

Karina watches my face carefully, then reaches for her drink. “I’m telling you right now, if this turns into a grand love story, I expect full credit.”

“Grand love story,” I repeat flatly. “We’ve exchanged, like, eight texts.”

“Some of us recognize narrative momentum.”

“Some of us need hobbies.”