Page 76 of Bad Words

I read closely. It’s one of my favorite New Year’s activiitesd1.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Sent: Dec 31, 9:21 PM

Re: Kavan Retrospective

Oops.

Counterpoint: Who emails at a party? What are you doing?

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Sent: Dec 31, 9:22 PM

Re: Kavan Retrospective

I’m helping a poor, downtrodden man in his hour of need. Really, you should be praising my selflessness.

I paused in my typing. When I lifted my head, I surfaced into the laughter and the 00s Party playlist and the huge, snow-littered windows of Jacob and Cassie’s loft. But for five minutes I’d been somewhere else, that dark, quiet place I tipped into during these conversations.

I pictured Parker sitting alone in a silent apartment and felt something brush the edge of my stomach.

My fingertips had warmed from the sake. Before I could overthink it, I wrote, The party is actually in Greenpoint. If your hour of need is really extreme, feel free to come. My friends’ names are Jacob and Cassie. They invite around fifty people, so you wouldn’t be imposing. Then I attached the party flyer Cassie had spent a not-insignificant amount of time making in Canva.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Sent: Dec 31, 9:23 PM

Re: Kavan Retrospective

Really?

I’d come.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Sent: Dec 31, 9:24 PM

Re: Kavan Retrospective

Text 612.555.8739 when you get here.

Either he left immediately or he was Jacob’s next-door neighbor, because not even fifteen minutes had passed when I got a text from an unsaved number. Hey, it’s Parker. I’m downstairs.

I reread the string of numbers a few times, disconcerted. Had this been a mistake? Parker Navarro was texting me. He had access to my life. Here he was, listed beside Jacob and Cassie and my cousins.

I didn’t know why this felt so distinct from email.

I drained the last of my sake and buzzed him up. Standing by the door, I put my phone away, took the phone back out, began to save Parker’s number, hit Cancel, and put the phone away again. Yes. This had been a mistake. What floor was he on? Maybe I could head him off.