Page 148 of Smoke and Fire
That isn’t what happened here with Dahlia, though. Not really. In the video, she’d asked a question, then given an update. But I couldn’t help but wonder why she sent the video. Maybe she did videos for everybody.
I shook my head and sent a text reply. Videos just weren’t my thing.
Bastian:We have reception at the fire camp.
I held my breath as I wracked my brain to think of what to say next. First, I should answer her questions. But should I thank her for the video? It seemed . . . awkward to not mention that she’d gone out of her way—
A reply stole my thought.
Dahlia:GIF
I blinked three times before I burst out laughing.
She’d sent a GIF of a half-naked man wearing a lei, dancing half naked around a big fire. The words PARTY STARTED flashed in bright letters. It was over the top ridiculous and I couldn’t imagine anyone else sending it but her. Such a gutsy move deserved an equivalent response.
Butwhat?
My teeth worried my bottom lip as I obsessed over what to say next. Dahlia had such a natural ease about her. She struck me as the kind of person that could talk to anybody. How was I supposed to respond and keep up that kind of energy? I just wasn’t that guy.
Apparently, I was a classic overthinker.
Finally, I settled on the only response I could think of.
Bastian:My thoughts exactly.
Only moments passed before I had a return message. I straightened up.
Dahlia:How does the fire look up there?
Bastian:Not out of control yet.
Dahlia:I’ll translate that to “good” and pretend you didn’t say it like it will be out of control later. Or soon. #givemesomethinghere
I blinked. Was she scared of this fire? I hadn’t considered that.
Bastian:You’re still safe.
Dahlia:Now we’re getting somewhere. By the way, I might have answered my own question earlier. I snooped through the sent mail and found old emails you replied to. They helped.
I tutted under my breath. Smart woman.
Bastian:You’re quick.
Dahlia:GIF
A road-runner GIF buzzed through my screen, leaving a dirty cloud in its wake. A second reply followed.
Dahlia:#justyouwait
The hint of flirting made my stomach seize. Time to take a different tactic. Not that I didn’twantto flirt with Dahlia. I did. That alone seemed problematic, but I couldn’t define why. It had been months since my last date, and even that had been obligatory. A girl that Dagny set me up with.
The problem? I just . . . I didn’t know how to flirt in person. How to be bright and spontaneous and happy with other people. The absurdity of being a romance author struck me yet again. I could so clearly create a flirtatious exchange on paper because of the power of time, thought, and a delete button. Real life?
Not so much.
Trying to figure out how to flirt over text message without sounding like a creep, and also being this bone-tired, would be idiotic. I’d hate myself for saying something really stupid later.
Better to stick with who I was.
