Page 30 of Shut Up and Score
The app pings.
New message.
GoldenSpiral23.
I open it without hesitation.
GoldenSpiral23: Still thinking about you. Is that normal?
I raise an eyebrow, a smile creeping across my face.
Guess someone’s done pretending he’s too busy now.
I tap back, slow and easy, letting the sarcasm drip from the words I type.
Me: Thought you had “stuff” tonight?
Three dots appear. Then vanish. Then reappear again. I toss my phone onto my chest, waiting. Because whatever hesays next? He’s already playing my game now. And I'm in the mood for a distraction.
I smirk, already half-expecting some bullshit excuse. Something cocky to deflect.
But then the message comes across.
GoldenSpiral23: Yeah… I lied.
Didn’t have plans. I just chickened out. Not great at this.
I’m… shy, I guess.
I blink. Huh. Wasn’t expecting that. I sit up a little, phone resting in my palm, rereading the message. He could’ve kept the game going. Played it off. Deflected.
Instead, he gave me…that?
A confession. Small. Honest. Unnecessary. It’s either calculated as hell—or real.
Either way, it gets under my skin. And it definitely gets my attention. I grin slowly and start typing.
Me: Shy, huh? That why you were so cocky earlier? Overcompensating? *side eye emoji*
I watch the screen. Wait for the dots. Because now I want to see what happens when I press. And pressing is what I do best.
A pause.
Then the dots return.
GoldenSpiral23: Maybe. Or maybe I’m just better at talking dirty than making the first move.
Oh?
I shift slightly, heat curling low in my stomach.
Me: Sounds like someone wants to be told what to do.
GoldenSpiral23: Depends. You offering?
God, he’s fun.
Bold in all the wrong ways. Careful, but cracking. And the more he opens up, the more I want topull.So I push.
