Page 13 of Bad Enough

APRIL 12TH

TB

Come on. Where are you? In two minutes, I’ll have to log out because you’re not showing up.

The arrangement they had made for their computer chats was that they logged in at ten p.m. If one of them didn’t show up by ten minutes after, they wouldn’t be available that night. That way, neither of them was waiting and wondering. She was always here when he logged in. He assumed that was because she was on her computer most of the day writing. Today was the first time he had been first online.

TB was known for his unfailing people-reading skills. It was what made him a superior interrogator.

Correction. Information Specialist. What a nice way to title someone whose specialty was torture techniques.

Had he read her wrong? It wasn’t impossible, as no one was perfect. But he’d been so certain. Had he gone too far, too fast last night? Had he scared her away?

All day today, he’d found himself consciously willing time to pass so that he could get home to talk to her. He knew they were both already emotionally invested at some level. Him? He’d be… uncomfortable… when it was over. He was used to people leaving, even when it was unavoidable. But her? She was going to get hurt in the end, and the truth was, he didn’t know how to avoid it.

He grunted. Since when did he care if someone got hurt?

Since Waters fell in love with Kubrick, that’s when. You went from total bastard to total pussy with the first swear word that came out of her mouth. Each and every member of the team is a little in love with her, too. Jealousy sucks.

The computer dinged, and in the upper left corner of the chat box, a flame avatar appeared.

LOBO: Good evening, little Flame. Thought I was going to get stood up tonight.

LOBO: Did your writing go better today? Was I suitably inspiring?

FLAME: Sorry. Time got away from me.

FLAME: Yes… and no.

LOBO: Yes, your writing went better today, and no I wasn’t inspiring?

LOBO: I’m going to have to try harder.

FLAME: You certainly gave me a lot to think about.

LOBO: Ah. So I distracted you.

FLAME: Yes. I spent a lot of time staring off into space.

FLAME: I sat at my computer for seventeen hours. Only managed six pages.

LOBO: You’ve been sitting at your computer since five o’clock this morning?

LOBO: We got offline before eleven. Even if you went to sleep right away, that’s not enough rest.

LOBO: You should have been more relaxed after we chatted. I failed you last night.

FLAME: I couldn’t shut my mind off.

LOBO: Tell me why.

The screen remained blank.

LOBO: You can tell me anything, princess. That’s the beauty of online chat. Anonymity.

FLAME: This is kind of personal.

FLAME: Embarrassing, actually.

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