Page 75 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

CastGamer55:Married with a dozen kids? Or in your 70s? Please tell me you’re not a teenager, at least.

SawyerRox4:Oh. I’m 28. Single, obviously

CastGamer55:Why obviously?

If I truly answered that question, he’d just be dismissive like everyone else and say it’s all in my head.

And I didn’t want him to be dismissive. Because … maybe there was something between us. Or there could be in the future. He wasn’t old enough to be my father, after all. Not that I’d ever really believed that.

SawyerRox4:I don’t know. So hey, we supposedly have a blizzard coming tomorrow, so there’s always a chance I won’t get online tomorrow night. I can still work on the game design stuff though. Just so you know

Was that weird? I didn’t need to report my whereabouts or forewarn him that I might not be here to chat, so … I don’t know why I did.

Or maybe I did.

After a long pause, he continued the conversation.

CastGamer55:We have a blizzard warning here too. Curious, where are you at? I heard Minnesota was going to have the worst of it.

SawyerRox4:Oh, are we really doing that?

CastGamer55:?

SawyerRox4:More personal details?

SawyerRox4:OK, fine. I’m in southern Minnesota. Rural, less than two hours southwest of the Twin Cities

CastGamer55:Wow, I’m kind of in that region too.

My heart started pounding in my chest.

He … he lived near me?

I didn’t know if my sudden perspiration was excitement or anxiety about this prospect, but I kicked off the blanket and tried to calm my shaking hands to type a response.

SawyerRox4:Seriously? That would be crazy

CastGamer55:Yes. And yes.

SawyerRox4:I’m going to be honest, because I’ve had a teeny bit of wine...

CastGamer55:OK.

SawyerRox4:Knowing you’re in the same neck of the woods feels kind of surreal. I can’t even … Do you know what I mean?

CastGamer55:I do. I had a situation like that a month or so ago.

SawyerRox4:OK, so you get it

SawyerRox4:Now it just feels like … we could maybe meet in person sometime, just for the heck of it. But then, it feels like our online friendship would never be the same.

CastGamer55:Is that necessarily a bad thing?

SawyerRox4:You want to meet in person??

Was that question presumptuous? I hope he didn’t take it to mean that I wanted to meet him in person. I mean, I didn’tnotwant to meet him in person. I’d just never seriously considered it. Well, except for maybe a few dreams causing me to blush from head to toe the next morning.

CastGamer55:Yes. How about New Year’s Eve?

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