A controlled one.
My phone buzzes.
COLBY:Morning.
That’s it.
No heart emoji. No commentary. No assumption.
Just…morning.
I stare at the screen longer than necessary.
My body does something deeply unhelpful, like softening.
I don't reward it.
ME:Morning. Did you survive the chaos?
Three dots appear. Disappear. Reappear.
COLBY:Barely. Dex is already talking about a sequel.
I smile.
I do not swoon.
ME:I’m sorry in advance.
COLBY:Don’t apologize. It raised a lot of money.
Of course he says that.
Of course that’s his takeaway.
My body does the annoying warm thing again.
I type back before I can overthink it.
ME: Worth it then.
COLBY:Definitely.
Pause.
Then:
COLBY:I was going to ask, no pressure, but if you’re free sometime this week, you could come to a game.
There it is.
My answer forms instantly.
Yes.
Absolutely.
I want to see you play. I want to see the version of you that commands a room without trying. I want to understand why your team looks at you like gravity.
