Page 83

Tonight, before I go live, I open his name and pull him into private chat myself.

For half a second, I look at what I’ve done. Then I turn on the camera.

The room starts the way it always does.

One username, then another. The usual crowd gathers like mosquitoes around a porch light.

BigDog469: pizza!!!!!!!

MouthyMike: there he is

MNTopDad: lookin good tonight

FootGuyBob: feet later?

“Bob,” I say, settling into my chair, “you need a hobby.”

FootGuyBob: this is my hobby

“That is the saddest honest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

The chat laughs, viewer count climbs.

I lean back and let the sweats ride low because that’s the job.

BigDog469 tips twenty tokens almost immediately.

BigDog469: plug tonight?

I look at the camera. “You know, most people say hello.”

BigDog469: hello plug tonight?

“Better.”

More emojis. More comments. More little demands dressed as jokes.

Usually, this is the part where the room clicks into place and my brain narrows. Smile. Tease. Stretch. Stand. Let the angle do its work.

Tonight, my eyes keep sliding to the private window.

Bentley84: Olives winning feels ominous.

HotnReddy: Everything about today was ominous.

The response is immediate.

Bentley84: Lawyer day?

I go still. On-screen, it probably reads as teasing.

MouthyMike: what u doing

BigDog469: dont ignore us

MNTopDad: long day?

“Long enough,” I say to the room.