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Then I answer Bentley.

HotnReddy: Lunch with my lawyer. He wore flip-flops.

Bentley84: That seems either very confident or very scary.

HotnReddy: Yes.

The dots appear.

Bentley84: I’m sorry.

Two words. Not enough to fix anything and not trying to. Maybe that’s why they work. Nobody in real life has said sorry today without also handing me a reason.

The public room keeps scrolling.

flex arms

stand up

take em off

plug plug plug

I stand because the room needs something and because I need a second to not answer the private chat too fast. I back up far enough for the camera to catch the entire line of me.

Tokens chime.

Good.

I turn, give them the back view. Works every time.

MouthyMike: damn

MNTopDad: perfect

BigDog469: love the sweats when theyre on the floor

Bentley84 stays quiet.

That makes me feel more watched than the comments.

I sit again, closer to the screen. Close enough that the room gets just my chest and face.

“Sweats off in a minute,” I tell them.

BigDog469: now???

“No.”

The chat jumps, half whining, half into it.

I open Bentley’s private window wider.

HotnReddy: Apparently, I may get bought out. Or boxed out. Or maybe not worth the effort. Hard to keep up.

Too real. I try to delete it, but it’s already sent.

Bentley84: That sounds infuriating.