wanted. “Don’t worry, I didn’t join a dating site.”
The relief was visible and immediate, Riley and Lin both having been genuinely worried for Pike’s safety. “All right, so how’d you meet him?”
“It was online, but not on a dating site or anything
you write stories and post them for other people to
read. They can leave reviews and stuff, like feedback
or whatever, and most of them have their own work
up there, too. I found his page and just couldn’t stop
reading his work, and so I left a review and she
checked out my stuff, and we just hit it off right away,
you know?”
There was a pause, and still Pike did not catch on, did not understand, did not hear herself over the hard push and pull of the waves. Lin cocked her head, as if only just registering it herself.
“‘She?’”
Pike’s world started spinning, felt saran-wrapped, got hot then fast then cold again, like getting behind the wheel of a car but worse, so much worse. She felt her vision halo out then in, saw patches of color in the cool dark and felt all the blood leave her body, felt the muscle in her chest pumping no no no no no no no. How had she fucked up so tremendously? And then another question followed, riding in on her
panic, one that she hadn’t been expecting. Why not
man, but that’s all it would be, just that, never what anyone
weird. It’s one of those sites where you, you know . . .