in to my stream—as you well know. Yes, I remember you.
b)This is creepy; however, on a scale of 1 to “guy who snuck pictures of my feet in the pool changing room,” it ranks at approximately 3.5.
c)I’m busy, and not sure I want to do this, but I have questions. Here’s my number. Give me a call to figure out the details.
Thanks (unless this is something super weird; then, no thanks),
KK
Reggie stared at her phone before dropping it into her lap. Chances had been high that she’d never hear back from him, given what she’d asked for, but he’d replied in under an hour. And he wanted to talk on the phone.
Her lips twisted to the side as she considered her options.
I don’t do phones, she tapped out slowly, then deleted it.
She was already being weird, and refusing to speak to him on the phone would make this even more suspect.
In the months at the rehabilitation center, after she’d been released from the hospital, she’d had to learn to do everything again—everything. Even speak. She’d succeeded because she was stubborn as fuck, her therapists had been supportive, and her parents could afford the best rehab money could buy, but even now, there was something in her cadence that people picked up on. She could always mark the moment when the stranger on the other end of the line began to speak to her louder and more slowly, like she needed their help to comprehend things when they were the ones with a problem.
Well, if Kakuro was a condescending asshole, she’d deal. Her insomnia had already caused her to make three minor mistakes in the past few days that might have been major if her staffers hadn’t caught them—she needed sleep, and he was her last hope.
Her mom had suggested she participate in a sleep study—like lying in a hospital bed with wires and machines hooked up to her was something Reggie would do voluntarily. If she didn’t make this phone call, she might have to resort to that.
She sighed and tapped the phone number highlighted in blue in his email. It was a California area code, something she was familiar with from work calls. He was either up super early or hadn’t gone to bed yet. Either way, he answered on the second ring.
“Hello?”
Goddamn. God. Damn. Reggie was immediately slapped by the one aspect of this she’d been carefully avoiding—his voice wasn’t just soothing, it was sexy. There’d been a reason she’d tuned in to his live stream that first time, and there’d been a reason she’d gone back almost every night.
As much as she was pretending otherwise in the name of keeping this strictly business, she’d had an internet crush on him. She wouldn’t indulge it, of course. She’d secure the vocal recording bag and keep it moving. Reggie wasn’t trying to get involved in any emotional shitshows, which were what the brief relationships she’d been in over the years had always devolved into. Dating came with demands on her time, suggestions on how she live her life, or offers of assistance, like she wasn’t a grown-ass woman with a stable income and a high-yield investment portfolio.
Or because she was.
So no, she wasn’t looking to upgrade her online crush, but that didn’t stop her from noticing that his voice was deep, like what the fuck even? deep, with a bass that vibrated through her body and settled in some very specific areas. It made her body go warm and her defenses drop fast as panties during Fleet Week, as her mother’s friend Ms. Vanessa had liked to say.
God damn.
This phone call had been a terrible idea. She wasn’t sure she could take more than “Hello” live and unfiltered.
“Um. Hi,” she said. “It me.”
There was a weighted pause on Kakuro’s end, then, “So you are a woman.”
Even delivered in the sexiest voice she’d ever heard, that nonquestion question had Reggie ready to fight. In her experiences in nerd culture, there were follow-up challenges that sprouted like weeds in its wake.
If you’re really a fan of this comic, name the original publication date and the middle name of the colorist.
Girls don’t like anime/superhero movies/comic books, you must be lying to get attention from guys.
“I am, though that’s really not okay for you to assume from hearing someone’s voice. Why are you asking? Is there a problem with that?”
She reminded herself that while she knew lots of intimate thing about him, he didn’t know who she was and had never even seen