# Chapter 4: Truth, Dare, and Tiger Print

I barely slept that Friday night. Between exploring her grid and the state her mirror selfie had left me in, I think I went over the edge three separate times before exhaustion finally won. My last coherent thought was that I was in serious trouble.

Which is why waking up at nine on a Saturday and firing off a good morning text felt, in hindsight, like the move of a man with no survival instincts.

Me: Good morning, Sneha ☀️

Her reply took a while — long enough that I'd showered, made coffee, and convinced myself I'd imagined the whole previous night. Then the phone buzzed.

Sneha: hahaha good morning 😂
Sneha: i thought u wouldn't wake up early after all the hard work u did last night

I actually choked on my coffee. How? How did she do that? She wasn't even in the room, and somehow she'd put her finger directly on the exact truth of my night and made it a joke.

Well. Two could play.

Me: Don't worry. I have good stamina 😜😜

Sneha: will check that later 😏

I put the phone down, walked a slow circle around my living room, and accepted my new reality: she was simply bolder than me, always one step ahead, and the only thing I could control was whether I kept up.

Me: So what are your weekend plans? Or do you already miss the office?

Sneha: 🤢 never say office on a saturday
Sneha: visiting a friend's place this evening. sunday is home + family calls + food. the holy trinity.
Sneha: u?

Me: Family, friends, and replying to you apparently.

Sneha: good boy 😌

And I just... kept chatting. All day. Between the day heard about her dance teacher, that taught her the best routine of her life. She learned I can't cook anything beyond Maggie. We discussed about drinking (she said yes, which nearly ended everything). Every hour made it warmer, easier, less like two colleagues and more like two people who'd been doing this for years.

By Saturday night, I decided it was time to stop being careful.

Me: okay. I have a proposal. Truth or dare.

Sneha: ??? over text?

Me: over text. only truth, no dare. a few questions. anything makes you uncomfortable, you skip, no explanations.

Sneha: 😂😂 u planned this
Sneha: fine. few …