I Don't Text

Authors note: This story does not contain detailed, explicit sex scenes; so if that is what you're looking for you won't find it here. This story has greatly benefitted from comments provided by Privates First-Class.

I sat in my chair during the presentation, occasionally shifting my eyes over to see Dick in profile as he sat in the next row ahead and to my right. I squirmed in my chair again, my vulva felt damp and I was sure I was going to have to add a panty shield during the upcoming break. After months of seeing him I had this same reaction each time—but I hadn't been able to bring myself to the point of being one of the women that sought his attention whenever they could. It wasn't that I didn't think I wasn't good looking enough, or had a personality that would turn him away, I knew that wasn't the case—but for some reason he seemed to be a man who would remain out of my reach. Maybe it was because if he did take an interest in me I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist my urge to bed him as quickly as possible. A behavior I had never exhibited before and wasn't sure I should even acknowledge having now.

I was in the third year of my job in the Wetlands Section as a biologist, having started fresh out of college with my Bachelor's Degree in Natural Resource Management. I hired in at entry level with but a summer internship under my belt, though I had been interested in natural history from an early age. I had progressed in my experience and skill level and had now twice moved to a higher civil service classification.

I was happy with my job, less so with my social life, having gone through four boyfriends in as many years. Lately, this last relationship had soured and I had finally walked away after having tried to make it work. Too many arguments about nothing of consequence simply pointed to something more serious we hadn't come to grips with—if nothing else, the mismatch in our libidos was a problem. Why did I find myself with men with needs less than my own? Or at least, were willing to fulfill my needs with something other than penetrative sex.

I had first met Dick face to face at a meeting two years ago and I couldn't get him out of my mind. I had seen him previously from a distance a quite a few times and had asked a few people about him. Most had very positive things to say—just one girl said he was kind of slow when it came to dealing with women. I had no idea what that meant.

What was peculiar was that from the first time our gazes met I couldn't stop looking at him. The first time I had continued to look at him until someone redirected my attention, then I felt a little self-conscious I had been so blatant, so obvious. It seemed it had worked the same for him. What I found strange was I didn't feel awkward or embarrassed by it, in fact, it gave me a bit of a thrill to see he was behaving in the same fashion.

But neither of us had ever acted upon it, never made an attempt to see if there was something more behind our mutual attraction. For my part, it was because I was in a relationship with someone else and didn't feel it would be right to suggest I was open to him when I wasn't. The timing of my leaving one relationship and entering a new one never coincided with the times we saw each other—he worked in another office and lived in another town. Relationships are sometimes a matter of convenience, involving frequency and distance.

Keeping his image out of my mind had become almost impossible after I talked with him the second time at this meeting. My friend Jane thought I had gone off the deep end. She had been with me and thought he was just as handsome as I did. She had a boyfriend so I figured her assessment was somewhat objective; though obviously we all have different ideas as what makes a guy attractive.

At this, our annual three-day training session, we had shared a table with him at dinner two nights in a row and neither of one of us had seemed to make much of an impression on him—though Jane obviously wasn't trying. Still, when our gaze met again I was sure there was a connection, just not overtly expressed on the part of either of us. He hadn't made a direct effort to engage me in conversation from across the large, round table and I was sorry I wasn't sitting closer. At least, I put it down to that. Maybe that was what the girl had meant by being slow with women.

He was friendly and a little flirty, but that was it when we finally spoke to one another later. One of the other women had been bold enough to ask him point-blank if he had a girlfriend or was engaged. He had smiled and replied with a suggestive tone of voice that melted me—"No, I'm looking. But I'm not in a hurry. Though I think I may have found her."

This as his eyes came to mine. I didn't know if it was simply by happenstance or not, but I felt a tinge of excitement nevertheless. I smiled back as my body went warm. He seemed a contradiction in his behavior towards the opposite sex—aloof and at the same time engaging in a subtle way. Or, at least in regards to me.

I was sure he wasn't in a hurry. He could have had his pick of any of a half dozen girls from what I could see. The second night of the meeting as we sat with colleagues we started harping about what we didn't like about our smartphones. There were the usual complaints about the availability of apps, how much they cost, and how well the service providers did in terms of customer support. The conversation turned to data usage and how texting was eating up what was offered in many plans. There was good-natured banter about what we liked and didn't like.

It was when Dick spoke up, saying he hadn't found it to be a problem as he didn't text much. There was silence for long seconds before one of the others asked.

"What do you mean you don't text much? How can you have a smartphone and not text?"

"Easy. This is a phone. You can talk on it, you can take pictures and videos with it, you can play games on it, and you can send text messages. So I would rather talk. I don't like to text so I have three rules if someone is going to text me. That cuts down on how much data I use," he replied good-naturedly.

"Oh come on!" I said incredulously, "I can't live without texting. Let me hear your rules."

"Okay," he smiled as all of us at the table focused our attention on him.

"First, I don't initiate texts. I let everyone know I don't care to text. That puts the burden on them to make a choice. Second, I will respond only if I can answer with- yes, no, okay, or a number, and finally if I'm not going to reply to your text I reply with NR, which means 'no response'. That way you know I received the text and read it. If it's something important you can elect to call me and we can discuss it. After all, it is a phone."

"Come on you can't be serious," one of the others retorted when he finished speaking.

"It works for me. It may not work for you. I'm already a slave to computers and other technology. I decided to draw the line when it comes to communicating with another person by phone. As far as I can see it results in clearer, more effective communication."

"Man you need to step into the future. You're going to be left out with an attitude like that," another guy offered.

"Maybe, maybe not. So far my friends seem to understand. If it's not important enough to talk about then the subject isn't that urgent in terms of a quick response."

That generated quite a conversation. More lively than most I had been involved in over the three-day meeting. Dick was probably four or five years older than I was and I put it down to an attitude based upon our age difference and a willingness to be different.

As I scanned the dining room I did notice that fully half of the people present had their smartphones in their hands using them or on the table in front of them checking the screen from time to time. There were two tables where the people were not talking to one another at all as they were busy with their phones instead. The tables where smartphones were not in evidence were at tables with older people engaged in lively conversations.

I looked at Jane and pointed to my phone. I picked it up and texted her.

[How about we try to get his phone number]

[Why?]

[So we can get to know him. Pretend to want to try his texting rules]

[Emily are you crazy?]

[Do you have a better idea?]

[No. But I don't need one. I don't need a boyfriend]

[Come on. Help me out here]

I put my phone down and looked at Dick, "Okay, I'll bet we can use your rules and communicate just as well without having to talk with you. Give Jane and I your contact information and tomorrow we can both try to get to know you better."

"You're kidding," he said with a laugh.

"No. You say texting isn't as effective as talking. Jane and I think it is. We'll test it to see."

"I don't know. I don't give my personal number out much."

I decided to challenge him, "What don't think it applies to everyone? It just works for your friends who are willing to placate you."

"No, I think it will work for most people. That is if you want it to. It's just that I hardly know the both of you."

"That's the test," Jane responded, "we both try and get to know you by text. Not talking. We'll do just as you said the way you use your phone. We will text, you respond. Not all that difficult."

I smiled and offered, "We promise not to give your number to anyone else."

One of the guys at the table spoke up, "Come on Dick. Sounds like a good way to prove your point. What do you have to lose? After all, it really shouldn't be a hard decision. Just two girls trying to prove you wrong."

One of his friends, Sam, spoke up with a broad smile, "The real reason is he can't type or spell worth beans. But he sure can talk a good game."

Dick looked over at him and made a face saying, "Says the man who comes to me asking for help by proofreading his reports so someone can understand them."

"Yeah, yeah. So I throw you a bone once in a while to make you feel and look good," Sam laughed.

"Okay, okay. But I insist on one thing."

"What's that?" I asked.

"We run the test for one week, seven days, no longer and nothing after ten at night or before eight in the morning. That way there is a definite endpoint and no missed sleep for any of us."

Jane and I nodded our agreement and handed our phones to him. He put his contact information in and handed them back. I took my phone and looked at my contacts—Richard Perry. I was feeling pretty good about what I had just accomplished. I would be in constant communication with him while the other girls that had an interest in him wouldn't be, well, there was Jane, but she really wasn't interested in him. I doubted she cared if I got hooked up with him or not.

Later I asked one of his male colleagues if he was gay just to be sure I wasn't barking up the wrong tree. I had to be sure that wasn't the reason he was ignoring my subtle advances. Men just didn't ignore me like that. When I showed an interest men responded without fail. I wasn't the perfect woman in terms of measurements, but I was pretty dog-gone close and my personality was okay. I knew how to attract a guys' attention. It just hadn't worked with Dick so far.

Jane was good looking, blonde, extroverted, and tended to be a little more suggestive in her speech than I had ever been. I could flirt and use my eyes to advantage but some of the things that came out of her mouth would never come out of mine. Maybe I was still too much a lady in that respect. I liked to think I had done my mother proud—though I didn't lose any sleep over the times I didn't.

Since Jane and I were sharing a room together we got up headed for breakfast together the next morning. The department training was ending at noon and we would be done. Or, at least I would be. I decided to take a leave day on Friday making for a three day weekend. I didn't want to waste time so I thought Jane and I should plan a strategy to employ texting so I could get and keep his attention right away. We were sitting sipping our coffee and talking when Jane looked at me.

"Well, have you thought about what message you're going to send Dick first?"

"No, I thought we would both wish him a good morning first. Then ask him later if his day is going well. We should have a chance to see him in person before we leave."

Jane looked at me with a frown, "You know I'm not sure this is going to work."

"What do you mean? We keep in touch with him this week. Not too much as we don't want to make a nuisance of ourselves. That would be counter-productive. We ask questions and he answers them. Simple. After that, I continue to keep in touch with him any way I want."

"Emily, you can't learn a lot about someone if you can't ask the kinds of questions that require a complex response. I mean we have to ask him yes and no questions. Oh yeah, numbers too."

"I didn't say it would be easy. But I think between the two of us sharing what we learn I should be able to learn enough about him to see if I want to know him better. Just because he's handsome and seems to have a great personality doesn't mean he actually does. You know men can be different when they are around other people. Maybe he's a dud when you get him alone."

"Okay. But I still think you have a big hole in the hull of your boat."

I laughed, "That's why I have you along. Just keep bailing."

"Funny, real funny," she replied with a scrunched up face.

We wandered into the lecture hall and found a pair of seats. This morning was devoted to wetland mitigation monitoring protocols and Dick was presenting the vertebrate wildlife section. I paid particular attention as this was an area I had experience and interest in. As district staff, there were times I had to read and approve mitigation monitoring reports, and knowing if the site was providing those functions was important. Jane was a little less interested as she basically issued permits. During the first session, she had leaned over to whisper to me.

"I had a good night's sleep without Leon getting me all hot and bothered, but this talk is enough to put me to sleep again."

I whispered back, "Don't kid me. You wanted Leon in your panties last night. I heard you in your bed. Those fingers were going strong until you moaned a few times."

"Shhhh... I didn't know you heard me. I thought you were asleep," she hissed.

I looked at her and saw how red her face had gotten. I smiled and looked back at the speaker. I probably shouldn't have said anything.

I woke up at two with Dick's image in my mind and went for it myself. He was good fantasy material though it had actually surprised me when his image showed up in my mind after my normal ex-boyfriend once removed first appeared. His smiling face and dreamy eyes swept me up as my fingers played between my lips. At least now I knew Jane hadn't caught me doing it.

Dick's presentation was very well done with excellent examples of species lists compiled from fifty randomly selected mitigation sites. Of particular note was his description of how coarse woody debris added to sites should be placed and what each type was meant to attract. It was apparent most private sector biologists and ecologists were not as versed in their intended use as he was.

I had sent Dick a text at five after eight asking if he had slept well. His reply came back a minute later with a 'yes'.

I was immediately stuck with what to text him next that didn't sound really stupid. Seeing as how I didn't know him that well I was going to have to get creative fast. It took me a few minutes to formulate another question. Then I decided to wait to send it for a while so I didn't use up what I had right away. I wondered what Jane had come up with to send. As it turned out Jane had sent a similar good morning text. Looked like both of us were off to a rip-roaring start.

A little before noon I sent him a text asking as to whether he was pleased with how his presentation had been received the day before. I got a reply of [Yes] and followed up with another question regarding if he had been involved in the development of the structures as part of permit requirements. I really didn't think he had been but was surprised to find a [Yes] response. Guess I was learning a little more about him.

I really wanted to discuss the placement of two types of structures but found I couldn't form them into yes or no questions. The fact that I couldn't was a bit irritating. I was tempted to ask him if he would have lunch with me but felt I was probably being a bit too pushy. As it was, I was able to sit with him and others at the same table. I had a chance to speak to him briefly and he really didn't seem all that interested in me, though with three other girls present at the same time I got about as much time with him as they did. It really irked me that he talked shop with several of the guys more than he paid attention to the girls. Maybe he was bisexual and not gay I thought, with no evidence to support my hypothesis.

Jane and I packed our belongings and headed to our car. As we were checking out Jane had her arms loaded down and accidentally dropped her shoulder bag on the floor in the lobby. Before she could pick it up Dick had stooped to gather it up and smiled at her.

"Jane, if you like I can carry a few things out to the car for you. I'm heading that way and I only one bag."

Jane accepted his offer and the three of us walked to our state vehicle in the parking lot. Jane kept up a steady conversation with him and I hardly got a word in edge-wise. Once our bags were in the trunk of the car Dick bid us farewell and walked to his own state vehicle.

I turned to Jane, "What happened to Leon? It looked as if you wanted to make time with him, not me."

"Just being friendly. He gave you a couple of really good looks while we talked. The kind of looks he didn't give to me. After he did when you spoke to him you looked uneasy. What is it about him that gets you flustered? Other men don't do that to you."

I was aghast. If Jane noticed did he? I hadn't been that way while we were with a larger group. But when it was just the three of us I felt naked in a way. I had found it difficult to find something to say that wouldn't have made it appear I was anything but completely taken with him.

I tried to present myself as another professional; not someone interested in him in a social context. I had felt weird, I wanted him to notice me and at the same time didn't want him to notice me too much. I must have come across somewhat lame.

"Jane, did I really sound that bad? I just didn't know what to say. Each time he looked at me with those eyes I kind of felt he was looking right into me and was able to read my mind. He knew I was really hot for him didn't he."

Janet laughed and patted me on the shoulder, "Maybe he didn't, but I did. Don't worry about it. After all, you want him to call you for a date don't you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then use this as an opportunity when you text him to find out what he thought of you."

I thought about it. It wasn't all that bad of an idea actually. So while Jane was driving I got my phone out and sent Dick a text.

[Sorry I was a little scattered when we parted. I'm not usually like that]

I received a reply about ten minutes later, [Ok]

"Well, what did he say?" Jane asked.

"He said it was okay. I guess there wasn't much more he could say."

Jane smiled, "You could call him."

"No! I'm not going to fold this soon. I'll think of more questions to ask him."

Half an hour later I texted Dick again, [Do you date only girls?]

[Yes] Came the response five minutes later.

Well, he wasn't gay. So if he dated only girls I was theoretically in play. So now what? Oh, that would be a good question.