One Bride for Five Brothers

Quick as lightning, her fingers reach out and snatch my phone off the dash.

“Nope. I want you to send him a text right now!”

“Give me that!” I insist. Luckily, she gives up the phone when I reach for it and does not make me wrestle her to the ground. Because I will. I totally will.

“Fine. That's more like it,” she sniffs. “Now send him a text, Dahlia. Right now.”

“What should I say?” I grumble, considering it.

She shrugs. “I don't know, because I don't know what you sent already!” she reminds me pointedly. “When you sent him a picture, did he send you a picture back? What was it?”

“No, after the picture we just kind of texted back and forth. Just, you know… flirty stuff.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Sexy stuff?”

My chest gets tight. “Yes,” I admit. “Sexy stuff.”

She smiles, looking me up and down. “You like this, don't you?” she says knowingly.

“I don't know if I like it or not,” I lie. Still, I feel how hot my cheeks are. I'm probably bright red right now. “But Lori said more hints about needing us to maybe meet with Kirkman again. So whether or not I like it or not I have to keep going. I have to get that meeting or she’ll know I made the whole thing up.”

Bunny narrows her eyes at me. “No… It's not just Lori. You like this. You're enjoying it. Admit it.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Ha!” she hoots. “You are totally enjoying this! You’re finally getting to take some your cute little pet fantasies for a walk, Dahlia. You're like a secret slut!”

I roll my eyes. “Enough, Bunny. What should I text him?”

“You like it! Admit it!”

I can tell by the serious look on her face that she's not going to give up. In fact, if I don't get her to stop talking about it, there's a good chance she's going to blurt it out in front of my dad or August and really try to humiliate me.

“Fine. I like it. But just a little!”

“I knew it!”

“Now what do I text him?”

She chews on her lower lip. “I dunno… ask him to send you a picture. You sent him one, so that sounds fair. He should send you one too.”

“A picture of what?” I ask, unsure this is such a good idea.

“Let him figure that out for himself,” she shrugs. “Let him be creative.”

Heart racing, I send him a quick text. He asks me for more information and I just let it go, hinting that he should come up with something. Bunny glances over my shoulder, scanning the text history and sighing happily.

“See?” she says smugly, getting out and retrieving the food bags from the back seat. “I told you this wouldn’t be so hard. You totally got this!”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” I admit.

It seems like the whole world is sexting each other. I’ve read about it on BuzzFeed and in Cosmo. Some of the exchanges get really hot. Like, blistering hot.

But I never thought I would be the one to do it. I’ve never even had a serious boyfriend before, much less had anyone to sext with. Every time I go to type something, I get something that feels like stage fright. It’s all completely new and I’m making it up as I go along.

But I guess it’s not as hard as I thought it would be, once I get my head in the game. Actually I guess it’s kind of fun. Once I say something, it feels like a tiny barrier is swept away, some imaginary wall. Makes me think about all the other things I could be saying to him, all the things that I've been holding back all this time.

My dad waves over his head without turning around when Bunny and I amble through the front door. I deposit the bags of food on the dining room table. The football game sounds fill the living room, not leaving a lot of room for much else.