" Wo shi ting suru, " he continued, his voice half-muffled by the cheap microphone. " Gogo anime de di1hua. " The first episode of the afternoon anime.
Jenny closed her eyes. She didn't answer. She just listened to him listen to her. Outside, a truck rumbled past. A dog barked twice. Somewhere, an episode of some forgotten anime played its soft ending credits—but neither of them was watching. " Wo shi ting suru, " he continued,
The air in Jenny’s tiny rental room tasted of instant coffee and dust motes dancing in the 4 PM light. She lay sprawled across her unmade bed, phone pressed to one ear, earbud dangling from the other. Jenny closed her eyes
" Jieni bao yan wo— " he said, and she imagined him hugging the air of his own lonely apartment, two cities away. Outside, a truck rumbled past
" Wo wu liao shi ting, " he whispered. I'm bored, just listening.