S.R.E.D. page 03

Top 10 times the bottom understood the assignment.

Relationship Milestone Unlocked: brush your teeth together without it getting awkward.

========

There's a bit of subtext going on here throughout the first three pages, and a few readers have expressed some difficulty parsing it. I'll do my best to provide a subtext translator.

When one person in a hookup wants a relationship and the other doesn't, the latter person is put in an awkward situation and will frequently just back off so they don't have to deal with managing someone else's emotions. When both parties are interested in a relationship but do not yet know what the other wants, this can sometimes lead to a situation where neither person wants to risk scaring the other person away by stating their interest outright. This results in a sort of "game" of using indirect signals of romantic intent to gauge the other person's reaction while maintaining plausible deniability.

This was the situation that Presley and Imogen were in initially. Spending the night together after a hookup (rather than going your separate way after the deed is done) can be one of those soft, indirect signals of romantic intent. Presley sent that signal with the offer of breakfast the next morning, but was ready to play it off like no big deal if Imogen declined. Imogen recognized the signal and Presley's guarded means of delivering it, and jokingly toyed with her before agreeing.

Despite recognizing Presley's signal, Imogen still got flustered and struggled to be explicit in talking about a relationship. Presley responded by being understanding and direct. Presley then pointed out the apparent mismatch in the levels of confidence and sincerity that Imogen was displaying (giving Presley a "hard time" for the breakfast invitation, then almost immediately afterwards asking her for a relationship).

Essentially, the apparent dynamic between the two flips over the course of this interaction. At first, Presley seems like the nervous, guarded one for the way she phrases her breakfast invitation, while Imogen seems like the aloof, confident one for the way she toys with Presley in her reply. However, it becomes clear that Presley is just playing the "game" and Imogen's confidence is a mask to hide how much she wants this. When the time comes for them to put their cards on the table, Imogen falls apart trying to express her desires, while Presley's assertiveness picks up the pieces and carries them to the goal.

This is further reinforced later, when it's revealed that Imogen packed overnight supplies (toothbrush, comb, deodorant, makeup, and medication) in her purse. She would have had to pack those things before her date with Presley, and would have only done so if she was hoping that the date would end with her spending the night. When Imogen showed Presley the overnight supplies, it was a tacit admission that she wanted this from the beginning. Presley recognized the meaning of this and jokingly admonished Imogen for having "plans" to come over, have sex, and start a relationship with her (plans that Presley was obviously happy to participate in). Neither of them were actually upset with the other, nor did they think the other was upset with them. They were just having fun with the fact that they could be more "real" about their intentions with one another thanks to their new relationship status.

Please login to post a comment.