Local Man Spends Three Days Rewriting Simple Text, Finally Sends “Sounds Good”

By Jason K. Meyer, Socially Awkward News

COLUMBUS, OH (SAN) — After three days of meticulous deliberation, local resident Kyle Peterson, 29, finally mustered the courage to send a text reading “Sounds good” in response to a dinner invitation from his friend, sources confirmed Thursday.

Peterson, who describes himself as “mildly socially awkward but in a charming way, probably,” initially received the text on Monday at 4:12 PM from his longtime friend Alex Dawson, asking, “Hey man, want to grab dinner Wednesday?”

What should have been a simple yes-or-no reply quickly spiraled into an exhausting internal debate.

A Crisis of Tone and Timing

“First, I was going to say, ‘Yeah, sounds great!’ but then I thought, does that sound too eager?” Peterson told Socially Awkward News in an exclusive interview. “So I tried ‘Sure, that works,’ but that felt kind of cold. Then I considered just ‘Yeah,’ but what if that makes it sound like I don’t actually want to go?”

As he continued overanalyzing, Peterson found himself scrutinizing every possible nuance. An exclamation mark could come off as excessive, but leaving it out might seem distant. A simple “Wednesday works” sounded efficient but robotic. He briefly considered sending a GIF but immediately abandoned the idea after realizing it would introduce a whole new set of risks.

“I just didn’t want to mess up a perfectly normal interaction,” Peterson admitted. “Like, what if I pick the wrong response and Alex starts thinking I don’t actually like him? What if this somehow changes the entire trajectory of our friendship?”

According to Dr. Amanda Roush, a behavioral psychologist at Ohio State University, Peterson’s struggle is far from unique.

“We see this all the time with socially anxious individuals, particularly those with ADHD or overthinking tendencies,” Roush said. “For them, every text is a delicate social performance. They’re not just replying—they’re running a risk assessment on how their words might be perceived five years from now.”

The Final Decision

As the clock struck 11:47 AM on Wednesday—just hours before the scheduled dinner—Peterson made a decisive move.

“I went with ‘Sounds good.’ Just two words. Clean. Neutral. Impossible to misinterpret,” Peterson said, exhaling sharply.

Experts say this was likely a safe choice.

“‘Sounds good’ is a classic non-threatening response,” said Dr. Roush. “It conveys agreement without excess emotion, leaving virtually no room for misinterpretation or perceived social debt.”

Aftermath and Lingering Doubts

Peterson received a quick thumbs-up emoji from Dawson in reply. But instead of relief, he now faces a new dilemma.

“Oh God, do I respond to the thumbs-up? Is that conversation over? Would it be weird to send another text?” Peterson wondered aloud.

At press time, he was last seen opening and closing the messaging app, debating whether to reply with an equally neutral thumbs-up or risk overstepping with a “See you then.”

After three days of soul-searching, Kyle Peterson settles on the most neutral response he could muster: 'Sounds good.' The crisis, however, is far from over.