«Cat Person» by Kristen Roupenian.

The story follows the brief relationship of Margot, a twenty-year-old sophomore

college student, and Robert, a thirty-four-year-old man who is a regular at the
movie theater where Margot works. After an exchange at the concession stand, he
asks for her number, and they carry on extensive conversations through texts.
Margot finds Robert witty and funny through text, and their conversations grow
frequent, including running jokes about Robert's two pet cats, but he is more
awkward and inscrutable when she tries to see him in person.
When Margot returns from visiting home for winter break, she and Robert go on a
real date: they see a movie, go to a bar (during which Robert learns her age), and
then return to Robert's home. Despite being disappointed and uncomfortable
during the date, Margot consents to sex with Robert rather than navigate turning
him down. After the distasteful sex encounter, which largely disgusts her, Margot
learns that Robert is thirty-four years old and reflects that their conversations have
been impersonal. After not seeing Robert's cats in his home, she wonders if their
existence and other aspects of Robert's persona while texting were fabricated.
Margot resolves to tell Robert she is not interested in continuing to see him but
ignores his messages while she is unsure of how to do it politely but firmly. Her
roommate eventually impersonates her in the break-up text. A month later, she sees
Robert while out at a bar with her friends; she is unsettled by the idea that he is
looking for her and avoids him. That night, he texts her repeatedly, his messages at
first insecure and politely questioning if she was with a new boyfriend but
becoming more needy, jealous and belligerent as Margot does not reply, ending
with calling her "Whore."

Cat Person Character List

Margot
Margot is a 20-year-old college student and the protagonist of "Cat Person." She
works at the concession stand of a local art-house movie theater. From the outset,
she is characterized as flirtatious, often hitting on customers in hopes that they'll
leave a big tip. However, over the course of the story, her interior thoughts are
proven to be complicated and often endearingly flawed as she attempts to navigate
dating as a relatively young, inexperienced woman. She is described as white,
attractive, and thin.
Robert
Robert is a 34-year-old customer at Margot's movie theater, who begins a flirtation
with her when he buys a box of Red Vines. He is initially oblivious to Margot's
flirtatious ways, but eventually comes around, asking Margot for her phone
number. He calls Margot "concession-stand girl" despite knowing her name, and
texts her constantly. He's not really aware that Margot is so much younger than
him, and tries to ignore the signs of their difference, but lacks the wherewithal to
have a conversation about their relationship outright. He is eventually
characterized as a bit dumpy, with an inadequate apartment and awkward
demeanor that makes him less-than-appealing in a sexual context.
Tamara
Tamara is Margot's college roommate. She helps Margot break up with Robert,
ushering her out of the bar when they spot him and reading his texts to her out loud
so Margot won't have to look at them directly.
Albert
Albert is one of Margot's other college friends, with whom she appears at the bar
towards the end of the story. Robert suspects Albert of being Margot's boyfriend,
because he steps in front of Margot to obscure her from Robert's view when they
spot him at the bar. It is never described outright whether Albert and Margot are in
fact dating, though it seems unlikely that they are.
Margot's Stepdad
When Margot goes home for winter break, her stepdad notices that she's always
texting someone, and jokes that she might be having an affair. We don't know
much about her stepdad, except that Margot lives with him when she's home from
college, and that their relationship is filled with sarcastic jokes.