“Exactly!” She pulled back and looked into my eyes. “It’s a little terrifying to think of it… of all those times I enjoyed the lobby more than the game. I went back daily to talk to you, to play with you, Link…” She flushed bright red. “Lincoln.”
“You can call me Link.” I kissed her perfect cupid’s bow.
“My mom and gran call me Lily. Link was the only other person who called me that.”
“Can I?” I whispered.
She nodded, and then she looked away, her eyes glistening with unspoken pain. Pain I hoped she’d let me help her carry one day. “You saved me. Link was all I had for a really, really long time and then we started working together and you became the only other person I had. But you are Link, so you saved me twice? It was so confusing.”
My chest ached, realizing the total mind trip it must have been. Had the tables been turned, I never would have spoken up. I never would have even gone to the LAN. I don’t know what I would have done.
But this was Elizabeth, my Lily, and she dove in headfirst and asked questions later.
46
ELIZABETH
[32 weeks ago]
@pancakesareelite:
It’s been forever since I’ve been on a date
@theanswerisno:
Same
@pancakesareelite:
Two birds, one stone
@theanswerisno:
You are so cheeky
@pancakesareelite:
Are you blushing right now?
@theanswerisno:
No
@theanswerisno:
Okay, fine. I am
I couldn’t believe it. The formulas Lincoln used, the lengths he’d gone to. The only thing unlinked to a calculation, the only known factor, was the solid one hundred percent next to my name. Lincoln Carden believed I was the unachievable number of perfection. According toscience. Despite knowing all my flaws. Despite everything. And when I looked into his eyes, I knew, without a doubt, that he really believed it to be true.
I scrolled to the bottom of the spreadsheet where the conclusion lay blank, but the spreadsheet was already set up to auto-populate once the rest of the cells were filled in. I changed a few things, marked myself down (which led to an error) and then marked him up instead. The final percentages jumped around. I needed the fourth scenario to be on top.
4. We fall in love, get married, do all the things, and I get to love her forever
Lincoln Carden wanted to marry me?
He wanted to love meforever?
And while I continued playing around with the numbers, his arm circled my waist and stroked the not-so-flat stomach I’d tried hiding. His mouth pressed against my shoulder, sending a buzz of electricity to my brain.
