He threw his head back and sighed before offering me that lopsided smile I would never get enough of. “I do. I know it’s weird, but I am an absolutes guy.”
“And I absolutely love you,” I said, letting my pinkie finger graze against his thumb where he pressed down on the desk. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me anything about the final test tomorrow?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know anything. It’s different every year to keep it a surprise. The only person who has that info is Anders, and he won’t tell a soul.”
“Even if you did know, you wouldn’t tell me, would you?”
He shook his head. “Speaking of, you better leave. I think it’s best if you’re not on the road alone in the dark.”
“Would you come find me again if you had to?” I asked.
He leaned his hip against the desk and drank me in with a gaze. “Lily, it appears I’ll find you without you calling, without intending, without us knowing. I’ll always find you.”
By Friday morning, I was a mess of nerves. I got to work earlier than usual, as did the rest of the interns. I walked into my office and stared at where Lincoln should be. Last night, his signal was choppy, but he still managed to call me when I got home because, for the first time in my life, someone was waiting to see if I arrived safely.
Excitement joined my nerves at the thought of seeing him later.
“Good,” Mr. Anders said, walking into my office. “You’re here. How was your experience on-site?”
I nodded. “Great. Wonderful. Informative.”
“Excellent.” He gestured for me to follow him. “Come on. It’s time.”
I grabbed my laptop, pen, and paper and walked behind him while he gathered the other six interns. We formed a straight line as he led us into the big boardroom on the second floor.
The sixteen-seater table was transformed into seven cubicles. I took my seat, and Cedric sat across from me, but thanks to the dividers, we couldn’t see each other.
I set up my workspace and fidgeted with my office supplies.
“Interns,” Mr. Anders announced, “welcome to your final test.” He gestured to the presentation on the wall. “Please navigate to the folder location shown and use the password on the screen to access the resources.”
I did as I was told, and the folder exploded with drawings, location pins, and bills of quantities.
“This year’s final test requires each intern to prove their holistic knowledge on a very basic level. You’re all fresh out of college, so I assume some of the things you learned still reside in your brains.”
He clicked over to a new slide, where an abstract area washighlighted. “You have the next six hours to prepare a conceptual design of the infrastructure required for a multipurpose development. Considering the time limits and how many of you are specializing in different disciplines of engineering, detailed designs are not required.”
The next slide had our names ranked underneath different headings: technical correctness, neatness, theoretical knowledge, professionalism, and others.
I was in position four or five for most of them.
“These ratings are based on your weekly evaluations, but as you all know, this final test will be the largest factor determining your future at Simucon.”
My heart pounded in my chest. I thought I might throw up.
“Good luck, and remember that all reports and plans submitted have to be anonymous.”
49
LINCOLN
[27 weeks ago]
@pancakesareelite:
Peanut butter and honey is an elite combination
@theanswerisno:
