I read it again.Was it a coincidence?
I drew my brows together while my brain pinched at bits of information.
Mr. Carden did say he’d been at his mom’s place over the weekend. Just like Link.
No. No. No. This was outrageous. It absolutely couldn’t be. Mr. Carden was my boss, and he was quiet and smart, and I’d go as far as to call him serious and withdrawn. And a little frightening. Everyone in the office seemed to be scared of him.
Link was… soft, funny, and flirty as can be. Link was a charmer. They couldn’t be more different if they tried.
But… it was an engineering group.…
Link… Lincoln?
It couldn’t be. Lincoln Carden would never go by Link. He barely went by Lincoln. He was Carden to the other managers and Mr. Carden to everyone else.
My Link is a Zelda fan. He’d said so himself. It had nothing to do with Mr. Carden. So, no. No way. Nope.
My heart kept racing as I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I typed up a reply:It happens. Did you apologize?
@theanswerisno:
Yeah. Of course. I’m not a monster.
@pancakesareelite:
How?
I thought I might throw up in the moments that passed.
@theanswerisno:
By saying “I’m sorry”? Is there another way the kids are doing it nowadays?
I giggled to myself. This wasn’t Mr. Carden. Could it be?
@theanswerisno:
So, what happened on your side?
I could have told him, and it would have been obvious whether it was Mr. Carden but… what if it was? Did I want him to find out like this? During@wheretheresawilliam’s stream ofThe Haunting?
Besides, didIwant to find out that I’d been flirting and confiding in my boss for years? Heck no. Link knew far too much about me. It wasn’t the same person. It simply wasn’t. That would complicate everything and even risk my chance of getting this job.
I brought up the search bar on the Engineering Lobby and searched “Link.” Eighty-seven accounts came up. I searchedLincolnand zero accounts came up.Cardenled to nothing.
A conversation with Mr. Anders came to mind. Mr. Carden had been to UCLA, and the Engineering Lobby was created by and for SDSU students.
The relief sent shivers up my spine. There was something else, too, another unidentifiable feeling. Disappointment? That didn’t make any sense.
Whatever it was, it set me on edge. There was no way I’d be able to play with Link tonight. I stared at his message for a few more seconds and then watched the comments coming in on@wheretheresawilliam’s stream.
I should be relieved. Only relieved.
But I was also disappointed.
@pancakesareelite:
I’m sorry. I have to go. Good night.
