@theanswerisno:
I don’t flirt with any of the girls I play games with
@pancakesareelite:
Wait, what? You’re always complimenting me.
@theanswerisno:
I’m always telling the truth
@theanswerisno:
Oh. I see how that could be flirtatious
@pancakesareelite:
No backsies
As soon as I was sure my car door was shut, I checked my phone. Nothing from my mom. I wished I could talk to her right now.
Instead, I called my grandmother.
“Lily, love,” she said upon answering, her voice coming through my stereo.
“Gran, I think my long-time internet crush might actually be my boss,” I rambled out in one long breath.
“The boy you play games with? Well, what are the odds of that?”
“Probably just above zero. And now that I’ve said it out loud, I hear how ridiculous it sounds.”
She burst out laughing, and I could picture the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “Don’t doubt your gut that easily, my darling. Nothing is impossible.”
“No. It isn’t. I mean… Yes, it could be. No. I…” My hands curled around the steering wheel at the mere thought of Link and Lincoln.
“What’s the problem?” she asked. “I think it would be wonderful. You keep telling me how handsome your boss is.”
“W-when did I say that?” My stammer rendered me guilty of her accusation. “That’s beside the point. Didn’t you hear me? He’s my boss, Gran. My boss. I report to him.”
“Makes for some interesting dynamics in the bedroom.”
“Elizabeth Gray!” I yelled her full name like my mother used to yell mine when I was in trouble. Laughter burst out of me as I made it onto the highway.
“Hold on, hold on. Let me make a cup of tea.” The bed groaned in the background. “I want the whole story, but most importantly, I want to know this: Do you want it to be him?”
I opened my mouth, and the answer bottled up in my throat. Before I could say anything, panic prickled my chest. “I… I don’t think I should actually talk about him or either of them. I just needed to tell someone, and unfortunately for you, I tell you everythingbecause Mom doesn’t answer my texts or calls. Now I’ve said it, and I never have to think about it again because it could ruin everything.”
“How?”
The panic grew, spreading with each spoken word. “If it isn’t him, then I’d have embarrassed myself in front of my gorgeous and incredible boss. If it is him, there’s a chance Link doesn’t like the real-life version of me. What if I’m not his type?”
“You’re everyone’s type. You’re a Gray woman.”
I slowed down the car, but my heart continued racing. “On the slim chance that he is interested in me, we can’t do anything about it anyway. During orientation, Simucon gave us a forty-five-minute lecture on forbidden relationships in the workplace, and a manager evaluating an intern is going to be a problem.”
“Didn’t you say this evaluation was anonymous?”
“Only the final test. Mr. Carden still has to give continuous feedback on my progress. And if I get the job, he’ll be my boss. Permanently.”
