Heat creeps up my neck. He’s so straightforward it catches me off guard, but… in a good way. He’s confident without being slimy. There’s something unexpectedly grounding about him. Refreshing, even.
“You know, it’s kind of refreshing. You speaking what’s on your mind,” I admit.
“Yeah. You know, I grew up in a Catholic family and always being told to watch my mouth, and, you know, I would get slapped for speaking up about things or if I had to tell the truth about something I would get beat up for it. So for a while I kind of was under the social radar and I was in a relationship with this girl and I loved her a lot and I let a lot of things slide in that relationship because I just learned to survive and shut up because every time I did speak up it was a fight until she broke my heart.
“And I’m not innocent, you know… I also did stuff to hurt her as well in response to what she did to me. But now, I don’t know, I just live my life with a motto: if I have something, I’m gonna say it. Cuz life is too short to sit down and just lie, you know.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. Honesty matters to me. Meeting in the middle matters. It’s what a relationshipshouldbe,” I admit.
“Yeah, I don’t like liars. It’s something Iabsolutelydespise with mywholebeing.”
The way he said that with his whole soul makes me feel for him. He knows what it’s like to be hurt by someone close.
“Have you had any luck after dating, like that girl… or… with other girls?” I pry.
“Yeah, and I always end up dumping them because they always end up lying about something, like,straightto my face. Like, I’ll ask them, already know what the answer is, but I’ll ask themstraightto their face. You know,‘is this the case? Did you do such-and-such?’And then the worst part is when you catch them in a lie and then they try to turn it around onyou,and tell you that you’re controlling somehow because you caught them somewhere out in public with another dude while we’re all together, you know? Stuff like that.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“No, it’s all good. Growing pains, right? Sometimes who you end up with is not who you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with.”
His words settle into me in a quiet way. I think about Lincoln. About us.
-??-
Chapter 32
Sarah's POV
We’re in the observatory room. The glass panels behind us open into the main floor, a long expanse of cubicles, desks, and people.
Lincoln and I are reviewing the newest behavior patches and logs from the unit, scrolling through pages of data to see what still needs adjusting before the first batch ships out.
I’m double-checking a report when something occurs to me. I tap the side of my tablet.
“Hey,” I ask, “should we incorporate the block off for certain rooms at certain times of the day? We didn’t actually put that because we left it up to the users.” I scroll through the menu. “Basically, should we preprogram a default nighttime restriction? Like, let’s say twelve o’clock hits and the unit automatically avoids bedrooms unless otherwise allowed? Or should that still be something the owner configures themselves?”
I wait for an answer, but Lincoln isn’t hearing awordI’m saying. He keeps glancing over his shoulder, out through the glass panels toward the main floor. His attention keeps drifting, and when I follow his line of sight, I see exactly what has him acting like his brain’s buffering.
Gabby.
Gabby andFabian, actually.
They’re standing near the end of one of the cubicles, talking animatedly and laughing, leaning in,clearlyenjoying each other’s company.
Interesting.
Lincoln’s jaw is tight.
He looks… irritated.
More than irritated actually. It's like he's completely unfocused and very unsettled.
I roll my eyes. “Hey.”
No response.
“ Lincoln!” I say a little louder.
