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Luke: How’s it going?.
Sera: I think I’ve rewritten a decent portion of it, but you’ll have to check how it integrates into the whole. How is your day?
Luke: Boring, but I feel better knowing you’re in the same building with me, safe and sound. Have the police contacted you yet?
Sera: No. I think they’re just happy I’m not in any danger. Damien hasn’t tried to catch a plane. I think they’d call me if he had… or they’d just arrest him. I guess his only other option would be to drive across the country. Before you ask, yes, I have thought about that. I may have even researched it.
Luke: Go on.
Sera: He could conceivably be here by this evening. Or tomorrow morning. It would take a truly determined, obsessed man to do that. But I met him. He seemed deluded and obsessed.
Luke: I know it’s easier said than done. But try not to worry about that. This building has security. My apartment has security. If we go somewhere in public, we’ll be together. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.
Sera: Thank you, Luke.
Luke: Speaking of public, actually…
Sera: You know, in a text, you don’t have to leave dramatic pauses, right?
Luke: Maybe I need to maintain my status as your mystery man…
Sera: Ha ha, well, you’re doing it. Now, put me out of my misery, please.
Luke: I told Victor we’d have breakfast with him tomorrow. He mentioned it, and I got excited and said yes before I asked you. I can find a way out of it, though.
Luke’s told me a little bit about the Victor and how much he means to him, the man he sees as a father figure. I just hope he doesn’t hold my association with TechGuard against me.
Sera: No, I want to go. I know how much Victor means to you. It’d be nice to meet him. What time do you think you’ll be done tonight?
Luke: Pfft. No idea. Nine if I’m lucky. I can give you a ride to the apartment sooner than that, though.
Sera: I’ll stay here. We can leave together. I might get some empathetic AI work done, too. It’s good to be busy. It reminds me of why I fell in love with coding.
Luke: There’s nothing simpler and yet more complex than a sea of code. is there Sparkplug?
Sera: I can think of a couple things.
Luke: Wait a second. Are you saying I’m simple?
Sera: I’m saying that our connection is simple because it’s clear. It’s obvious. It’s unquestionable. But it’s so freaking complex, too. There are so many layers to my desire and devotion toward you.
I almost don’t send my last message, my finger hovering over the send button. Am I going too far? But I figure, screw it. If I can’t be honest with him after everything we’ve been through, who can I be honest with?
Luke: I’ll never tire of obsessing over you, Sparkplug.
I clutch my phone to my chest. If someone were watching me, they’d probably think I’d lost my mind. But I don’t care. The past two days have been the craziest roller coaster of my life.
Luke: Are you sure you don’t mind about breakfast?
Sera: I’m certain. I just hope Victor likes me.
Luke: He will. You’re exactly the kind of person he respects: driven, intelligent, curious. He was just worried about me. He didn’t want me to get my heart broken. Little did he know, if you really were ghosting me, my heart would’ve already shattered. This is coming from someone who didn’t even feel like he had a heart before he met you.
Sera: If you’ve given me your heart, Luke, I’m going to be so careful with it.
Luke: If you’ve given me yours, Sparkplug, I’m going to defend it with my life. I’m going to spend every single day proving I’m worthy of it. I’m going to cherish it, cherish you, for as long as you’ll have me.
Sera: That will be a LONG time.