Chapter 37 Lincoln
LINCOLN
@theanswerisno:
You’re surprisingly good
at racing games
@pancakesareelite:
I like to go fast
@pancakesareelite:
You’re surprisingly bad. I thought you were good at everything
@theanswerisno:
I like to go slow
@pancakesareelite:
We really are as different as can be
@theanswerisno:
Opposites attract *wink wink*
@pancakesareelite:
Are you flirting with me? Link!
@pancakesareelite:
You scumbag! You used your seductive words to distract me so you could win
@theanswerisno:
You snooze you lose
@theanswerisno:
But my previous statement stands
I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Overpower streams to soothe my guilt for missing most of the LAN. Rose and William had assured me that it was okay. They needed hype and reviews, and I could do that from here. I commented on every video and blog post I could find.
Gaming generally helped me regulate, but I’d left my laptop behind, so this would have to do.
But it wasn’t enough. At some point, I went outside to breathe in the chilly air. Once Elizabeth was here, I’d probably stay locked in my room because I might pass out if I got too close to her.
I went back inside and climbed into bed. As a last resort, sleep would help. My muscles turned to jelly as soon as they hit the mattress. The window I’d left open let in a breeze and the quiet sounds of the outside. My pulse seemed to tap-tap-tap along with a branch hitting the roof of the cabin.
I’d have to say something to Elizabeth. But what? When? Tonight?
I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was late. Later than it should have been. Where was she? I pushed myself upward. She could have stayed at work an extra hour or two or grabbed dinner first. But even so, she should have been here by now.
I hesitantly dialed her number and waited.
It beeped. I stared at my screen. The reception along these roads was awful.
The road was awful, too, even with my giant truck and its giant wheels.
Despite being capable and as determined as can be, Elizabeth’s small car would struggle with the unfinished roads and bad weather.
Something unpleasant swirled in the depths of my stomach.
I pulled myself out of bed and grabbed my waterproof jacket and a flashlight. It wouldn’t hurt to check. If she was on her way here, I’d find her. There was only one road in and out of this place.
I rushed out of the cabin before hopping into my truck and bringing it to life. I reversed out of the driveway, spinning the truck around, and drove onto the gravel road.
I rang Elizabeth again, but the call still wasn’t going through. I drove down the zigzag road, looking along the sides. What if she wasn’t coming at all? I wouldn’t, if I were her. In which case, I’d find the roads quiet and empty and probably hear from her in the morning.
Gravel shot sideways as I tore through it. In the distance, two small yellow lights flickered in the darkness at an angle a car shouldn’t be.
Elizabeth? An accident?
I sped up. My heart pounded so fast I thought I may throw up. Panic ripped through me, and I hit the brakes and jumped out onto the gravel, nearly slipping.
My father’s accident flashed through my mind.
I stumbled toward her red car through the fog. The driver’s side was empty. “Elizabeth!” I yelled, my chest burning with concern.
“Lincoln?” she squeaked from behind me.
I spun around, finding her standing there, her arms wrapped around herself. Her body shivered and shook. My anxiety snapped, and a downpour of relief washed over me.
“Lincoln?” she said again, and leaped into my arms, spreading heat throughout my body.
Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Those two words kept echoing in my head, and with the raging gratitude in my chest, I could barely hear her.
In a second, she withdrew, her chest still rising and falling too quickly for that oxygen to be useful. “There was something in the road and I didn’t want to hit it and then my car—” She paused, taking a few shaky breaths. “And, Lincoln, I’m—”
“Are you okay?” I said, interrupting what I thought may be an apology I wasn’t ready to hear, and right now, it was less than important. A cold breeze whipped by and sent me shivering too.
She nodded.
I wanted to touch her, hold her. I wanted to tuck her into my jacket. But I tried my best to regain control of my still-beating heart.
“I’ll pull you out.” I walked over to my truck and stepped on the tow bar, lifting myself into the bed. I rummaged around until I found the tow rope. Elizabeth stood exactly where I had left her.
“Get inside.” I pointed at her car as I fastened the rope between our vehicles.
“Do you need help?”
I stepped away from her; if I got too close, I’d grab her and never let her go. “You need to steer.” I reached my truck. “I’ll tow you all the way there, just in case.”
I climbed in my truck, and as soon as I closed the door, everything I’d worked so hard on suppressing bubbled up to the surface. I remembered the exact moment that took my dad away from me.
Elizabeth could have been hurt.
For the first time in a long time, I sobbed. I rested my forehead on the steering wheel and cried for a few seconds while Elizabeth climbed into her car and waited.
She was okay.
She was alive.
And I was undeniably in love with her.