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DannTheMuse - Alone Time Comic — Description

Chapter 6
UNDONE
By Dann

Linda has checked all the typical places Andrew liked to spend his time.
He wasn't in the SciFi section, he wasn't hiding amidst the stuffed animals that made up the,
“Reading is Cool!” diorama, and he wasn't lurking under her desk, waiting for her to arrive.
She hadn't really started to panic until half of the workday had passed her by without so much as a peep out of Andrew.
Linda tugged at the sleeves of her green cardigan, pulling them down over her hands, making ‘sweater paws.' The stack of resumes sat before her, looming and immense and wholly untouched. How could she focus on hiring summer interns when Andrew was missing?
Of course, it wasn't strictly unheard of for him to take a sabbatical every once in a while. He was, after all, his own free man, diminutive as he may be. Linda often had to remind herself that before they'd met, Andrew had lived a life all his own.
He was small but fiercely independent, and if he knew how badly she was procrastinating because of him, he would absolutely never let her live it down.
“Lynnie?” Lauren's upbeat voice startled Linda, causing her to lose focus and nearly fall back in her chair, which she had been leaving back on far more than was safely recommended.
“Weaaaaaahh?!” Linda yelped, breaking her own cardinal rule of silence in the library, but thankfully caught herself and clung onto her desk for dear life, eyes wide as saucers.
“Woah, easy…I didn't mean to startle you.” The dark-haired woman raised both hands out in front of her and took a solid step backwards.
Linda tugged harder on her sleeve and took a few deep, slow breaths before turning very slowly on her swiveling chair to face Lauren. “I'm fine; what do you want?”
Linda closed her eyes and sighed, then began again, forcing a cordial but thin smile, “I'm sorry, how can I help you, Lauren?”
“I'm all done; that officially marks the last of the 300s, the mainframe manuals are safely in recycling purgatory, and I never want to see another yellowed Dewey Decimal spine again. Consider the collection assessment officially conquered.” Lauren wiped her hands together, formally washing her hands of her least favorite task, collection assessment.
Linda stated blankly forward; she'd definitely heard what Lauren had just said, but she didn't really process it. “Oh, um...yeah, that's…yeah, maybe just go on lunch then?”
Lauren stared back at the oversized wall clock behind Linda's desk, then back to her boss quickly. "It's after one? I already took my lunch break?”

"Oh, heh, right.” Linda chewed aggressively on her bottom lip and glanced briefly under her desk.
“Are you okay, Lynnie? You seem off today?” Lauren closed the gap between them and followed
Linda's eyes under the desk, eyeing her with concern when their eyes eventually met once again. “Something under there I should know about?”
Linda frowned, her momentary vulnerability forced back down, replaced by the stern and stoic mask she was best known for. “I'm fine, thank you for the concern.” Linda tugged at her cardigan and sat up straight in her chair.
“Is it the book goblin again?” Lauren's lips stretched into a playful smile.
“I beg your pardon?” Linda snapped back sharply.
Lauren was taken off guard and genuinely seemed confused. She hadn't expected that sort of response to such an innocent comment. “I-I'm, well, I mean… I'm sorry, I was just making a joke. Y-y-you know, the book goblin? The little goblin who lives in the library? You're always telling the kids to leave snacks and warm clothes out for?”
Linda immediately felt the oppressive weight of worry once again and for a long moment didn't respond. “The returns need to be catalogued. Would you mind taking care of that for me, Lauren?” Linda pushed off her desk, wheeling her chair back, and stood abruptly.
Lauren backed up several steps to give her boss a wide berth. “Yeah, sure thing, Lynnie!”
“And please keep an eye on the front desk for a few? I need to…um, yeah, I'll be back in a few minutes.” Without another word, Linda made her way quickly toward the back of the library, immediately heading for the staff room, while a very confused Lauren Armack watched the back of the library, immediately heading for the staff room, while a very confused Lauren Armack watched, with concern.
***
Linda quietly shut the door to the break too and threw the deadbolt shut with a click that echoed loud enough to wake the dead.
She moved with hurried steps toward the sink and turned on the cold water, immediately plunging her wrists under the cold water.
“Pull it together, Linda. You're overreacting. This is absurd; he's perfectly fine.” The cold water poured over her wrists, and she closed her eyes.
She was being ridiculous, he was likely fine, he could take care of himself, and she was overreacting. At least, that's what she kept trying to tell herself.
“This is absurd; Andrew has gone his entire life without me to take care of him. He certainly doesn't need me now, doting over him like a mother hen.” Her emerald green eyes opened; she was starting to feel calmer as the cold water cooled the blood running through her wrists, signaling her nervous system to relax and lower her heart rate.
Every day for the past few months, she had at least some sort of interaction with Andrew to begin her shift.
A note.
A brief conversation.
A quiet good morning as she passed his aisle.
But never nothing, never just silence.
“I pushed him too far and too fast, and now I've frightened him away.” Linda could feel her heart begin to race once more.
No, that was nonsense; all she had done was invite him to lunch. He'd come willingly, and they had enjoyed a lovely lunch date.
Linda froze and blinked several times as her arms went limp.
Date? Had she really just referred to her lunch with Andrew as a date?
“Great, now I'm lonely, desperate, AND delusional. Good job, St. Germaine; that's a hat trick. One more, and they officially welcome you into the Spinsters Club." Linda stared down into the stainless steel sink, watching the water pour from the faucet before her knees finally buckled under the weight of her exhaustion.
She slid down the cool particleboard cabinets until she hit the linoleum floor in a defeated heap, arms wrapped tightly around her shins as the menacing silence of the break room closed in around her.
This wasn't really about one short morning without seeing Andrew, and now she was beginning to understand.
“Hey, so…um, only one of us is allowed to have a mental breakdown at a time, and like, I've totally already committed, sooo…” Andrew's voice, small but clear, cut through the deafening silence.

Linda sat up straight and quickly rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “Andrew Norman!”
There were a few seconds of silence, and then, “Woah, the full name treatment? Fine, if you really want, I suppose we can share? But I don't know how good I'll be at picking up the shattered pieces of your broken life when I'm wallowing in my own self-pity."
Linda would probably have laughed had she not been so peeved. “So this is where you've been hiding all day?” Linda leaned back against the cabinets, stealthily scanning the immediate vicinity for where Andrew may be hiding.
She knew he wouldn't show himself, but if she happened to catch a peak anyhow, what would the harm be?
“Hiding? Isn't this the break room? I'm on break, that's all.” Andrew muttered.
“Don't get smart with me; I've been looking for you all morning.” Linda huffed. She could hear him so well; he was close. Very close.
Andrew remained silent.
“I was going to show you the core rulebook for the new horror fiction RPG model I backed. But knowing you, all I'd hear for the next two weeks was how much better your precious pathfinder is.” Linda felt petty, but the sort of petty that felt nice and selfish.
Andrew still didn't respond.
“I'm sorry.” Linda stared ahead at the locked door. “I pushed you too far; I shouldn't have forced you to eat lunch with me. I knew your boundaries, and I crossed them anyhow. I-I-I'm sorry.” Linda felt hot tears down her cheek but didn't go to wipe them this time.
“Don't be.” Andrew said once more, his voice, small as it was, closer and louder than before. “I actually really enjoyed that.”
Linda furrowed her brow. He was so close; it was as if he was standing on her desk, just like the day before. But he wasn't anywhere in sight. She scanned the immediate area around her again, once more coming up empty.
“Really?” She answered skeptically.
“I did. I mean, after you lectured me on operas and musicals and all that, women explained. " His tone was still downcast, but he was clearly trying to mask it with humor.
“That's not a thing, Andrew.” Linda sighed and rolled her eyes. “Where are you?” Linda turned and looked behind her, beside her and all around her.
Nothing.
“Why do you worry about me so much, Linda? What's your deal?”
Linda frowned; she hadn't been expecting that. “What do you mean? My deal? I care about you; that's my deal.”
“Because you pity me? Because I'm small? Because you want someone to take care of you, why? I need to know.”
Linda cleared her throat and sat up. “W-w-what do you want me to say, Andrew? That you're a pathetic charity case? That I'm trying to lure you into a trap? What? I don't have an answer.”
“Are you?”
Linda shook her head. “Am I, what?”
“Trying to lure me into a trap?”
Linda scoffed and rubbed her temples. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Andrew, that's…”
“Absurd? How come?”
Linda stuttered and scoffed indignantly, “Because I had wanted to catch you, I would have had many opportunities to do so already. Holy crap, am I really under suspicion?”
“Until you give me an answer, maybe?”
Linda felt a tightness in her chest and a heavy sinking feeling in her stomach. “A-Andrew…” Linda choked, her voice tight.
“Then just answer my damn question? Why is this so hard?”
“B-because you needed help? Because I was there? Because we have a lot in common and I didn't want you…to be alone…”
Andrew was quiet, even as Linda slowly stood up and rose back to her full height. But as he watched her from behind a bottle of liquid hand soap, she didn't look enormous and imposing. She looked cracked, deflated, and small.
“Andrew, what's wrong…what did I do to make you so upset? Please, just tell me…”
“So yeah, basically you pitted me. I'm your charity case, huh?” Andrew's voice was stiff and mechanical.
“N-n-no, Andrew, that's not it at all. Honestly!” Linda began searching in earnest now, looking all over the counter and the floors for Andrew.
“Poor little Andrew. Poor, pathetic Andrew. Well, I'm not some kitten behind the dumpster, Linda. You can't lure me in with food and a psspsspss. I'm not stupid, and I'm not anyone's project!”
“Andrew, please…"
“I don't need your pity, I don't need your food, your stupid sweaters, and I don't need this goddamn library. And I don't need you!” Andrew screamed, tears running down his cheeks.
Take it back.
Please take it back.
Tell her you need her.
Oh God, please tell her how much you need her.
Linda went stiff. Her eyes closed tightly. “Okay.” She whispered softly and nodded quickly several times.
I didn't mean it.
God, I didn't mean it.
Please don't go.
“I-I won't bother you anymore then. I'm sorry, Andrew.” Linda whispered softly, then turned and made her way quickly towards the locked door, unlocked it, and left.