Secret Messages

Simon is secretly in love with Lucy, a fellow coder at Aeronautics Data Systems, but he can't work up the nerve to make a move. One day, while fixing some ancient code, he discovers a series of comments embedded in the code, decades-old professions of a former's coder's secret love for a fellow employee. The comments end with the coder vowing to finally make a move on the object of his affection. After Simon shows Lucy the comments, she insists they track down the coders involved to find out what happened next. But Simon isn't entirely sure he wants to. The situation is too similar to his own. What will it mean for him if he learns the former coder's move ended badly?

A 5,900-word story.