The Love Algorithm

Ava Lin did not date.

She debugged, she stress-baked, and occasionally she rage-tweeted about people who clapped when the plane landed. But dating? That was a feature she'd disabled years ago.

So standing outside a boutique coffee shop on a sunny Seattle afternoon, waiting for Leo Reyes — Mr. Influencer, Mr. I-Do-Brand-Deals-With-My-Smile — felt like some kind of punishment coded by the universe.

She glanced at the HeartSync livestream feed on her phone. Over 12,000 people were tuned in. Comment bubbles rolled in nonstop:

☕ "She's cute but looks like she'd stab him with a straw 💀"
💘 "I ship this! Coder girl x Sunshine boy?? ICONIC."
🔍 "Watching for science. Also, drama."

"Kill me," she muttered.

"Don't worry," said a smooth voice behind her. "I'll make sure your murder gets a killer thumbnail."

Ava turned to find Leo, dressed like he'd walked out of a perfectly lit fashion editorial — tan coat, white tee, messy curls arranged like they were wind-kissed by angels.

He offered her a flower.

Not a rose. Not even daisies.

A dandelion.

"You pulled this from a sidewalk crack, didn't you?" she asked.

Leo grinned. "You looked like the type who'd appreciate authenticity."

She snorted — unfortunately, on camera.

Inside, they took a table by the window. A production assistant adjusted a hidden mic on Ava's hoodie, and Leo already had two iced lattes ordered — one "black like your mood," one "sweet like me."

He slid the latter toward her.

"I assume you're the kind of guy who's dated, like, every influencer in L.A.," Ava said, stirring her drink with a paper straw.

Leo leaned in, elbows on the table. "I'm actually very selective."

"Selective, huh?" she raised an eyebrow. "What's your type?"

He smiled. "I'll let you know after this date."

The heat rose to her cheeks before she could stop it.

Okay. Fine. He was annoying — but charming, in a way that should be illegal.

"So," he said, sipping casually, "you really trust your code to find you love?"

Ava hesitated.

"I trust data," she said. "It's people I don't trust."

Leo tilted his head. "Why?"

She was quiet for a moment.

"Let's just say I've seen enough ghostings, games, and gaslighting to know romance isn't exactly... reliable." She swirled the melting ice in her cup. "Code doesn't lie."

Leo nodded, surprisingly serious for once.

"Well," he said, "maybe this'll change your mind."

She looked up, and for a second, something shifted between them — a flicker of sincerity behind the easy smile. The chatter of the coffee shop faded, just for a moment.

Then Leo leaned back and said, "Or maybe you'll fall madly in love with me, and I'll have to change careers to escape your obsession."

Ava rolled her eyes so hard it should've earned its own orbit.

She didn't say it out loud, but she felt it anyway:

This might actually be fun.