From Evan: Sorry man, I wanted to tell you. I really did. Louise wouldn’t help me with it unless I made it a surprise for everyone.

To Evan: It’s cool. I was just surprised. It’s fine, except that now Lin’s getting all sorts of ideas.

From Evan: Is that so bad?

To Evan: Not really. I guess. She’s awesome, and I can’t ever see myself with anyone else. Besides, who else in the world would want me?

From Evan: Lots of girls probably would, but you know none of them are going to be like Lin. Plus she would probably kill anyone who tried anything.

I look up over my monitors to where Lin is standing at her desk. She’s got headphones on and is doing a little bouncing dance as she codes. Even in the oversized sweatshirt she sometimes likes to wear in the office, she looks incredible. She’s in the zone, oblivious to the world around her, and absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t find anyone like her in a hundred lifetimes.

To Evan: But don’t you think we’re a little young for this kind of thing?

From Evan: No, man. I know what I want. I think you do too.

To Evan: Maybe.

From Evan: Just think about it. I’ve got your back whatever you do.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

To Evan: Likewise, brother. And congratulations. You two are awesome.

From Evan: Thanks.

I turn back to the batch of possible sightings that came in this morning. Lin cooked up an algorithm that filters out most of the ones that aren’t even close, and she’s working on improving it now, but there are still a whole lot that could be Jeff and need to be manually verified. It’s tedious, but there are only a few people in the world who can really tell if an event is caused by bot activity and most of them live on our campus.

I finally get through the whole set. As always, none of them are Jeff. Lin is still lost in her code. I slip from behind my desk and walk up behind her. I put my arms around her and kiss her neck playfully. She reaches up and pops off her big, noise-canceling headphones.

“You really want that interface?” I ask her.

“I’ve been jealous of what your family can do since I first heard of you,” she says, turning to return the embrace. “Of course I do.”

“But we talked about an implant months ago,” I say. “You didn’t want to start training for that.”

“No,” she agrees, “that was more than I was up for. Plus, Louise said there could be complications. She’s never done one on someone who’s not in your family, and she said the genetic differences could be a problem. But this is different. It’s safe, and Valerie says it’s fantastic.”

“Alright, we’ll talk to Louise then. I bet we can get you next on the list.”

“Really?” she exclaims.

“Yeah.”

She lays on a barrage of kisses and thank-yous. I love seeing her this happy.

“Come on,” I tell her, “let’s get lunch and then take a little break.”

“And by break, you mean up in your bedroom, right?”

“Of course,” I say, giving her a little grope.

“Good,” she says, her hand sliding down my back. “I have some ideas on how I can express my gratitude.”

“I like the sound of that. Let’s go.”