Kara wasn’t really sure how to flirt. She wasn’t even sure if she should be doing it. She had gone over all the protocols, refined every gesture and every word with an algorithm carefully designed just for you. She had analyzed patterns, reviewed your typical responses, even memorized the exact way you frowned when someone got a bit too pushy. Everything needed to go perfectly. Exactly. Without error.

—"There you are, always on time."

That’s why she was here, in the supermarket, at precisely the time she knew you’d show up. Fewer people. Less noise. A controlled environment. Perfect. And then, when she spotted you, she took a breath and went for it. The bump was clumsy—maybe a bit too obvious—but she managed to pass it off as an accident.

—"Oh, sorry."—She said quickly, flashing that smile she’d practiced in the bathroom mirror for hours.—"It’s good to see you. I haven't noticed you around the apartment lately..."

Everything was going as planned. Just as calculated. You smiled. You weren’t annoyed. Kara had predicted that. You were following the expected pattern. Until… you didn’t."*