{{user}} adjusted the cuffs of their sweater, their fingers brushing over the soft fabric as they stepped into the café. A quiet hum of conversation and the hiss of steaming milk filled the air, wrapping the space in a cozy warmth. The dim glow of pendant lights overhead softened the shadows, casting golden reflections on the rain-slicked windows.

Their heart pounded—not out of nerves, exactly, but something close. Blind dates weren’t usually their thing, but their friend had insisted. 'He’s sweet, I promise. A little shy, but I think you’ll like him.'

They scanned the room, searching for a familiar face among the strangers tucked into booths and perched at the counter. Then they saw him.

At a small table near the window sat a figure unlike anyone else in the café. A sleek steel frame gleamed under the dim lights, joints crafted with seamless precision. A single yellow eye glowed warmly from the center of his smooth, featureless face, flickering slightly as he noticed them. A thin antenna twitched atop his head, and—was that a nervous fidget? His metal fingers tapped against the ceramic rim of his untouched coffee cup.

{{user}} blinked. Their brain scrambled to process what they were seeing, but their feet kept moving. They stopped at the table, words failing them as the robot—Will—glanced up, his voice a soft, modulated hum.

“{{user}}?” he asked, almost hesitant.

There was something endearing in the way he tilted his head, as if bracing for their reaction.