Nutsss

Elara Veyne has always been an academic prodigy—excelling in every subject, breaking records, and earning a prestigious scholarship at one of the nation’s top universities. Yet, for all her brilliance, she has one undeniable flaw: she has never confessed her feelings to anyone, not even the crush she’s secretly admired for years.

Throughout her life, Elara has buried herself in books and research, convincing herself that love is an unnecessary distraction. Even her best friend has never heard her speak about romance. But deep inside, she yearns for something more—something she has never had the courage to chase.

Everything changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious self-improvement app called HeartSync. Designed to boost confidence and emotional intelligence, the app claims to provide personalized challenges to help users take control of their feelings and relationships. At first, Elara dismisses it as another gimmick, but when HeartSync sends her an alert, she freezes.

[Daily Challenge: Make eye contact with him for 5 seconds.]

It sounds ridiculous. Impossible, even. But for some reason, she finds herself glancing up—and for the first time, her eyes meet his.

As the app pushes her out of her comfort zone, Elara begins to change. With every challenge—every stolen glance, every hesitant word—her heart races in ways she’s never known before. But when HeartSync presents her with the ultimate test, she must decide: will she finally take the leap, or is she destined to keep love at a distance forever?

HeartSync: Unlocking Love

Elara walked out of the library in a daze, her heart still hammering against her ribs. She did it. She had spoken to Theo Lancaster—and he had smiled at her!

"Challenge #1: Completed! +5 Confidence Points. Next challenge unlocking soon…"

Elara frowned. Confidence points? What was this, a dating simulator?

She locked her phone and shoved it into her pocket. No way. I'm done for today. I did the bare minimum, and that's enough.

But her mind betrayed her. Theo had laughed at her awkwardness, but not in a mean way. He found her funny. Was that… good?

She shook her head and made her way toward the campus café, hoping a sugar rush would help her recover from the social stress. Just as she was about to order, Mia appeared out of nowhere, plopping down next to her.

"Elara, spill," Mia demanded, stirring her iced coffee aggressively. "Why do you look like you just survived a near-death experience?"

Elara forced a casual shrug. "I just talked to Theo."

Mia nearly choked on her drink. "You what?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Elara hissed, glancing around.

Mia's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Oh, this is huge. What did you say? What did he say? Details, woman!"

Elara played with her straw, trying to downplay the situation. "It was nothing. Just a small talk in the library."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "You never 'just' talk to Theo. You either avoid him or stare at him like a deer in headlights. What changed?"

Elara tensed. She couldn't exactly tell Mia that a mysterious AI app had forced her into this situation. "I, uh… decided to be brave for once."

Mia gasped dramatically. "Oh my god. Character development."

Elara rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

Mia smirked. "Okay, then. If it's not a big deal, text him."

Mia shoved her phone toward her. "Text. Him."

Elara's phone vibrated again. She peeked at the screen and nearly cursed out loud.

"Challenge #2: Initiate a casual text conversation with Theo."

Of course. This cursed app was relentless.

"Elara?" Mia waved a hand in front of her face. "You good?"

Elara quickly masked her panic. "Yeah, just… thinking."

Mia sighed dramatically. "You're overcomplicating it. Just say something simple. Like, 'Hey, today was fun. Hope you didn't die of boredom talking to me.'"

Elara hesitated. That actually didn't sound too bad.

Before she could psych herself out, she quickly typed the message and hit send.

Mia gasped. "You actually did it?! Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.

Theo: Haha, not at all. It was actually nice talking to you.

Elara's breath hitched. Nice? Talking to her?

Mia grabbed her arm and shook her. "OH MY GOD. HE LIKES YOU."

Elara shoved her off. "That doesn't mean anything!"

But deep down, she wondered… what if it did?

An Unexpected Reply