Chapter 28 : “New Guy, Old Secrets, and Jealousy in Disguise”

It was supposed to be a regular Monday.

But then he walked in.

Tall. Wavy dark hair. Sharp jawline. That "I-just-woke-up-but-still-look-perfect" look.

He strolled into the café where Zara usually did her freelance work. Holding a laptop. Wearing confidence like a second skin.

Zara didn't even look up. Until—

"Excuse me," a deep voice said. "Is this seat taken?"

She glanced up.

And blinked.

Twice.

"No," she said slowly. "But it's about to be."

He grinned. "Nice. I like the attitude."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not flirting. I'm warning."

"I'm Noah," he said, offering his hand.

Zara reluctantly shook it. "Zara. Don't get comfortable."

---

Meanwhile… at Jessie's place

Jessie and Milo were halfway through a puzzle-building date.

Yes. Puzzle. 1000 pieces. Jessie's idea. Milo's nightmare.

"I swear this corner piece moved by itself," he muttered.

Jessie snorted. "Yeah. The puzzle's haunted."

He leaned in close. "Or maybe it's just your chaotic energy affecting reality."

Jessie smirked. "My chaos keeps things interesting."

Milo: "That's what scares me."

She stuck a sticker on his forehead. "You're cute when terrified."

---

Back at the café…

Zara noticed Noah's screen. Her eyes narrowed.

"Wait… is that code?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm a freelance dev. Mostly AI architecture."

Zara froze. "What kind of AI?"

Noah leaned back, eyes twinkling. "The dating kind."

She nearly choked on her coffee.

He smiled slowly. "You okay?"

Zara stared at him. "You… worked on HeartMatch?"

His eyes widened. "Whoa. How'd you know?"

Zara: Oh crap.

Instead of answering, she mumbled, "Lucky guess."

But her heart was racing.

Was this guy involved in the weird glitching app? Was he a spy? Or worse… another test subject?

She texted Tessa under the table:

> ZARA: new guy. dev. HeartMatch. suspicious hot.

> TESSA: describe hot.

> ZARA: irrelevant. focus.

> TESSA: I need visuals to assess threat level.

---

Later that evening...

Leo saw Zara sitting with Noah outside the café.

Laughing.

Leo did not like it.

He really didn't like the way Noah leaned in when Zara talked.

He crossed the street.

"Hey," Leo said casually. "Who's your friend?"

Zara blinked. "Leo. This is Noah. He's new in town."

Noah extended his hand. "Sup. You are?"

"Protective," Leo said with a tight smile.

Zara groaned. "Here we go."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Did I walk into some sort of love triangle?"

Zara: "No. Just... complicated geometry."

Leo: "More like heptagon, if you count Milo's overreactions."

Zara stood up. "I'm leaving before this turns into a math lesson."

Bonus Scene:

In a dark office, someone watched a screen.

Files flashed by: Jessie x Milo, Zara x Leo, New Subject: Noah

The figure sipped coffee.

Smiled.

And typed:

> Phase 2 begins now.