Kai stood by his apartment door, staring at his perfect match. Caught off guard, he greeted Hayden with a smile and stammered nervously. "W-Welcome," he said.

Hayden flashed a small smile. "Just a few days ago, I was answering some questions about my ideal match and now we're here," she said. Kai locked eyes with Hayden for a lingering moment.

"Will you be okay Kai?" Sydney asked.

"I'll be fine, Sydney," Kai answered. "Hayden, this is my little sister Sydney, and her friend Donna."

"We'll be going home now," Sydney replied. "Just remember to just be yourself. That's one of the keys to dating."

"Speaking of which," Donna recalled, "I've got one with Michael tonight."

Later at the park, Michael was tossing rocks into the lake when Donna showed up. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I was helping Sydney's brother get ready for his date."

"No prob," Michael smiled as he held her hand.

Meanwhile, Kai and Hayden strolled down the street toward the Asian bistro, Jade. Kai was surprised by the comfortable silence that settled in between the two of them. "So Hayden, what made you want to try out Eros?" he asked.

"I want to try out Eros because, in my experience, life is better shared, and I'm looking for the right person to share it with," she explained. "In the end, we only have so much time here, and I don't want to waste another minute I could spend with someone special."

"So you believe what they're promising us?" Kai asked.

"I believe in at least getting out there and trying," Hayden answered. "True love can't find us if we stay inside and hide. What do you think?"

"I believe that it's good to put in the extra effort to find someone," Kai replied. "I'm proud of putting myself out there."

"And you should be," Hayden replied. "We gotta meet true love halfway. That's how you know you're both in it for a long haul."

"Sounds ideal," Kai said.

As they reach an intersection, they encountered Payton walking Puppy. "Hey there, little guy," Hayden said.

Puppy wagged his tail as Hayden pet him. "I'm a bit of a dog person," she explained. "I have a brown border collie named Dipper after the Big Dipper."

"I'd like to meet Dipper sometime," Kai smiled.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Maybe sooner than you think," Hayden suggested.

XxoxX

Later they arrived at Jade. "I can't believe Eros was able to get us reservations here. This place is supposed to be booked out months in advance," Kai beamed.

"It seems like Eros knows how to plan for a special occasion," Hayden suggested.

The maitre'd lead them to their seat. He explained that Eros had customized a full-dose menu based on preferences, which was shocking to them. He returned with an interactive white jug and a variety of small dishes. "We have steamed boa buns with duck confit, taro chips with steak tartare, and a sea urchin on osetra caviar spoon. Along with our specialty beverage: rice wine with Shaoxing. Enjoy," he said.

"I'm not so sure about the urchin business," Kai worriedly explained.

"Allow me," Hayden said as she fed him a spoonful of appetizers, and the creamy sea urchin and caviar melt blissfully on his tongue.

Kai started to like the taste. "Guess Eros really knows their stuff," he smiled. "Cheers to that."

Hayden poured out rice wine for the two of them. Soft candlelight illuminated Hayden's beautiful features as she held her cup. "To a magical evening," she toasted.

"Cheers," Kai replied as they sipped. "What do you do for a living?" he asked.

"I'm an astronautical engineer," Hayden answered, "meaning I build spacecraft. I got fascinated with outer space when I was a kid playing around with my telescope. It's really rewarding to work on something that feels so innovative."

The evening goes on as you sample some crispy noodles with steamed vegetables. "So where's your hometown?" Kai asked.

"There isn't too much to say," Hayden answered. "I'm from a small quiet town in Central California. Quaint, nondescript. The population of 2,000. The only significant thing about it is that the number of mini-marts might even outnumber humans."

"What about your family?" Kai asked.

"I grew up an only child with my single mother," Hayden explained. "She's strong and loving. I wouldn't change it for the world." Suddenly she gives Kai a warm smile, and he continued eating the noodle dish.

Soon, the waiter brought out the pharaoh quail with chives and black truffles. Kai and Hayden savored each stunning dish, conversing cheerfully about every topic Kai thought of.

"No way!" Hayden exclaimed. "How is it possible that you have the same favorite cereal, karaoke song, and '80s movie as me?"

"You've got to be messing with me," Kai responded.

"I'm being honest," Hayden replied.

"On three, favorite vacation spot," Kai replied back. "1, 2, 3..."

"Cinque Terre!" they shouted.

"What can I say?" Hayden asked. "Italy has the best food. What could go wrong?"

XxoxX

By the time they finished up the salad course, Kai breathed short from laughter. He turned to look around the restaurant and realized that they were the last ones there. After a few moments, the waitress returned to their table asking if they were having a wonderful time. "Don't forget that Eros has handled your bill for you tonight," she informed.

"They're really spoiling us, aren't they?" Kai asked.

"They've also arranged for the last dessert course that you're guaranteed to find heavenly and then tea," the waitress replied.

As the waitress left, Kai exchanged glances with Hayden. They held hands and felt choreographed to them. Hayden suggested that they should get out of there, as she wanted to show him something. Kai leveled his eyes with Hayden as he got ready to stand up and run.

"Let's boogie," Kai whispered as they run towards the exit, giggling like kids.

The waitress arrived at their table, seeing that they'd gone missing. "Where did they go?" she asked.

"This way," Hayden said.

They continued running down the street, looking over a view. Suddenly, they reached the park.

"I think we really dodged a bullet there. Unless you want to hear the intricacies of my morning routine. Spoiler alert: I make a mean green smoothie. It's all about almond milk to kale ratio," Hayden said.

"You don't say?" Kai asked.

They doubled over in laughter, adrenaline coursing through them. They slowly gained a hold over themselves and met each other's eyes. Hayden quickly placed a call, then hung up. "My friend is getting everything ready for us. We can take a quick walk in the park while waiting," she suggested.

Kai nodded his head. They passed by Michael and Donna, who were doing some stargazing.

"Don't they look cute together?" Donna said to Michael. "I had that look in my eye when I first met you."

"You're a babe of words," Michael flirtatiously replied.

Suddenly, it started to rain a bit. After a few moments, the rain intensified, splattering heavily against the sidewalk. Kai and Hayden rushed over to find shelter, Hayden shielding Kai from the downpour. They huddled together as the rain fell down almost peacefully around them. Kai thought it was quick thinking of Hayden.

XxoxX

Later that night, they arrived by horse and buggy. "This is the surprise?" Kai asked.

"Of course," Hayden answered. "I have a friend working at the local horse and buggy rides."

Soon, they were in the carriage, riding around town. "It's beautiful out here," Kai commented. "Do you miss home?"

"A little," Hayden answered. "I think finding a place to slow down is so important. Here, there's no one telling you what to do or who to be. It makes me feel...peaceful."

"I know the feeling," Kai replied. Hayden exchanged a glade with him, and closed the distance between them and softly pressed her lips to his.

"I'm starting to get a little tired, Hayden," Kai explained. "I had a good time."

"I'll walk you home," Hayden said.

XxoxX

They got off by The Golden Griddle and made their way back to Kai's apartment. Along the way, Hayden's hand found him in the dark.

XxoxX

A few days later, Kai and Sydney were at Apple Rose Grille ordering brunch. Kai's mind wandered as he thought about Hayden and the feel of her touch.

"Kai," Sydney asked as he snapped out of it, "are you okay? How was your date?"

The waitress came with their orders - waffles for Sydney and a ranch breakfast for Kai. "So what did it for you?" she asked. "The big doe eyes, the whispered nothings, or an aversion to Tide pods?"

"Sydney," Kai replied.

"I assume you already filled out the Eros surgery," Sydney replied back. "Do I even need to ask what you chose? It's written all over your face, bro."

"Of course. I said I want to see her again," Kai wondered, "but I haven't heard how she responded yet."

"Maybe it's a delay with the tech or we didn't connect enough," Sydney suggested.

Suddenly, Donna and Emma came in. "So how was your date, Don?" Emma asked.

"It was beautiful, except when an unexpected rain storm came," Donna answered. "Rocket was tampering with the weather machine in the basement again."

Then a waiter came by Kai's table with a message from Eros. It was a white bouquet with a note.

Dear Kai

You've met your perfect match, but did she feel the same way?

We received the answer, and she said yes

"Congrats, Kai," Emma said as she and Donna sat down.

"We're happy for you," Donna said. "I'd have to knock sense into Hayden if she'd said no."

"I just texted the news to Nadia. She'll be mad she wasn't the first to know," Kai explained.

"Damien has been suspecting about Steve," Emma said. "I interviewed him on Splashface last night. What kind of guy wins a Pet Philanthropy Award, owns a lot of timeshares, and knows how to bake creme brûlée from memory?"

"Don't know," Emma answered.

"Maybe he just looks good on paper," Donna suggested. "What do you think? Con artist? Adulterer? Vegan?"

"Maybe I can grill him more the next time I see him," Kai suggested.

"After my date with Michael, I couldn't find anything more on Eros," Donna smiled. "It's like them off the radar."

"They're an exclusive matchmaking service," Sydney replied.

Kai sipped from his coffee when he saw Steve and Nadia sweep into the restaurant. They had good news. "We're going to move in together, tomorrow," Steve announced.

"What?" Kai asked.

"And we're throwing a housewarming party," Nadia explained. "Kai, of course, you have to bring Hayden, especially now that she said yes. We'd love to get to know her more."