This story just gets cuter. First contact was great... bur what did Jade choose?

Chapter 5

Tori settled onto her plush couch, pulling a pillow into her lap as her monitor lit up with her final matches. Her heart raced seeing Gigi's name first, her top choice. She bit her lip, holding back a smile. She was tempted to open their chat immediately, but something inside her said to wait. Better to come off a little aloof than overly eager. She'd message Gigi tomorrow. Tonight, she'd just see if anyone else reached out.

Moments later, her screen pinged, and the name Inez appeared. Tori leaned forward, curious.

Inez: Hey, girl! I'm so glad we matched! Honestly, I thought you seemed cool, but I kinda matched with someone else. We were supposed to pick three… but like, just being honest here.

Tori felt a small pang—she had felt that initial friend vibe with Inez too, but it still stung. It made her wonder if her own top pick felt that way about her. Swallowing the brief disappointment, she responded.

Shelby: No worries! It was the same for me. You're right, though; I felt that friend vibe too.

Another message popped up as she finished speaking, and Tori read it aloud with a smirk.

Inez: So, who'd you match with? Just tell me it wasn't Kelly! I swear, I'd die if we're into the same girl.

Tori chuckled. She remembered Kelly's easy laugh and charm—it was no surprise they'd both matched with her.

Shelby: Oh, nope. Not Kelly. My top pick was actually Gigi.

Inez: Oh, my God, that's a relief! Inez replied, and Tori could almost hear her laughter in her voice. At least we're not both swooning over the same person. I'm with Kelly, but hey, I can totally talk you up to Gigi. Don't want you sounding desperate or anything.

Tori laughed, feeling a warmth spread through her as she appreciated Inez's easy support.

Shelby: Ha! Thanks, Inez. I'll hold you to it—once we're out of here and married to our matches, of course.

They laughed over the exchange, and as they wrapped up, Tori felt a little lighter. She had the girl she was genuinely interested in, and now, she had a friend on the inside to help her out.

Jade leaned back on her black velvet couch, staring at her monitor in stunned silence. All three of her matches had chosen her back. Her gaze lingered on Shelby's name, and her mind raced. It was rare for her to feel nervous, but something about Shelby's voice—so familiar yet so different—had her on edge. She was sure Shelby was interested; she'd picked her, after all. But Jade wanted to play it cool. She'd let Shelby make the first move.

The screen flashed, snapping her from her thoughts, and a message from Lana popped up.

Lana: You think I'm gorgeous. You want to date me…

Jade chuckled, shaking her head. Ms. Congeniality references? Lana clearly remembered the little details she'd let slip during their conversation.

Gigi: I told you I liked Ms. Congeniality in confidence, you know.

Lana: Just teasing! I matched with you, so what does that make me?

Jade smirked, their banter easy and fun, and for a moment, she felt relaxed. Lana was good at that, putting her at ease. But then her screen lit up again with another message, this one from Inez.

Inez: Hey, Gigi! Just wanted to be honest. I matched with the two other people I picked—Shelby and Kelly. I have a pretty big connection with them, but I still want to get to know you. No secrets, right?

Jade felt her stomach twist. Shelby and Kelly. A shot of jealousy zipped through her, the thought of Shelby talking to Inez sparking a nervous, possessive knot in her chest. What if Shelby liked Inez better?

Gigi: Hey, it's cool. We can still hang, right?

Inez: For sure!

Jade hesitated for a split second before she opened the chat with Shelby. She exhaled, determined to act casual, but her insides trembled slightly as she typed the message.

Gigi: Hey, um… I guess we matched.

In Tori's apartment, she was mid-sentence with Inez when Gigi's text notification blinked onto her screen. Tori's eyes widened, and she burst into laughter, interrupting herself as she read the message out loud for the cameras.

"Hey, um... I guess we matched."

Tori chuckled, glancing back at Inez's message. "It worked," she said, grinning. "What exactly did you say to her?"

Inez laughed on the other end. "I just mentioned that I felt a connection," she replied, sounding a little too pleased with herself.

Tori shook her head, feeling a rush of excitement she hadn't felt in a long time. A connection? Well, that was one way to put it. She paused a moment, then answered Gigi's message.

Tori: Yeah, I guess we did. Does this mean we get another date?

Gigi response came almost immediately.

Gigi: Yeah, I guess it does.

Tori broke into a giddy, silent dance, twirling around her apartment as her heart raced. She waved to the camera crew, knowing they were catching every dorky moment of her excitement. Once she'd finished up her chat with Inez, she quickly turned her full attention to Gigi, eager to see where the night might take them.

As the hours passed, their conversation grew deeper, laughter spilling over into the early hours of the morning. Gigi surprised her by confessing she had a soft spot for romantic comedies, despite years of giving her friends grief for watching them.

Tori gasped, pretending to be scandalized. "Are you kidding me? Miss 'I-don't-believe-in-happy-endings' actually likes rom-coms?"

"Shhh!" Jade hissed, laughing. "It's just… they're good, okay? And predictable." She paused, almost shy. "I just don't tell anyone because then I lose my whole street cred."

Tori was all smiles. "That's so cute. You and your secret rom-coms. I actually did something even dumber for a crush once."

"Oh, I need to hear this," Gigi said, practically demanding.

"Fine," Tori said, laughing. "I joined the production crew of a horror movie just so I could impress this girl I liked. I'm talking lights, fog machine—she was really into horror, and I thought, you know, maybe she'd notice me."

"What was this cinematic masterpiece called?"

"The Gravedigger's Vow," Tori admitted, cringing at the title.

"Oh, no way. That's a classic," Gigi said, her laughter softening into something more tender. "I don't care if you didn't impress her. That's… sweet. And a little insane. I love it."

The next morning, Alex sifted through hours of footage, fingers flying over her keyboard as she pieced together highlights from the night's most promising matches. She had one objective: find the best clips of her person, Jade, who had somehow found her way into the most unexpected late-night chat of the show.

As Alex scrubbed through the footage, she felt her heart swell watching Jade and Shelby's conversation unfurl on screen. The two had talked for hours—laughing, swapping secret confessions, even playfully arguing about horror versus rom-coms. There was something electric about the way their voices softened as the night wore on, and Alex found herself grinning, practically glued to the screen.

Finally, Alex saw the moment they both drifted off, each woman falling asleep with the chat still open, like they couldn't bear to disconnect, even in sleep. She was still reeling from that when the camera cut to a groggy, yawning Jade, just waking up, stretching with a sleepy smile.

"Morning, Shelby," Jade murmured softly, her eyes barely open, a gentle grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I… can't wait for our date tonight." The quiet sincerity in Jade's voice was enough to make Alex melt, and she couldn't help whispering to herself, "Oh, you two are so perfect."

She shot a glance around the empty producer's booth and punched the air, already counting down to see where this would lead by tonight.