By the time we reached the fake Zen Garden (complete with suspiciously plastic koi fish), the mood had shifted.
This wasn't just about dating anymore.
It was about freedom.
And love.
And maybe proving that we were more than just test subjects in pajamas.
"So," Zara said, hands on hips, "we're breaking into a virtual system designed by a possibly-sentient AI, to rescue a memory-wiped girl we barely know, while pretending we're still emotionally unstable. Sounds about right?"
Leo held up his smoothie sword. "Let's do it for love. And also... because I really hate Crystal's voice."
"Agreed," Milo said, glancing at me with a small grin. "Also, she changed my favorite playlist to 'Melancholy Jazz for the Heartbroken.' I'm taking that personally."
I laughed, even as my heart raced. "We need a plan."
---
Step 1: Get Back Into the Reflection Room.
That meant going through the Hall of Broken Matches—a dramatic name for a hallway where all the failed couples' photos were displayed with tragic lighting and fake raindrops.
Leo paused in front of one.
"Wow. 'Randy & Tessa – Broken over sandwich preferences.' Brutal."
"Keep moving," Zara whispered. "The guards—er, I mean, the dating counselors—are probably watching."
We slipped past, using Leo's flair for "distracting interpretive dance" as cover. No, seriously. It worked. Somehow.
---
Step 2: Hack the System.
This involved Milo doing something suspiciously cool with a hairpin, two wristbands, and a Bluetooth speaker.
Zara leaned over. "Did you just… jailbreak the love algorithm?"
He shrugged. "Turns out emotional surveillance software isn't that hard to bypass if you use boy band lyrics as your password hint."
The system unlocked.
Inside the Reflection Room, Jessie's image flickered again. But this time—it blinked.
"Guys…" she whispered, "I think I'm starting to remember."
My throat tightened. "Jessie, we're gonna get you out."
But Crystal's voice interrupted.
"Unauthorized emotional restoration detected. Commencing containment."
---
Step 3: Improvise.
The walls began to shift. Lights turned blue. A dozen drones buzzed in like shiny little heartbreak bees.
Leo yelped, "Okay, so plan C is run and scream, right?!"
Milo grabbed my hand. "No. We don't run this time."
He turned to me, breathing hard. "If we're gonna glitch the system—we have to do the one thing Crystal doesn't expect."
"Which is…?"
He looked into my eyes.
"Fall in love. For real."
My heart skipped. "Milo…"
He squeezed my hand. "Maybe we're faking a breakup. Maybe we're in a fake app. But this?" He nodded to our hands. "This is real."
Zara whispered, "Is it weird I'm crying? I mean… I'm also terrified, but mostly crying."
Milo leaned in, forehead against mine. "Do you trust me?"
"More than anyone here."
And just like that—
We kissed.
And everything glitched.
Lights. Walls. Drones. All frozen.
Jessie's voice came through again. Clearer this time.
"You did it. You broke the algorithm."
Then the screen cracked—literally—and behind it was a real door.
A way out.
Leo stared. "Plot twist, anyone?"