A Royal Romance's Error

My phone buzzed on the dashboard for the fifth time, so I stopped kissing Finn.

"Ignore it," he murmured against my lips, softly brushing them with his own.

"You know I can't. I've ignored it long enough," I half-breathed into his mouth. I smiled, gave him one last quick kiss on the lips, and reached out to reach my phone. I opened it with a swipe and checked the messages from co-worker, best friend, and the only person that calls me Skye, Madison.

"Madi has been covering my ass for the last ten minutes. You know how things get at work," I told Finn.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting both his hands up in the sky. "I can't help it if I want to keep you by my side all day long."

"Of course, you can't," I laughed.

I grabbed the little bag that contained my lunch from the back seat and hopped out of the car, waving goodbye to Finn. He waved back, blew me a kiss, and told me he'll see me soon before bringing the car to life and driving off.

I sighed contentedly and smiled. I have a good feeling about the Matching. I have a good feeling about Finn, and how we would most likely get Matched.

I trodded back to the bookstore where I work, lunch bag in hand.

"I'm sorry we don't have a copy of that book anymore, Mrs. Salazar. But we have new arrivals you might be interested in," I heard Madi tell a middle-aged woman with hawk-like eyes and black curls in a practiced politeness as I slid behind the register, tucking away the bag.

"Good. Let me see them," the woman, Mrs. Salazar replied with a sharp tone, just as Madi saw me and briefly gave me a where the hell were you look, then smoothing her face as quickly and leading the customer to where her books are.

In the day and age of technology, it's hard to believe how a traditional bookstore has survived, but alas, it has. The smell of new books has kept enticing a chunk of the population, albeit a smaller percentage, and mostly, people who buy from us are collectors, those who are too rich to spend money on things of the past–and that's what we offer: old, tanning books with worn out spines; a remnant of the past, a time when HarmonyMatch was never a thing.

I man the register for a couple of old folks who got a stack of magazines. I smiled as they walked out the store, his hands on her shoulder, both smiling as they talked about their purchase. I thought about how they were Matched, whether they knew each other before the ceremony, if they were childhood sweethearts, or if they were familiar faces you see on the way to school or work, but never really said anything until HarmonyMatch's perfect algorithm brought them together.

My thoughts bring me back to me and Finn.

We've been dating for six months now, but I have always had a crush on him since meeting him in university.

Love isn't exactly popular for young people. For many, they never bother to like or date someone and just wait until they're 25, when they're eligible for the annual Matching, when the government runs the HarmonyMatch app and Match people together. Whoever you're Matched with will be your lifelong partner. So, if you're dating and they don't end up as your Match, it will be a painful heartbreak and an awkward meeting with your destined person.

I never really thought I would actually date. I mean, liking someone is inevitable. Or hanging out with them. Or making out with them. Sometimes, hooking up with them. But dating? I wasn't planning on it.

Not until I met Finn Yamada. He was shy and stood by the sidelines most of the time, but he was really smart and funny once you got to know him.

And I just fell in love…at least that's what the books and the elders say. That's what the "symptoms" point to.

As I said, love isn't a popular emotion.

"Earth to Skye?" I heard Madison's voice behind me, startling me.

"Christ, Madi! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"I wasn't. I've been here a full minute watching you daydream," she said in her normal nonchalant tone.

"I wasn't daydreaming," I rolled my eyes at her and laughed. "Just thinking about the Matching.

"And Finn," she smirked.

"And Finn," I nodded with a smile. "You think things will work out?" I said as I drummed my fingers on the countertop, suddenly anxious.

"Of course," she said, putting a hand on my hand to stop my fiddling. She speaks in this way that makes you think you're boring her, but she listens and she cares. And she knows how nervous I am lately about my fate and Finn's. "The app usually Matches people who have been together for a while. You and your prince charming will live happily ever after. Trust me."

"A while," I echoed.

"Huh?" She raised her eyebrows.

"You said, 'a while.' We haven't really been dating for a while, and I–"

Mrs. Salazar appeared with three old books, which she slammed a little too hard on the counter before I could finish what I was saying, and I had no choice but to ring her up. And before I could talk to Madi again, another customer walked in and she went off to help another collector find their trophies of the past.

– @ –

Lunch finally came and I am sitting at a bench near the bookstore with Madi. We were silently munching on our lunches at first, hungry after a rather busy morning than usual.

"So, did you forget your lunch because you genuinely forgot, or forgot it so Finn can play delivery man for your mom?" Madi asked while munching on her giant turkey sandwich.

"Maybe both?" I chuckled after swallowing a mouthful of lasagna. She just rolled her eyes and smiled, amused.

"You know, Finn's good for you," she said. "If I were you, I wouldn't overthink the Matching. You and him would be partnered for sure."

I can feel she means it genuinely, but I still can't not overthink it.

"But what if we aren't?" I asked, the last bite of my lunch tasting a little too much in my mouth.

"Cry and live with the pain of a broken heart until it's gone and accept the app's decision?" She shrugged. "Or…" she eyed me, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Or?"

"Don't accept it. I'll go with you and with Finn. Or it could be just us," she said, eyes wide and smiling at the idea.

That's the thing with HarmonyMatch, it's government-mandated. It's a way of life and has been for decades before I was even born–which means if you don't follow it, you'll be in a lot of trouble. Hefty fines that only the ultra rich can afford; and even then, you'll lose some benefits and access to a lot of services. For one person you can't even predict the future with, the consequences are a bit much…and those are just the formalities and legalities. Imagine what the people will say.

"Sandwich for your thoughts?" Madi said, waving her nearly-done sandwiches in my face. "You aren't thinking of actually not following Harmony, right?"

"Of course not!" I batted her sandwich away softly. "It's just that, sometimes I ask myself if an app's algorithm is better at telling us who to love more than what we feel."

"Well, the app matches people based on the data it collected all our life. It's basically a digital version of ourselves," she shrugged again and took the last bite of her lunch. "And it literally saved humanity. Without it, we probably would have gone extinct."

"Well, if you put it like that…" I shrugged, too. Feeling a bit tired from all the overthinking and hauling old books all morning.

"I'm telling you, it will be Vivienne Skye Harper matched to Finn Yamada," Madi said, trying to cheer me up and patting my back, before standing up.

"Come on, future Mrs Yamada, we have books to sell," she said, arms outstretched. I sighed loudly and let her pull me up.