Chapter 3 Lovebomb part 2

Mari's POV

I stared intently at the glow of the laptop screen, the blue light making the fine lines around my eyes feel deeper than they were. Being married for the last eight years meant I had never even glimpsed a dating website. The world had changed. Love was now a commodity you could swipe through while waiting for the kettle to boil. For Tia, though, I would do anything.

We weren't just friends; we were sisters in every way that mattered. My mind drifted back to the day she came to live with us - the small, wide-eyed girl clutching a tattered teddy bear after her mother's funeral. My parents had been her godparents, a promise made in a hospital room years before that they never hesitated to keep. Technically, we were legal siblings, but the bond went deeper. She was the calm to my storm, the quiet my chaotic energy. Watching her wall herself off from the world for the last two years had been like watching a vibrant painting fade in the sun.

Okay," I recited, my fingers clicking rhythmically against the keyboard. "Username: TiaRose98. Age: 27. Job: Publisher at A Book Company - probablu best not to put the actual company there could be weirdos out there. Hometown: Fellsdello. Favourite colour: Violet.

Impressive," Tiana smiled, though her voice lacked its usual spark. She was curled into the corner of the sofa, hugging a cushion like a shield. "You remembered my favourite colour. I thought you'd say turquoise since you're currently obsessed with it.

I'm obsessed with turquoise for me, Ti. You've been a violet girl since you were five," I countered, not looking up. "Now, stay focused. We're at the 'Preferences' section.

We scrolled through the standard list - hair colour, eye colour, favourite food, best qualities, worst qualities. It felt like we were building a character in one of the manuscripts she spent all day editing. We spent the next thirty minutes debating the nuances of her favourite movies and her stance on pineapple on pizza (she was against it, which I felt was a mistake, but I let it slide). It was fun - the kind of light hearted, giggly fun we hadn't had in a while.

I sat back, pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose, and folded my arms in my lap. I dropped my voice into my best therapist impression, the one I usually reserved for when Ben was being particularly dense. "So, Tiana Rose, tell the jury: what exactly are you looking for in a man? No more 'it doesn't matter' - give me the truth."

Tiana went quiet. The laughter that had filled the room a few minutes ago ebbed away, replaced by a rare moment of vulnerability. She looked out the window at the Fellsdello skyline.

I guess, most importantly, I want a man who loves me for me," she said softly. "Someone who sees my quirks - the way I have to organize my bookshelves by genre and then by spine colour, or the way I cry at the end of every 19th-century novel - and finds them endearing rather than exhausting. I want someone who sees my anxieties and loves me in spite of them. Someone honest, trustworthy, loyal. Someone I can bare my soul to.

She paused, a small, self-deprecating laugh escaping her. "Being attractive would help, too. I'm not a saint. Tall, handsome, well-built... maybe dark hair and deep, soulful eyes like pools of melted chocolate."

Girl, you aren't looking for a man, you're looking for a chocolate labrador!" Cleo barked from the kitchen.

The three of us burst into fits of giggles, the tension breaking like a fever. "That man definitely does not exist," Cleo continued, walking back in. "But a girl can dream. In the meantime, the algorithm will settle for 'tall with a job.'"

Beneath the laughter, I felt a sense of mission. Tiana had been stuck in a rut. Todd had done a number on her confidence, making her feel like her 'quirks' were flaws rather than the things that made her special. He'd been a narcissist who drained her energy, and since then, she'd built a wall around herself made of hardcover books and cosy blankets.

I finished filling in the remaining boxes, describing Tiana's love for old libraries and her secret obsession with spicy pizza. I uploaded Cleo's candid shot - the one where Tiana looked surprised and ethereal - along with a few others I had on my phone from our last beach trip. My sister was naturally beautiful; even when she was caught off guard, she had a grace that was impossible to manufacture.

You look so... real, Ti," Cleo said, looking over my shoulder. "Not like those girls who use so many filters they look like they're made of plastic.

Tia leaned in, looking at the screen. For a second, her guard dropped. I saw a flicker of hope in her eyes, a tiny spark of 'what if' that she'd been trying to douse for years.

It looks... okay," she whispered. "I guess.

Last chance to back out," I said slowly, my finger creeping toward the 'Submit' button. I looked at Tiana. I wanted her to be sure. I didn't want her to feel pressured, but I also didn't want her to stay in her tower forever.

Oh, just do it already so we can get back to the pampering," Tiana said, feigning annoyance. I could see the tiny, hopeful smile hiding at the corners of her mouth.

I double-clicked. The screen flashed a bright, celebratory purple. Profile Live.

Done," I announced. "Now, who wants pizza? I'm starving, and apparently, building a digital soulmate takes a lot out of a girl.

Me too!" Tiana replied, standing up and stretching. "Plus, it's officially pamper time. I need some of those collagen eye patches. I'm so tired after all those manuscripts today.

Let's get pampering!" Cleo squealed, reaching for the face masks as if they were a prize.

As the girls started laughing about which movie to put on and what pizza to order, I glanced back at the laptop. Tiana's profile was live. Somewhere out there, her "perfect man" was swiping, too. I just hoped for her sake that he was a lot more reliable than the men from her past. I thought of Ben, sitting at home right now with the kids, and felt a pang of guilt for finding him 'boring.' Boring was safe. Boring was a husband who stayed home with the kids so his wife could go and get drunk with her friends.

I looked at Tiana, her dark curls bouncing as she laughed at something Cleo said. She was the best person I knew. She deserved the world. I just didn't know yet that the world - or rather, a ghost from the past - was already watching her from the dark car idling on the street below.