Love Algorithm

The Trace

Nova didn't go home that night.

Her mom thought she was at a study group.
Aiden thought she was insane.
She thought—maybe she finally was.

Because who stays out past midnight with a boy who might be the reason they're being watched?

But she couldn't go home. Not after seeing that live video.
Not after realizing someone had filmed her window.

So she and Aiden sat in his car, parked at the edge of an empty parking lot.
Engine off. Streetlights buzzing overhead like lazy insects.

A laptop hummed on Aiden's lap.
Lines of code scrolled across the screen.

He typed fast, eyes flicking between tabs like he was reading a language no one else could understand.

Nova hugged her knees, watching him.
"You've done this before," she said quietly.

He didn't look up. "Maybe."

"'Maybe' or 'definitely'?"

He smirked faintly. "Does it matter?"

"It does when the person hacking a viral stalker might also be one."

Aiden's fingers froze on the keyboard.
For a second, she thought she'd gone too far.

Then he said, "I'm not @thealgorithm, Nova."

"How do I know that?"

He glanced up. "Because if I were, you wouldn't still have a choice in this."

Her stomach flipped.
"Not comforting," she muttered.

"I wasn't trying to be."

The screen beeped. A map appeared—bright dots scattered across it like constellations.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Pings," he said. "Accounts tied to @thealgorithm's posts. I've been tracing the proxy routes."

"You hacked them?"

"I'm looking at them," he said with a grin. "Totally different thing."

She rolled her eyes. "You're insane."

"Maybe. But so are you for staying here."

He was right.
She should've gone home.
She should've called the police.

But she didn't.
Because some part of her—some stupid, reckless part—trusted him.

Even when she shouldn't.

He clicked something, and a red dot blinked on the map.

"Wait," she said. "That's—"

"Your neighborhood," he finished.

The air in the car thickened.

Her voice trembled. "How close?"

He zoomed in.
One block.

"One block away," he said. "Whoever they are, they're close."

Nova's hands went cold.
It wasn't just online anymore.
It was real.

She leaned back, trying to steady her breathing.
"This is insane," she whispered. "It's like they're inside my life."

Aiden's jaw tightened. "That's what they want. Fear keeps you predictable."

He turned to her. "We flip it. We go on offense."

Her brow furrowed. "You mean track them down?"

He nodded.