Lucia's was the nicest Italian restaurant within fifty miles—white tablecloths, soft lighting, a wine list that required a sommelier. Aiden had reserved the quiet corner table Sophia requested, arriving fifteen minutes early because nerves had made sitting in his dorm impossible.
Sophia arrived exactly on time, and Aiden nearly forgot to breathe.
She'd dressed up—a simple navy dress that somehow made her look both elegant and approachable, her hair down instead of pulled back, minimal makeup that highlighted rather than masked. She looked uncomfortable and beautiful.
"You clean up nice," he said, standing.
"You look terrified. Relax, I don't bite." She sat down, immediately scanning the menu. "Though I might judge your wine choice."
"No wine. I want you to know this isn't about impressing you with money."
"Too late. You already brought me to the fanciest place in town."
"You told me somewhere nice and quiet."
"I was testing if you'd actually listen." She smiled. "You passed."
The waiter appeared, and Sophia ordered in flawless Italian. The waiter's eyes lit up, and they had a brief conversation that left him beaming. After he left, Sophia caught Aiden's expression.
"What? My grandmother was from Rome. I spent summers there as a kid."
"You're full of surprises."
"Good. I'd hate to be predictable." She leaned forward. "So. Business experience. Your turn to explain how a twenty-one-year-old has the investment acumen of a seasoned Wall Street trader."
Aiden had prepared for this. Not lies, but carefully edited truth. "I've always been good with patterns. Numbers, trends, connections other people miss. When I got some money, I started testing theories. They worked."
"That's not an answer."
"What if I told you I couldn't fully explain it? That something changed four weeks ago, and suddenly things I couldn't see before became clear?"
Sophia studied him. "I'd say that sounds impossible. But I'd also say your investment history backs it up." She paused. "Are you okay, Aiden? Really? Because going from broke to millionaire that fast—it has to be disorienting."
The question caught him off-guard. Not suspicious or calculating. Genuinely concerned.
"Honestly? I'm terrified most of the time. That I'll wake up and it'll be gone. That I'll make a wrong choice and lose everything. That I'm becoming someone I don't recognize."
"Are you? Becoming someone you don't recognize?"
"I don't know. That's why I like being around you. You knew me before. You can tell me if I'm losing myself."
"The Aiden I met in the library was defensive but kind. Smart but uncertain. He bought his roommate a jacket before buying himself anything fancy. He offered to fund my project with terms that protected me, not him." She met his eyes. "That person is still here. Wealthier, more confident, but fundamentally the same."
Something in Aiden's chest loosened. "You really think so?"
"I don't say things I don't mean. It's inefficient."
Their food arrived—mushroom risotto for her, seafood pasta for him. They ate and talked, and somehow hours passed without Aiden noticing. Sophia told him about her family's disappointment when she chose computer science over medicine. About the professors who'd dismissed her ideas as too ambitious. About the loneliness of being brilliant in ways people didn't value.
"You're not lonely now," Aiden said.
"No. Now I'm having dinner with a mysterious millionaire who somehow convinced me to accept business funding and social contact in the same week."
"Regret it?"
Sophia set down her fork, her expression serious. "Aiden, I need to be direct about something. I don't do games. I don't do subtle. If this is just about novelty—the genius girl who's 'different'—tell me now."
"It's not."
"Then what is it?"
"It's that you make me want to be better than money can make me. That you challenge me to think beyond the system—" He stopped, realizing he'd said too much.
"System?"
"My investment system. My approach." Recovery, smooth. "You challenge me to think beyond just accumulating wealth. To build something meaningful."
Sophia watched him carefully, and Aiden had the distinct impression she knew he was hiding something. But she didn't press.
"Okay. Then I need you to know something too. I don't know how to do this. Dating, or whatever this is. I'm better with code than people. I'll probably say the wrong thing, or miss social cues, or—"
Aiden reached across the table and took her hand. "Sophia. I don't want someone who knows how to play social games. I want someone real. That's you."
She looked at their joined hands, then back at his face. "This is probably a terrible idea."
"Why?"
"Because you're going somewhere. Building something huge. And I'm a girl in a basement lab who talks to her servers."
"You're building revolutionary AI that could change how humans interact with technology. You're brilliant, driven, and genuine in a world of fake. And—" He smiled. "You talk to your servers because they're more reliable than people. It's logical."
Sophia laughed, a real, surprised sound. "Okay, that's actually accurate."
"So is this a terrible idea?"
"Probably. But I'm doing it anyway." She squeezed his hand. "Fair warning: I'm going to analyze this relationship like it's a research project. I'll probably ask weird questions and need clear communication about expectations."
"Fair warning: I'm going to make mistakes because I have no idea what I'm doing either. But I'll be honest with you. Always."
"Then we have a deal."
As they left the restaurant, Sophia slipped her hand into his. It felt natural, right, like something that had always been meant to happen.
"Can I walk you back to your lab?" Aiden asked.
"You want to watch me work on a Friday night? That's your idea of romance?"
"Honestly? Yes."
Sophia grinned. "You're weird, Aiden Schols."
"Says the girl who named her servers after Greek goddesses."
"They needed names! And Athena handles processing really well!"
They walked across campus, arguing about server naming conventions and AI ethics, and Aiden realized he was happier than he'd been since the system appeared.
Money and abilities were tools. But this—walking hand-in-hand with someone who saw through everything he projected to who he actually was—this was what made everything else worth it.
The system pinged: RELATIONSHIP MILESTONE ACHIEVED
But for once, Aiden barely noticed.
He was too busy listening to Sophia explain why emotional context in AI might prevent the next tech dystopia.
And falling a little bit more for the brilliant girl who'd claimed a library table and, somehow, his attention.