Leo looked at her—really looked at her. He saw the way she chewed her lip when she was nervous, a habit no lab could map. He thought about his grandfather, who had the same 'weak' heart and 'bad' eyes as Leo, but who had spent eighty years painting masterpieces that moved people to tears.

Across from him sat Maya. According to the algorithm, their genetic compatibility was a staggering 99.8%.

"The readout says our children would have perfect pitch," Maya said, breaking the silence. She didn't look at him; she looked at the screen. "And they'd likely live to be over a hundred."

Maya finally looked up, a small, uncalculated smile tugging at her mouth. "The algorithm didn't mention you were a romantic." "Must be a mutation," Leo replied.

"My genotype says I'm prone to anxiety," Leo said softly, switching off his tablet. "But it doesn't say that I’m currently terrified of losing the chance to find out if I actually like you, regardless of what the sequence says."