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twenty-one
Ben
After lunch, I sat at my desk, scrolling through emails, when my phone lit up with a text notification from Leo. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I swiped open the message. Attached was a screenshot from Leo’s Instagram showcasing an advertisement for Mangle.
In the photo, Leo and I were laughing together, with our arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. Splashed across the image in a bold, modern font were the words “My best friend, my partner, my soulmate—thank you Mangle.”
I chuckled and shook my head in amusement. I had noticed a few of these cheesy ads popping up recently. There was even a video ad that flashed special moments of Leo and me hanging out - playing basketball, drinking beers at our favorite pub, strolling through a farmer’s market. Cheesy music played in the background while text overlays gushed, “Find your perfect match—even if they’ve been right in front of you all along.” Another video ad featured more photos of Leo and me with accompanying text reading, “Made for each other—Mangle showed us the love that was waiting all along.”
Leo added below the screenshot: Look at these cuties!
Curiosity piqued, I clicked the link Leo had included in his message. It took me to a carousel of photos sponsored by Mangle. The first photo showed a younger Leo and me as college best friends, all shaggy hair and goofy grins. The second photo was a screenshot of our Mangle profiles, displaying a 99% match. Next was a current selfie of Leo and me, radiating happiness and love, and the caption beneath read: “@Mangle brought out a love hidden in plain sight. Meet the perfect match for you, too!”
Feeling a swell of nostalgia, my gaze lingered on the first photo. We looked so young and carefree, like kids ready to conquer the world together. How different our lives might have been if we had realized our deeper connection back in college. But as those wistful thoughts swept over me, I pushed them aside. Our separate journeys had led us to who we were today—strong, mature men capable of recognizing and cherishing a true partner.
Just as I was about to reply to Leo’s text, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was an incoming call from our friend Steve, who had recently transferred to Phoenix. “Hey Steve, how’s Phoenix treating you?”
Steve’s voice came through, strained and somber. “It’s great, man, but listen, do you have a minute to talk about something serious?”
My heart skipped a beat. I swiveled my chair away from my desk, sensing that this conversation was going to be anything but casual. “Yeah, of course. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know how serious these rumors are, but something’s going down at Mangle.” Steve explained someone had discovered significant flaws in Mangle’s matchmaking algorithm and leaked proof of its inaccuracies to a reporter. Dissatisfied customers had spoken out, sharing their stories of mismatched and failed relationships conjured up by Mangle’s faulty algorithm. “So far, none of the complaints have gotten very far.”
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I listened. “Do you know how legitimate these claims are?” I asked. “Is this just a disgruntled employee, or is their business really about to tank?”
Steve sighed. “Rumor has it that a major media outlet is about to release an exposé on Mangle. They’re putting the complaints together with the data that shows that the company knows about the fucked-up algorithm, and it paints a hell of a grim picture. My contact said that they’re waiting for Mangle to comment on their story, but they’re going to post it soon. Things might get messy for Mangle.”
My mind raced, images of the pictures of Leo and me from earlier flashing in my mind. “Have you seen any proof of this?”
“Yeah.” Steve hesitated, then added, “A friend sent me some screenshots of some internal Mangle emails and memos after I mentioned I was friends with a couple of guys who had really found love on the dating app. They look legitimate. I can forward them to you if you want to see for yourself.”
Fuck. The last thing I wanted was to know that Mangle was falling apart. But curiosity won out in the end. “Yeah, send them to me, please.”
“I just wanted to give you a heads-up, man,” Steve said, his voice filled with concern. “I know you did some promotional stuff for Mangle, and I thought you should know what’s going on before it becomes public.”
“Thank you for telling me, Steve. I really appreciate it.” Dumbstruck, that was the word. That’s how I felt now, wondering what was happening over at Mangle, and if Leo and I were going to be affected. “Let me know if you hear anything else.”
“Will do, but like I said—this story is going to break pretty soon. By the way,” Steve continued, trying to lighten the mood, “my boss mentioned a software development position opening soon. I think you’d be a perfect fit for it. They’re interested in interviewing you if you’re up for it.”
My mind whirled, the job opportunity suddenly a bittersweet prospect. On the one hand, potential career advancement. On the other hand, Leo. “Let me think about it. But thanks for keeping me in the loop about the job and…”
“Yeah. But it was good talking to you.” Then I ended the call and set my phone down. As I sat there, stunned, a sense of uncertainty swept over me as the screenshots appeared on my screen, and my heart sank. I scanned through countless messages of disappointment and frustration, stories of disastrous dates and incompatible matches. My mind reeled, trying to reconcile these revelations with the happiness I had found with Leo.
Had our love story been nothing more than a façade created by a faulty algorithm?
I needed to talk to Leo, to share the news and prepare for whatever fallout Mangle’s scandal might throw at us.
twenty-two
Leo
Walking out of our agency’s sleek, modern conference room, I couldn’t stop chuckling about my conversation with Samantha regarding our boss. “I’m telling you, Jack’s new haircut is sharper, and his clothes seem way more stylish suddenly,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “The fitted shirts, the leather shoes—he must be trying to impress some new lady.”
Samantha nudged me playfully with her elbow as we strolled through the office’s open layout. “Or maybe you only just noticed because you’ve got romance on the brain yourself lately.” She gave me a knowing look. “Hard not to notice, with those Mangle ads everywhere whenever I’m scrolling on the net. They really went in on you two as their poster boys.”
My cheeks grew warm. She wasn’t wrong—Ben and I had been in our own little bubble these past few weeks, falling deeper in love each day. Add to that the dreamy haze amplified by seeing our smiling faces plastered across Mangle’s social media, tagged in ads proclaiming us a perfect match.
As we reached our cubicles, I sat down at my desk and saw my phone sitting there "Must've forgotten this here," I murmured to myself as I saw a missed call and text from Ben from twenty minutes ago.
