His words worked like a balm on the wounds she did not even know existed. All her life, people have told her that she was heartless because she didn’t feel compassion for a stranger or that she was emotionless and a robot.

But his words made everything easier. They made sense. She never related it to her. Maybe people did that and that was why they felt emotional towards a stranger.

She feels the pendant pulse again and this time both of them notice it. Anvi looks at the notification in her phone and looks at Aahan with surprise.

You’ve spent meaningful time with someone whose emotional rhythm aligns with yours.

Aahan doesn’t know how to react. He ignored the notification on his own phone and tried to think of an appropriate answer.

“Is it…is it talking about…you?”

He shrugs trying to act nonchalant.

“It is based on emotional resonance. Whenever you feel an emotional connection with someone, it sends out a notification. What actually matters is who you’re paired with.”

She nods in understanding and the day goes on. By the end of the second week, Anvi received the confirmation notification on her phone.

You’ve entered Compatibility Mapping with one individual.

She did not know who it could be. She’d spent her weekends with a lot of people. Friends, colleagues, family and even around strangers. She tried thinking of someone she’s met frequent enough to be paired with.

Aahan looked at his own notifications and sighed.

Emotional sync detected with Pendant A-4 across 4 sessions.

Compatibility Mapping initiated!

He knew he had been paired with her. But he doesn’t interfere. 

The third week followed and Anvi and Aahan found themselves at a street art walk. It was a crowded area and they wanted to test the triggers when the crowd was overwhelming. Will the device be able to differentiate between passing glances, dirty glances and meaningful ones?

Aahan and Anvi are walking through a street performance. They see a monkey do back flips and then stop and frown in confusion while stretching its head and looking around when someone from the crowd throws a banana at him.

Both Anvi and Aahan burst out laughing at the exact same time. Neither of them notice their pendants pulse. Anvi doesn’t see the notification that follows because her phone was in her bag.

As they walk ahead, with soft smiles gracing their lips. They stop for a cup of tea and the conversation has now turned to SouLink’s features.

“If people are emotionally resonating, they should know. Chhupana kyu hai? Saara purpose hi defeat ho jaayega.”

(Why hide it? The whole purpose will be defeated.)

She comments, being frustrated by the idea of hiding the information. She had been paired with someone and she wasn’t aware who. Aahan immediately shakes his head and counters.

“But what if knowing ruins it? What if log uss connection ki jagah scores pr focus krne lag jaaye? I think it’s better that the scores and the information is revealed once the growth stage is completed.”

(What if people starting focus on the scores instead of that connection?)

Anvi, not agreeing to his point, immediately quips.

“You built a device that listens to people’s hearts but you don’t trust them to hear it.”

Aahan sighs and speaks again.

“I trust them to feel it. Not to measure it. The scores are for the device to consider. Not for the people. They should focus on the bonding rather than the scoring system.”

They fall silent. The crowd buzzes around them. The pendant doesn’t pulse after that. Anvi walks alone ahead for a moment and Aahan doesn’t immediately follow.

Later in the evening, when Anvi checks her phone, two notifications from the device are pending.

You and someone nearby experienced mirrored joy for 2.3 seconds.

She frowned in confusion but the next notification surprised. Her device had logged in a Resonance Dip.

Your emotional rhythm diverged from someone you’ve been syncing with.

Was it because of the small disagreement she had with Aahan earlier? But how was that possible? Did she pair with him? He’d know about that if she did. But he hadn’t mentioned anything.

Maybe she was overlooking something. She shook her head and decided to go with the flow.

Aahan’s phone shows a similar notification.

Emotional sync disrupted.

He closed his eyes. Could it be really possible that something happens between them. Spending the past two weeks with her, he had felt something. A connection. She was so easy to talk to.

The week passes by. The disagreement that they had fades and a stronger emotional connection resurfaces. 

Anvi spends the weekend with her parents. They have been following her episodes and are curious about Aahan.

“Dikhne mai toh achha hai. Ameer bhi hai. Baatein bhi kaafi mature krta hai. Aur intelligent bhi hai. Tujhe kaisa lagta hai?”

(He is good looking. Rich also. And talks mature too. He is intelligent too. Do you like him?)

Her mother asked and the device immediately started reading the changes in Anvi. The slight increase in her heart rate, the micro-expression shift as if she is caught off guard and the sudden flush of her cheeks.

“As a human…haan. But otherwise…aisa kuch nhi hai.”

(As a human…yes. But otherwise…there is nothing like that.)

She sounded defensive and unconvincing. Later, she checked her phone where a notification awaited.

You experienced an emotional shift when someone mentioned a person you’ve been syncing with.

This time, she knows who the device is talking about. She had been noticing the notifications and trying to align it with her daily routine. All of it led her to one conclusion.

She was paired with Aahan. But why did he not mention it? Maybe he wasn’t aware or hadn’t checked his own device. She too decided to keep quiet about the information and see where this takes her.

The fourth week started with an early sunrise visit. The day was not about triggering responses but about the device knowing Anvi better. Aahan wanted the device to read Anvi’s emotions when she was calm. 

Her pendant is passively sensing her emotional rhythm. This time, she is acutely aware of the person she paired with sitting right beside her.

Aahan is quiet too. He decided not to bring his phone with him at the sunrise point. It lay silenced in his bag. He sat beside her, a few feet away, watching the horizon.