The tea shop was unnervingly quiet after the last of the guests had left. The scent of extinguished candles mingled with the faint aroma of tea leaves and frosting, remnants of a long evening that had been equal parts chaos and triumph. Ava Lee slumped into her chair behind her desk, staring at the invitation sitting like an ominous omen right in the center of the organized mess.
International Matchmaking Convention: New York City
Keynote Competition: Intuition vs. Technology
Team Competition – 2-Person Minimum.
She exhaled sharply, glaring at the gold-embossed lettering as if it might disappear if she stared hard enough. "Why do I feel like this is a setup?"
From his spot near the bookshelf, Ryan Kim raised an eyebrow. He'd loosened his tie, his dark suit jacket slung lazily over one shoulder, giving him an air of casual defiance against the formal chaos they had just survived. "Because it probably is."
Ava shot him a look. "You're not supposed to agree with me."
