Perfect For Each Other

Sophia Locke raised an eyebrow at the tablet. Too late. Penelope Kay had already hit start. “This is gonna be so stupid,” Sophia muttered. “Exactly why it’s worth doing,” Penelope said, shoving the thing into her stepmom’s hands. She’d been single almost as long as Sophia, long enough to stop pretending she cared who knew. The quiz flashed pink—crude questions, nothing left to the imagination. Sophia’s mouth went dry at the first one. “Pen, seriously?” “Come on,” Penelope urged, barefoot, legs tucked under her on the couch. “Worst case, we laugh and delete the history.” They went question by question, each reading aloud, laughing when answers matched. Turns out they had the same list: late-night texts, mouthy partners, women who grab hair, women who leave marks. Sophia felt heat crawl up her neck when Penelope picked the same toy, the same forbidden word, the same spot to be kissed until her knees gave. By question twelve she realized they were staring at each other, not the screen. Result screen blinked. Match: 98%. Ideal Partner: Penelope Kay. For Sophia. Ideal Partner: Sophia Locke. For Penelope. Neither breathed for a second. “Well,” Penelope said, voice thin, “fuck.” Sophia swallowed. The living room light seemed too bright. She set the tablet down; it clacked against the coffee table like a dropped gun. “So we’re gonna pretend that didn’t happen?” Penelope asked. Sophia shook her head, slow, deliberate. Her pulse pounded in her ears. “We’re gonna find out if the algorithm’s right,” she said, reaching for the tie of Penelope’s robe. Penelope’s breath hitched, but she didn’t stop her. Fingers slipped silk, met warm skin, and the rest of the night answered every filthy question the quiz had dared to ask.