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"The impermanence mirrors the fleeting nature of human li- of life itself." I catch myself just in time. "Makes the moment more precious."

"That's actually kind of beautiful." She shakes her head. "Still doesn't make up for getting dumped on Christmas Eve though."

"Hm. Personal experience has informed your perspective on these customs?"

"You could say that." She busies herself with the cookies again, but I notice her shoulders tense. "Let's just say I'm done being anyone's Valentine."

I gather my notes and empty cup, but my feet refuse to move toward the door. Something about her candor, her sharp wit beneath that performative cheerfulness, draws me in like a gravitational anomaly.

"Thanks for being my unwitting research subject," I say, tucking my notebook away.

"Thanks for being the weirdest customer I've had all week." She smirks, and the expression transforms her face, brings light to those guarded eyes. "Most people just order their drinks and leave."

"Most people are boring." The words slip out before I can filter them through my anthropological persona. "I mean, from a research perspective."

I pause at the door, looking back. She's already busy with another customer, but there's a subtle shift in her demeanor - her smile reaches her eyes now, and her movements seem lighter, less mechanical.

I step out into the January chill, and I realize I'm already planning my next visit. For research purposes, of course. Nothing more.

The Project Veritas handbook specifically warns against this kind of fascination. But then again, I've never been good at following rules.

CHAPTER3

VANESSA

Iwipe down the counter for the third time, my mind drifting back to those strange questions. Who asks about Valentine's Day like they've never heard of it before? He certainly didn't have any kind of strange accent that stood out, either.

"Hello? Vanessa?" Becca waves her hand in front of my face. "You've been cleaning that same spot for five minutes."

"Sorry, I just..." My cloth pauses mid-swipe. "Remember that guy from earlier? The one asking all those weird questions?"

"Tall, built like a linebacker doing cosplay as a professor?" Becca's eyes sparkle. "Hard to forget."

"Did you notice how he talked? Like he was conducting a survey or something?" I toss the cloth into the sanitizer bucket. "Who asks 'What is the cultural significance of exchanging heart-shaped confections during this particular seasonal celebration?'"

Becca snorts. "Maybe he's an alien doing research on human mating rituals."

"Right? I kept waiting for him to pull out a Star Trek holo pad thing and start documenting human behavior in the wild." I mimic writing in the air. "'The female of the species appears agitated by pink cardboard hearts.'"

"But you have to admit, he was kind of cute in that confused-professor way."

My stomach does an annoying little flip. "No. No way. I'm not even thinking about that. Besides, who shows up at a coffee shop asking about the 'evolutionary advantages' of giving chocolate to potential mates?"

"Someone who's clearly interested in studying you." Becca wiggles her eyebrows.

"Stop it." I grab another cloth, needing something to do with my hands. "I'm not looking for anyone right now, remember? Especially not some weird anthropologist who probably thinks dating is a social experiment."

But even as I say it, I can't help remembering the intensity in those green eyes, the way his questions seemed genuinely curious rather than condescending. There was something different about him, something I can't quite put my finger on.

The next day, I'm refilling the pastry display when bell chimes and my heart does a little stutter-step. There he is again, same stubble, same broad shoulders filling out a navy sweater that looks soft enough to touch. Not that I'm thinking about touching it.

"Welcome to Love Roast," I say, trying to keep my voice professional. "Same as yesterday?"

"Actually," Jack leans against the counter, those green eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. "I'd like to propose something different."

"We do have other drinks besides black coffee."

"I'm more interested in conducting a practical study of modern dating customs." He pulls out a small notebook. "Would you be willing to participate in a first-hand examination of contemporary courtship rituals?"