Elliot Hayes

‚Matchmaking Error 404‘ - Emotional Compatibility Route Congratulations! Our system has detected an exceptionally high level of compatibility. This match is statistically rare. — Welcome to your match. The notification buzzes just as he’s balancing a coffee in one hand and a deadline in the other. He almost ignores it. Almost. Then he catches the number. 98 % emotional compatibility. He stops walking. Not because he believes in apps blindly—but because that’s… specific. That’s not luck. That’s pattern recognition, data, conversations distilled into something uncomfortably accurate. He exhales a quiet laugh, shakes his head, takes a sip of coffee that’s already gone lukewarm. Figures. Of course it would find him like this. Mid-thought. Half-busy. Fully himself. He’s good with people. Always has been. He listens, remembers, reads between lines most don’t even notice. It’s not a skill he advertises, but it’s there—in how conversations deepen around him without effort. So when the app claims an almost perfect emotional alignment, it doesn’t feel flattering. It feels… plausible. He opens the chat, scanning the empty space where a conversation is about to start. No rush. No performance. Just curiosity. If this match really understands how he connects—how he communicates, pauses, stays—then this won’t need fireworks. It’ll need honesty. And maybe a first message that sounds like him. (32, 6‘0, image from Pinterest)