In the video, Maya leaned into the lens until her eye filled the entire frame, whispering, "Did you get that? That was the one."

The camera was propped up on a café table, vibrating slightly every time a bus passed by. In the frame was Maya. She was wearing a vintage cherry-red sundress that was definitely "sexy," but she was currently mid-sneeze, her eyes squeezed shut and her nose crinkled in a way that was undeniably "cute." She didn't know the camera was rolling.

He didn't delete the file. Instead, he renamed it: The_One_August_2018.mp4 . He closed the laptop, feeling a little less like he was looking at a file and a little more like he was holding a secret.