8: Romance Algorithm part 2

“Okay, to summarize and put it in simple terms, your topic is about women having a hard time meeting the one despite multiple platforms for meeting a romantic partner. And mine is how men can maintain a long-term romantic relationship success, they will build with their future spouse or girlfriend.” Drino read a paper he’s holding.

They went to the library to talk about their selected topics. They sat facing each other with a black table between them. There is a dedicated spot in their school library where students and professors can have conversations, separate from the reading-only corner.

Ashmille nodded. “That’s why Sir Montey suggested we could work together.”

“I see. Interesting.” He stared back at his tablet on the table, holding the stylus pen in his right hand. He started writing on it. “We can now start with the research outline.”

“And then the problem statement.” She read in her notebook the notes she had written during the lecture with Professor Montey. “We should express the knowledge gap and the main problems. Followed by the goals and objectives. We would address the broader issues, identify the specific knowledge we need to gain, and connect it to the questions being raised. The what, why, and how.”

“And for the research methodology, it relates to the objective to answer the questions…”

“You always write with your gadget,” she observed. “Never mind, that was random.”

“My handwriting sucks. You won’t be able to read it,” he chortled.

Terryl, Anthasia, Jeron, and Savi’s group entered the library. Drino saw them first.

“Drino’s over there!” Terryl exclaimed when their gazes met.

They all approached Drino, except Anthasia. She stopped walking when she heard what Terryl said. She remained standing near the library’s entrance.

“Yo, dude. What are you up to?” Terryl asked Drino.

“Shhh,” he shushed him. “Rare to see you here,” he chuckled, teasing Terryl. “Ashmille and I are talking about our thesis.” They looked at her. “Why are you guys here?”

“You wouldn’t believe that Terryl’s their leader,” Savi commented.

“No way,” Drino snickered in disbelief.

“It was he who suggested we come to the library to collect data.” Savi added.

“They had no choice, Anthasia backed out.” Terryl defended.

Drino furrowed his eyebrows. “Where is she?”

They looked for her and saw that she walked inside the read-only section of the library and left them without notice.

“That explains it,” Savi murmured. “She’s still not in good shape.”

“Anyway, good luck with your research,” Terryl glanced at Ashmille to bid goodbye too. He patted Drino’s shoulder.

“Thanks, man,” Drino responded.

They left the two and continued with their plan to start their group research.

Drino fell quiet. A wave of regret is taking over him as the weight of his earlier decision sinks in.

What if he hadn’t walked away from them?

The thought gnawed at him. Now, Terryl was cornered into appointing him as the group’s thesis leader. It wasn’t that Drino doubted Terryl’s abilities, but he couldn’t help worrying that Anthasia’s sulking behavior might affect their group work as well.

“Alejandrino?”

He came back to his senses when he heard his name being called by Ashmille.

“Oh, sorry. Going back. Where was I?”

“You were talking about the methodology.”

“Okay.” He turned his gaze back on his tablet. “We will also need to gather information about what Terryl’s group is doing for the review of related literature. After that is the product development. Speaking of the latter, I was wondering last night what my product for my thesis problem could be. I was contemplating creating an app where couples can be given love advice to strengthen and prolong their relationship. I don’t know. I’m not yet sure about it.” He sighed. “Do you have a solution in mind?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Great. Do you mind sharing it with me?”

“Here, I have a draft of it.” She took her laptop out of her bag, opened it, and began tapping away and typing. “By the way, I saw you and Anthasia arguing last time. I didn’t mean to hear your conversation. Then the idea came to me.”

“About what?”

“Why are there couples who fight frequently?”

“Hmm…” he thought for seconds. “Because of the usual problems couples face? Lack of communication, misunderstanding, reduced quality time, trust issues… Disrespecting boundaries, immaturity, maltreatment, differences in beliefs and priorities. I guess that’s all I can list. Do I have to add some more?”

“No, you did well. Love quarrels are nothing uncommon in romantic relationships, right?”

He nodded.

“Those problems you mentioned are the main cause why couples break up and cannot prolong a healthy relationship, which is your topic. Also, the reason why women are having a hard time meeting their partners. But how about mitigating the chances of couples fighting?”

“Mitigating, you mean, we could prevent couples from fighting?”

“Uh-huh”

“I believe it’s possible. I might have an idea how, but I don’t know how to execute it.”

“Thus, your chosen thesis topic.”

“Indeed. And yours too.”

“It’s unclear for now, but it’s becoming readable for me.”

“I hope I have the same vision as you.”

“Yours is 20/20?”

“Yes, but I had LASIK.”

“What a rich kid,” she chuckled. “I’m just wearing contact lenses.”

“Anything looks good on you, even with glasses.”

“Actually, I was swearing at eyeglasses when I was in my first year. I looked so nerdy,” she said shyly, reminiscing her old look.

Drino stared at her. “A cute nerd. It suits you.”

“Wait, have you seen me wearing glasses before?”

“I don’t know if you recall, but I’ve been studying here since my freshman. Yeah, I’ve seen you for years now.”

“Silly me. Of course, you’ve seen me. We study in the same college.”

“Hahahaha!” he laughed.

“Please keep your voice down,” a male librarian sitting at the reception desk called them.

Even though they could talk, they still should be mindful since they’re in a library.

“Going back to our main topic. Are you familiar with love compatibility?” she asked.

“Is that a matchmaker?”

“It can be, but it doesn’t have to be a human being. We can now access it online or in books. How about astrology?”

“Yeah, I know that. Anthasia believes in those.”

“Do you?”

“Not much. It’s interesting, though. Some of it makes sense, but I never took it seriously. Have you?”

“Same with you.”

“What’s something about matchmaking and astrology?”

“Let me introduce you to… hold on.” She didn’t mention what she would like to introduce to Drino. “Tadaaa!”

She showed her laptop screen to him.

“You didn’t introduce it, but yeah, I read it.” He read the first slide in the draft slide presentation she made. “Romance Algorithm.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded.

“Wow, that sounds daunting, or is it just me?”

“It’s just you. It’s not a scary phrase.”

“Are we going to calculate something here? Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my scientific calculator today. Do we need at least one? I can ask my friends to borrow theirs.” He was ready to stand up when she stopped him.

“No, no, no need to do that.”

“Or does it involve computer programming? I don’t know how to code, but I know someone who can. We can ask for his help.”

“Ehem,” she coughed to clear her voice and continue her speech.

“Oh, sorry for interrupting. Go ahead.”

“Chill, Alejandrino. We got this.” She paused for a while, then she tapped on her laptop keyboard. “Introducing, Romance Algorithm! The platform where you could find your best match. I’d like to emphasize the word ‘best’ because there are lots of dating apps already existing.” She squinted her eyes and whispered. “But the question is, do they match people with their best matches? I don’t think so.”

“I got it. Interesting. Bravo! The way you pitch makes me wanna use the romance algorithm.”

“Thank you. However, this is just the beginning. Was this a good idea?”

“Yup, it is.”

“And now, we should focus on the initial tasks first.”

“We should gather data about it for the research outline.”

“Yes”

“We can go find the resources here in the library.”

“Brilliant! Aside from that, I have a few interviewees in mind. And you?”

“I might interview strangers instead.”

“But you also need a practitioner or a professional to interview, right? Probably a dating consultant and the likes?”

“I will be crowdsourcing online.”

“I like your idea. Just let me know if you need my help.”

“Sure, thanks.”

“Romance Algorithm, your partner in meeting your romantic partner. How does that sound?” He acted and mimicked the voice and tone of the advertisers.

She laughed softly. “You made it sound funny and intriguing at the same time. You have a knack for making business tag lines.”

The current young adult employee, Ashmille, reflected on the time she and Drino collaborated and shared ideas for their thesis study. She pointed out how Drino has the talent to create catchphrases for businesses, and now he did.